Chapter 6: Saved or doomed

Five big men easily open the door, and at their front is a middle-aged man with his distinguished feature of the muscly body, the scar in the face, and golden-laid tooth. 'Raul!'

Martin effortlessly identified the man his father was talking about. At the end of their entourage was a woman Martin has great familiarity with, walking with the sway of her overgrown hips.

She wears thick bright red lips, deep violet eye shadow, and a slick straight hairdo.

But at this very moment, that smile is not amicable. It is devilish.

'She is not the woman she appears to be.' Martin thought.

'Her vileness and despicableness are so infuriating,' Martin thought. They are just any other family. Why is this happening to them? Was it just pure misfortune? Then, why them?

But then again, humans are complicated beings to understand. The fickleness of humanity is a sight to behold. Sometimes they are vile, and the other times they are an angel. What we see might not be the truth, and the illusion we sense might be the reality.

Her outer appearance was just a façade. 

But this time, it's different. The appearance of benevolence was plastered by maliciousness.                                                                      

As the gang of six fully entered the room, it was so quiet that a drop of a needle could be heard. No one breathes, afraid to be caught and die.

The brothers stopped moving. They even unconsciously breathe less, afraid of being discovered.

As the gang observed the room, Raul gestured his fingers to look around and see if there were people.

On the other hand, Councilor Bing found a chair and sat on it as if everything had nothing to do with her. She crosses her legs and leans on the chair comfortably, and treats the furniture as her own. As her weight fully occupied the chair, the squecks of the hinges witnessed her over abundancy. Her careless attitude is formidable in the face of such tension.

Raul was about to start the search himself but was stopped by the hand of the councilor as a ringtone broke the silence of the room.

Bing picked up her phone and answered the call with a happy high-pitched voice, "Hello, Congressman? Yes, he is already dead. The family?" Bing immediately looked into Raul, and through the years of working together, they have this way of communicating just with the eyes and eyebrows and nods. Raul, then knew what she wanted, and he nodded to his crew to continue their search.

"Yes, Congressman, on it. If found, how would we deal with them? Got it. Yes, of course, my help in the upcoming election will surely put you to become the Vice President of this country" She was still smiling, but the smile was nerve-tingling.

Her dream of becoming this city's Mayor is within sight. With this city's population and her popularity, she can use it to leverage her way up. Of course, she will also help the congressman in his campaigns.

After the call disconnected, Councilor Bing turned to her henchmen and said, "You know what to do." She gestures her thumb running along her neck and continues her laidback position like a person of a royal bloodline, ready to use her authority to suppress other people.

On the other hand, Martin blurrily saw through the very thick curtain and heard everything that had transpired within the room. 

Every word was like a sharp blade that tore their hearing organ, tingling their spines cold and crawling towards their brains, telling them that the situation could jeopardize their life.

Slowly, one of the evil men walks near the place where Martin and Luther hid, searching everything. Even a closed trash can is opened and thrown aside to make sure that everything is appropriately rummaged.

Both Martin and Luther's hands are shaking but not enough to expose them.

Due to the few minutes of standing still and without any muscle movement, Luther feels a sudden jolt of spasm. He could not prevent himself from making some moves when he thought that the man was not facing them and tried to alleviate his discomfort slightly. Quickly, when Luther senses some relief, he continues his stationary position.

Then, as if he has an eye at the back of his head, the man turns his head abruptly. 

The man felt movements and alertly looked everywhere near him. The room is not that big, only 25 square meters. And the furniture is few and between. He was reflecting the humble life of the family.

Only then did the two brothers realize that the wrong move might take a massive toll on their survival. Profusely sweating, immobile, and patience running thin, they tried to think of ways to save their family.

Even if the curtain is very thick, the abrupt movement of Luther made the drapery move a little. From the peripheral view of the man, he vaguely saw earlier that the curtain showed some motion. So he went nearer to check upon what was behind the drapery.

Those very seconds were years for the two brothers. They want to shout for help, but they both know that the only adult in their family is their mother, who may be facing the same danger they are currently having right now.

