“Call me Suzanne.”
The woman used each of the men's fingerprints to unlock their devices and she began operating them.
“Well, Suzanne, I’m sorry but I can’t go with you. My grandma is sick. I need to be with her.”
“Well, then I’m really sorry. Take care of her,” Suzanne said as she walked off.
“Wait,” Aaliyah called out and Suzanne turned.
“Tell me what all this is about, please. Why these kidnappings? What’s going on?”
“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it because of your grandma. However, if you change your mind, text me with this,” Suzanne said as she handed one of the tabs over to Aaliyah. “It’s switched off. Don’t turn it on yet unless you want to attract the attention of some very dangerous people. Also, don’t show anyone. I’ve installed my contact ID on it. By the way, the girls you saved are waiting for you just around the block. They got away while you fought off the men. The way they were bound, I’m surprised they didn’t fall over themselves.”
With that, Suzanne ran off. In a couple of seconds, Aaliyah heard the sound of a bike. She looked at the phone in her hand. She had thought all devices had been destroyed. What was happening?
“Thanks for saving us, ma'am.”
Aaliyah turned back to see the ten people she had saved.
“It’s no big deal. How would you like to join my group to travel to New York?” she asked as she bent to set them loose.
21st November 2021
7:50 am
Cabot, Vermont. USA
From dust, we all came. To dust, we will all return.
Aaliyah sat on the snow watching people prepare to move. move Marcia had died the previous day. She had also been buried the same day. Aaliyah's eyes had dried up. There were no more tears left to cry. There was nothing left for her in the world. No family. No one. She liked Ted but he deserved someone a lot better than her. She didn’t want to hold him back.
She got up and walked away, far enough to be alone. She pulled out the tab and turned it on. On the home screen, there was a contact icon with Suzanne’s name beneath it. Everything other thing was in a language she didn’t understand. She clicked on the icon and typed. The keyboard was also in a strange language but it had English alphabet superscripts.
Hey, Zu. I think I’m willing.
Five seconds later a reply came:
Great. Cuz I’ve got a miss
ion for you. I’ll send you instructions now. Once you get them, write them down, delete them and switch of the device. You have just ten minutes.
Epilogue
19th November, 2021
2:53pm
Cincinnati, Indiana. USA
Stephen Wallace threw a stone and watched Tanner, his German Shepherd, run after it. He was in front of a smoldering fire place. Survival was his thing. He wasn’t always a civilian. His mind drifted back to his days in the military. It had been a fun ride till his mouth ruined it all.
And gained him some dangerous enemies.
He’d have to take journey to New York alone if he hoped to get there alive.
He heard footsteps. As if in confirmation, Tanner’s head perked up and it began to bark. Stephen got up and used his feet to scatter the fire mixing the ash with the snow.
“Shhhh, boy. Come on, let’s go,” he said to the dog.