From The Ashes We Rise

Chp 42: Confrontation

~Saturday~

I followed Ariff and his parents to where they were scheduled to meet. We were at an abandoned site, with a dilapidated building that appeared to be a warehouse. There were piles of junk scattered everywhere, ranging from empty and broken barrels to discontinued machinery. There was a cemetery quite a distance away, which made me feel uneasy.

As we alighted from the vehicle, I noticed Ariff balling his hands into fists repeatedly as we approached the building. The sound of his knuckles cracking could be heard softly. We were supposed to meet those kidnappers in the evening, if that even made sense. The family was already on edge for the past few days and couldn't wait any longer.

"I'm gonna kill them if they try anything," Ariff snarled. He slammed the car door.

"The police are on their way here anyway," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

As if on cue, a police car turned up. It drove past our car then parked a few metres away from the site. Both officers alighted from their vehicle then approached us.

"Make sure you signal us to come out," one of them reminded. After that, both of them hid behind some machines.

I glimpsed at the setting sun. Nightfall was approaching. It was about time to get Ariana back. Ariff looked at me.

"I'm nervous. What if they kill her after we pay the ransom?" he asked.

"We can stop them, remember? The officers are here to help."

Ariff sighed then held my hand. We followed his parents as they slowly approached the building. When darkness came, the kidnappers appeared, one of them holding Ariana. Her mouth was taped shut and her hands were bound. She was dirty all over and still in her uniform; they must've refused to give her baths these past few days. She was also skinnier than the last time I've seen her. She's in a real bad way, and everyone knew it. Ariff was about to charge at them before I managed to stop him. His eyes flashed red then faded to brown. A soft growl could be heard as he stepped backwards.

"Money?" The other one asked.

He was a bald Chinese man who had a few scars on his face. His arms were riddled with tattoos and he wore a tank top along with shorts. He was probably in his 40s.

The man holding Ariana captive looked slightly younger, probably in his mid-30s. His hair was dyed a bright green and he had a lip and nose piercing.

As Ariff's father gave the bald man the money, I heard Ariana whimper slightly, but was silenced by the other man slapping her. She started sobbing, triggering Ariff's anger. He clearly wanted to fight, but I didn't want him to do it yet.

Just then, Ariff's father whistled. It was shrill and able to summon the two officers in hiding. In alarm, the man holding Ariana whipped out a knife then held it to her neck.

"No!" Ariff screamed. I held him back as he tried to lunge at the man. He struggled as I pulled him backwards.

"I told you no police!" the bald man bellowed. He brought the blade closer and closer to Ariana's neck as she screamed into her gag. 

I released my grip on Ariff and gave him the signal to shift. He took notice but instead, ran for a barrel. He lifted it up then threw at the man holding his sister.

"Ari! Duck!" he called.

Despite being held tightly, she managed to wiggle enough to bend her knees just as the barrel impacted her captor. He yelped, releasing her. The knife he held also fell to the ground. Ariana took that chance to run to her parents. They grabbed her then ran for their car, which they locked themselves in.