Escape

Chapter 7

24 hours.

1440 minutes.

That's all I had. The ticking of the clock filling the deafening silence. Every tick reminding me that I have one second less to decide my fate.

To decide my future.

I couldn't imagine I would be in this situation two days ago. My monotonous life would change into a whirlwind of conspiracies, murders, decisions and danger.

Just two days ago I returned from the store empty-handed worried about the notes I received. When I climbed up back in my room and found my door open and my uncle sitting on my bed.

Him beating the life out of me. I cried for him to stop, but he didn't, he continued as I was his rag doll.

He left me lying on the floor, broken, hurt, my clothes were torn. I don't remember when I lost my consciousness.

Later hearing two strange voices, a name, Micheal, who was he?

Then waking up in the place I never visited in 8 years.

My mom's and dad's clinic.

The place they practised.

Not to mention finding out that my parent's death was because of murder but not because of suicide. And I wasn't the one, there were 5 others.

All dying on the same day, the reason and pattern of death identical, even time was the same. And every case was concluded to suicide. No further investigation was done, nothing.

And now I was sitting in my room back in the house, with 24 hours in hand to decide whether I want to find answers to all my questions and leave this old life behind or stay back and continue as if nothing happened, the secrets shushed in the dark forever.

Should I take this opportunity to find out all of the answers that I have been searching for since forever, to leave this old life behind for better or worse? What if this was a trap? They never showed me their identity? Maybe they were lying? Maybe they want to kill me? Or hurt me? Or sell me?

But they could have done all of this in a moment, they had many opportunities. They found me unconscious in my room like they said when I pestered them, to tell the truth. They wanted to talk to me but when I didn't answer they broke in and found me lying on the floor.

They said the safest place for me was this abandoned clinic. They never told me why they thought I was in danger.

Then they dropped me at my house and said I had a day to decide and not to worry about my uncle as he's off for a tour.

The whole ride back home Brian didn't utter a single word, his eyes straight on the road, his hands tightly gripped the steering wheel, his eyebrows furrowed together like he was deep in some thought. He kept looking at the mirror many a time catching my eye in the mirror. He looked at me for a moment as he was analysing something, trying to find some clue and then shifted his gaze back on the road. While Daniel sat next to me in the back seat, doing something on his computer sometimes lifting his head to ask a question or two and then resuming back to his work.

They said to take care of myself and said that they left some groceries in the kitchen so I could eat. My eyes started to tear up, no one looked after me for these 8 years, so this small gesture of care overwhelmed me. But I quickly masked my emotions and muttered a thank you as I walked inside the house.

Currently holding my parents' photograph in hand, I wondered what should I do next, should I go? I got nothing to lose, I have no one here. No one would miss me and my life couldn't get any worse.