Phobia

40. Collateral

I saw my dream house on a Friday. It was homely and sterile at the same time. Lavender flowers on vines creeping up on one side of the exterior, high ceiling, a cosy heated pool amongst the shrubbery in the garden, and a secret room under a table for emergencies, fully equipped with rations and other essentials. It was perfect. I had next to nothing, as a new employee in a company, but I couldn't let it go. So I decided to take a house loan. When I went to the property dealers and said that I  would apply for a loan, they smiled. One of them, a woman dressed in a bright red pantsuit that hurt my eyes, said," There's no need for a house loan from the bank. We'll give you a loan."

Oh, so they were the loan sharks everyone is warned about? I was about to decline politely, but the woman continued.

"And the best part - a 0% interest rate."

No way. This was too good to be true. There had to be a catch.

"Well, on one condition."

There it was. I replied, only half joking, "So which organ do you want?"

She smiled again, but it wasn't a friendly smile. It was a teeth-baring 'you don't know how close to the truth you are' smile. An oddly specific description, I know. But it was an oddly expressive smile. "We're going to need a very.... unconventional collateral, to put it one way."

I was intrigued, despite the warning bells going off in my head.  "Go on."

"I'm going to need someone you hold dear to your heart, with evidence obviously, as collateral."

"Yes of course you can have something - wait, what?"

"Yes, if you give me a living human as collateral, the 0% interest rate is all yours."

I looked at her, bewildered. "But what - why?"

"Well, sometimes it's easy to let go of things. But people, even if you do grow distant, the guilt of what could happen to them if you can't pay your debt is far too much. Think of it as an additional motivation."

I blinked, struggling to keep up with the justification of this.

She continued. "And look, we will keep the person in optimal condition. Think of it as a stay in a resort. You can call in advance and drop in anytime. We will treat the person you choose with utmost respect and care. Nothing will happen to them, and they will be returned to you safe and sound once the debt is cleared."

I paused. "And what if I can't repay the loan?"

"It rarely happens. To date, there has been only one such case. And in that... never mind, you have nothing to worry about. Your track record is perfect - you've paid your student loans on time too. You will be able to pay off the loan in no time, I'm sure."

I stared at her. "What do you get out of this, then?"

She waved off my worries."Nothing. It's not a win-lose situation. We lose nothing, we gain nothing. I guess you could say we're like an NGO."

The idea was appealing, despite how inhumane it sounded, but I needed time to think it over. The dealers gave me time till the next week to decide. In that time, it was all I could think about. It was a good offer, a really good one. And as much as I wanted to claim that I was selfless and I would never trade a life for a house, I wasn't. And besides, they said it themselves. Nothing would happen to the person I'd send as collateral. I wanted that house. And even if they sounded shady, I didn't have a lot of options. The bank would never give me a zero per cent interest rate. And I'd keep slaving all my life if I had to pay off the loan with interest. That house was not cheap.

Whenever I thought about letting it go, the house came into my mind. The splendid dream house. It took me half a week to make up my mind and the other half was used up in deciding who the person would be. I settled on Sam in the end, my next-door neighbour and best friend since childhood. I know I must appear very heartless, but just hear me out. I wasn't giving away my parents, that wasn't how I would repay them for years of raising me. I wasn't that callous. And besides, they did say it'd be like a stay at a stay at a five-star hotel. So it counts as gifting him a vacation. I'm sure he wouldn't say no to a year-long resort trip, especially since he was unemployed and ever ready for a vacation. 

The dealers led him away as he chatted to them about what a good friend I was and how I sacrificed a free coupon to a resort for him to go instead, and the lady winked at me as he sat in the car like we both had an inside joke. I didn't like the unnecessary guilt it gave me. 

Then I started working. The house was something I didn't regret buying; it was simply exquisite. I did a variety of odd jobs during my free time- doing deliveries for one month, babysitting for another and tutoring too. I visited Sam from time to time, but he seemed busy enjoying himself, so it was easier to squash the guilt down. He had been my older brother's best friend as well as mine, and when my brother passed away, we both had been there for each other. I really didn't want to lose him, so I worked long hours and tried to lead a minimalist lifestyle, as minimalist as it could be with a house like mine.

Slowly, my calls and visits to see Sam dwindled, but it didn't seem like he cared, so it was fine. The year was ending, and my final monthly salary would clear off the loan. Sam would be safe and sound, back in his kitchen, humming nonsensical tunes into empty space.

I was excited beyond words as I woke up that day. I dressed and even reached the office earlier than my boss. I was humming the same nonsensical tunes as Sam when my boss arrived. He beckoned me to his office and I stepped in, my heart in anticipation of the arrival of my check. 

"Nola, I have news. As you know, recently, we had to let some people go due to budget cuts. I'm very sorry, but I have to let you go. You're fired."

I wiped my tears as I headed outside. The sky was a murky grey to match my mood. Sam wasn't going to come back. No one would let me borrow any money either, not after what my brother did. I was done for.

I called the dealers and said that I needed to meet them. Then I went to my house, the beauty that would be marred with scars after tonight and changed into another set of clothes for the meeting. All black. The colour you wear to a funeral.

They were there when I reached, Sam beside them. He was looking at me calmly, his face blank and eyes cloudy. They drugged him. The lady, now in a navy blue jumpsuit, greeted me. "I assume you have the remaining money?"

"Well.... no. I got fired this morning, without a valid reason. It almost seemed intentional, you know, the timing and all?"

She mock-pouted, acting like it was the most unfortunate thing ever. "Oh no, you poor thing. This is so unfortunate, considering how close you were. Well, you've given me no other option, dear. The collateral is ours now."

"....You know what? You guys can take him. But I don't think he's going down without a fight."

"Sweetheart, I don't think you've noticed, but he's not in a very... lucid condition right now."

"Are you sure about that?" Sam's voice rang out, crisp in the night air, and then his hands moved in a blur. I leapt into action too, and soon, they were all on the floor, cowering.

I spoke. "You really thought you had me, didn't you? Another foolish and impulsive person, just like her brother. It took us years to find you, but we never gave up. And I must admit, revenge is pretty sweet. You took my brother; that selfless idiot who offered himself as collateral, remember him? You took him, just like you take everyone who falls for your trap. But you didn't see me in the periphery, watching, waiting."

The woman, huddled on the ground, stared up at me with shocked eyes. Besides, she knew her game was over. She should have listened when her sister asked her to learn how to fight instead of just relying on her henchmen. After all, you can't run an illegal organ-trafficking business without knowing how to face your many enemies. But I'll cut her some slack. After all, it was quite new and small right now. I turned to Sam. "What do you think we should start with?"

Sam smirked coldly as he glared at the woman. "Oh... I think that one needs some surgery. I have the feeling she could function with one kidney just fine. Not many days to live anyways."

As they all screamed, muffled by their gags, Sam and I smiled at each other and we carried them, one by one, to their 'body van', the chilled van where they operated on the bodies and stored the organs.

They did make a lot of money on these organs. I bet Sam and I could make a lot more on theirs.