They look into each other’s eyes, and a newfound determination is swelling. He looks at his younger brother's weeping eyes. He is so young for this. 'Sigh.'

They could no longer wait for their Auntie Beth to come and rescue them. It is in their hands whether they die or live tonight.

The gods and wishes Martin believed in play no more symbolic significance in his mind. The only thing that is important to him now is their safety and safety alone.

No more praying. No more pleas and wishful thinking. No more trusting to entities that might never be real or perhaps existing but chose to be indifferent to other people's suffering and take delight in others' sorrows and grievances.

They have no choice but to ready themselves to pound the evil men and let their mother and younger sister find the moment to escape to call for help. The two brothers held their hands tighter, waiting for the exact time they would do their wordless plan.

Martin opened his mouth and said in a traceless voice, “It’s time. It’s wonderful having you as my brother.”

Luther sees it and replies in the same manner, “Me too. And… thank you, brother.”

Too many words are unnecessary for brothers to exchange their true intentions. Their eyes are enough to convey such deep emotions built for so many years.

However, their touching moment is interrupted by a remark.

"The window is open Mistress, they might have escaped," one of the goons voices out, but before Bing and anyone else present could react, a distinct clacking sound was heard, quite different from the noise of the weather.

“Clack! Clack! Clack…” The sharp clacking sounds absorbed all of their attention. The contrasting sounds of the lacking and the rain created a vibe enough to scare kids into unconsciousness. 

All the people, aside from the family, have turned hostile and turned their attention to the bedroom door and readied their guns to shoot down this unknown person. Everyone’s hearts are up to their throats. Even Councilor Bing stood up and hid behind Raul. That is how tense they are.

“Mom, I’m scared,” Annie said, shaking in the embrace of her shuddering mother. And Theresa looked down at her daughter, tried to act calm, and replied, “It is okay, Annie. Hold on to mommy, okay?” They both waited for the person to enter the room.

‘I hope that’s you, Beth.’ Theresa prays under her breath.

The lightning and thunder intensify as if heaven is prophesizing an inevitable future—a rather bleak one.

Lightning flashes and thunder grumbles, like an observer watching a drama unfold while showing its expectations and great excitement. This sound and the clacking sound continued, and it did not make Martin any less tense.

As the steady yet high-pitched clacking footsteps of heels got nearer to the bedroom door, the already cold atmosphere plunged into a more frozen state. No movement and only guns pointing.

When the last footstep is heard, a woman's silhouette can be seen standing just before the door.  

The light from the lightning revealed a sexy female figure. Only parts of her are visible. The shadow perfectly outlined her amorous body.

This woman has a remarkable resemblance to a person Martin is abundantly familiar with. 'It is Auntie Beth,' elation dawns into Martin. He is happy to see somebody he thought could help them.

Through a small inconspicuous slit near the wardrobe corner, Theresa shockingly saw the person's shadow. A small knowing smile left her face.

A spark of hope can be traced in the eyes of the whole family. They immediately think that a helping hand is present, ready to give them a rope to grasp out of this nightmare.

Each one of them has their thoughts of being saved and that they might survive this ordeal.

The person they are waiting for to salvage the situation and help them; the woman their father trusted to save them; the reporter who celebrated holidays with them and entered their home as a family has come.

Albeit hopeful, they remain in their places, waiting for a stable situation wherein they could be hundred percent sure they are safe.

However, a terrible reality blanches them to stiffness.

Standing tall, aloof, and cold-looking, Beth surveys the room before she looks at Councilor Bing coldly and insipidly says, "What is the situation?"

Like they were struck by a current, the family froze, more still than they were before. Theresa connected the truth that slapped her so hard. On the other hand, the goons relax and smile.

The former anticipation that is plastered on the faces of Martin and his family is wiped clean by a flabbergasted thought they have, 'Auntie Beth... is also a bad person?'

Desolate feelings race into their minds. Martin could not believe what he was seeing. The hope that was once in his heart has thrown him into a more desperate hole. No more lights and no more thoughts. No more possible escape routes but eternal slumber.

#FalseHope