Watched

Chapter 26

Jacob

I couldn't focus on my studies for a long time. I kept checking my phone every ten minutes to see if Mr. Kevin called me, but he didn't. I was so worried about him, especially that he didn't contact me since I called the police. I wondered if he got in trouble or something. I thought about going to the location which he told me about, but I was afraid that maybe it was a bad idea. He warned me not to go to that place no matter what happened. I couldn't make the decision without his permission. I tried to call him many times, but his phone was turned off, and he certainly didn't reply to my messages. I closed my notebook and huffed as I got out of my room. I needed to do anything to distract myself. Television was the first thing that came to my mind. I turned it on and flicked through channels, hoping to find something nice to watch instead of some crap.

"Jacob, do you want to eat your dinner now?" Mom yelled from outside.

"No, mom. I'm not hungry at the moment," I replied.

A couple of minutes passed before mom entered the living room and sat down next to me on the couch. "Honey, are you okay? You don't seem like yourself today. You're not acting well since you came back from college. Did anything happen?"

I shifted my weight so that I could face mom. Her eyes were full of concern as she cupped my face between her warm hands.

"Not really. I've been overthinking lately," I admitted.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Remember my new friends whom I met at university this year?" I started.

"Yes, those three boys and two girls, right?"

"Yes. Actually, they have been kidnapped since a couple of months ago, and we haven't found them yet. Their fathers called me today and told me that they could find them, and they haven't contacted me since then. I'm really worried," I mumbled.

Mom's eyes widened as she gasped in shock.

"What the hell? Why didn't you tell me all of this?"

"I didn't have a chance to tell you. Plus, you don't even know them, mom. You just heard about them from me. Why do you care anyway?"

"How could you say this? Of course, I care. They are your friends and they are too young to go through this."

"Yes, I know. I feel bad for them. I miss seeing them at university every day. I just hope that their fathers can find them," I sighed.

Mom pulled me for a warm hug. I really needed it. I had been overthinking for so long and I wanted to calm down for a bit. My phone rang loudly, making me pull out from mom's hug to see who it was. I hoped that it would be Mr. Kevin or something, but unfortunately, it wasn't. It was a strange number calling me at that time of the night. I pressed on the answer button, then slowly lifted the phone to my left ear.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hello, Are you Jacob Young?" A harsh male's voice asked me.

"Yes. Who is talking?"

"I'm officer Jack. I'm sorry to inform you that Kevin and another two men have had an accident and they're now in hospital."

My heartbeats suddenly raced inside my chest. I stood up from my place and quickly snatched my keys from above the table.

"Could you please tell me about the location of the hospital?"

The police officer explained the address to me as I was wearing my shoes, then hung up.

"Jacob? What's wrong?" Mom asked, running towards me.

"I have to visit Mr. Kevin in the hospital. He had a car accident."