Jay’s Pov
Here was another day of me proving to myself that I have the survival instinct of an earthworm. A week had passed after Amy had last met me. She wanted to play with me on her whims. But much to my surprise, she had disappeared into thin air. It had been a week. Having her missing had made me go crazy. I had no idea where she was or what she had up her sleeve.
Even though I had been restless and gone crazy those days, I didn’t attempt to search for her and couldn’t let her know I cared for her. As arrogant as I was, I couldn’t let her walk all over me as if I were her personal doormat. I had made sure of it this time. All this time of her disappearance, her lovely friend Brian had been tailing me everywhere. Once a day, he would barge into my office and inquire about Amy and where she went. That annoying brat kept whining like a damn puppy, and when I answered that I didn’t know or have any updates, he got all flustered and shy. What babygirl effect did Amy put on him? I needed a distraction; the more I tried, the more I thought about Amy, which shouldn’t be the case.
Like any other day, I planned to stroll outside the orphanage, wanting to get some fresh air. Taking slow steps towards the open gates, I saw a car stopping right before the gates. That car was familiar. And before I could even understand, I was being dragged by a bodyguard and had been ruthlessly shoved into the car.
And now I was stuck in a car’s passenger seat, practically glowering at Amy, who had kidnapped me right from the orphanage’s gates. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had any plans on murdering me or keeping me hostage. I was quick to snap back and reach for the door, twisting the knobs only to find it locked. My eyes peered at the black tinted window before me, where I could see the guard walking away.
My eyes went back to Amy, who had been out of my focus, while I kept looking for escape. I sighed, accepting my fate; escape wasn’t an option. Finally resigning, I leaned back on my seat, crossing my arms to my chest while I glared daggers at Amy with full potential. She was in her signature black formals, which meant serious business whenever she did. She had a candy stick between her lips, nibbling on the sweet sugar on her tongue.
Her hands that clasped the steering wheel were wrapped in gauze and bandages. She had been in a fight. My lips parted, wanting to ask, but I held it in. Her left hand had the wooden necklace, and the holy cross dangled from her wrist, an accessory she never removed. It made my heart race. I could feel her stare at me while I trailed my gaze to meet her brown eyes that gleamed golden when the sunrays hit. Her jet-black bangs framed her face; her lips were stained pink from the candy’s colour. I felt a strong ache, my hands itching to rake over the soft locks that veiled her eyes and maybe taste the sweetness of the very candy she was enjoying. She continued to stare at me while sucking on the candy.
My mind had gone to the gutter again; I was losing my sanity. I was no saint, but Amy had managed to push the perverse buttons in my head. And maybe she was well aware of the effect she had on me. Not to mention the small smirk that etched across her face whenever she was in the mood to tease me. She deliberately stuck out her tongue, licking her lips, the candy stick twirling between her fingers.
Amy: Breathe, doctor. A candy might help.
I realised I had been holding my breath; my heartbeats drumming against the ribcage. She stuck out the candy she had been eating, winking at me. It was as if she could read my thoughts. Or the desire was way too clearly showing on my face. I scoffed, looking away in the front. I heard her chuckle as she finally fished out a fresh candy from the cabinet.
Looking at the packaging of the candy, I realised it was my favourite candy. I shared my memories of liking it while I helped her cope with period cramps. Was she on her period? It didn’t look like it. She wouldn’t have managed even to drive here. It was always severe. And I couldn’t imagine how she had dealt with it alone every time.
Amy: Quit sulking, Doctor.
Her voice broke my train of thought; I noticed the candy she had still been holding before me to take it. I hesitated, not sure if she had laced the candy with anything funny.
Amy: It’s not spiked; you have my word.
She asserted and pushed the candy towards me as I finally took it. She smiled, satisfied, finally turning on the engine as she started driving. I kept looking out of the window, unwrapping my candy and shoving it into my mouth. I wanted to ask her questions, but I wasn’t going to stroke her mighty ego.
She kept driving to the city; I wasn’t sure where she was taking me.
Amy: No tantrums this time?
She chided.
Jay: Where are you taking me? Usually, murderers choose a remote area; it’s easy to dump and dispose of the body. Are you planning to make it look like an accident?
I snarled.
And all I heard was her hearty laughter. What was so funny? She was treating me as if I were her angry pet.
Amy: I don’t have any plans to kill you. I would rather have you stuck with me for the rest of your life, until I die, I guess.
She cooed, taking a sharp turn, one hand twirling the candy stick between her fingers while she took control of the wheel with the other. She looked hot. I didn’t know why any small actions of hers made me even more fascinated. I was surely attracted to her. I still loved her.
I just couldn’t understand her weird obsession with me. She kept me away for those two years while I yearned and mourned for her, and now she wasn’t ready to let go of me. I was so zoned out with the storm in my head that I hadn’t paid any heed to my surroundings.
Jay: Where. Are. You. Taking. Me?
I asked the million-dollar question, to which she gave a playful smirk.
Amy: Well, it’s a date!
She smiled.
A date? Which involved me getting kidnapped in broad daylight?
Jay: How sweet! You should have taken that sweet little Brian of yours. Why spend your precious time on me?
I mocked.
Amy: I smell something burning. Is it jealousy?
She snickered as I rolled my eyes, wanting a hole to swallow me and make me disappear from the face of this earth.
Jay: That guy is smitten with you after all.
I admitted.
Amy: Damn, you are so naive.
She mumbled.
Jay: What do you mean?
My brows furrowed at her demanding a proper answer.
Amy: All this time, you thought that kid was after me?
She laughed, her eyes crinkling. She looked even prettier when she had a genuine laugh.
Amy: That kid was after you. Silly teenage crush. He kept nagging me about how he could approach you. He was very shy and a coward, so all he did was stick by my side in hopes of encountering you.
Shit. I wasn’t even slightly aware of this. I had cursed that kid in multiple languages all the times I had seen him, and that dude was trying to hit on me. I never understood why he was always flustered red in front of me; now that I connect the dots, it did make sense…
Damn…
Jay: So you didn’t do anything about it? Nor did you stop him? Aren’t I your pretty possession in that screwed-up head of yours…?
I asked out of curiosity while I mumbled the last line to myself low enough for only me to hear. I looked at her, wanting to see her reaction.
Amy: Tch, he would be buried six feet deep under the ground if he dared. But he is as cowardly as a mouse, so I had nothing to worry about. After all, I enjoyed teasing you…
She grinned at me.
I felt the car coming to a smooth stop, and as I looked outside through the window. We were at an enormous entrance to a racing circuit. Why were we here? Tacky place to be for a date. But after all, it was ‘the Amy’ whom I was trapped with.
I looked back at Amy, who had been enjoying every one of my reactions.
Amy: Tell me, Doctor, would you like to bet or race?
The question had caught me off guard. What was going through her thick skull?
Jay: Well, I’m not interested in any of your games; just drop me back.
I spoke calmly, trying my best to contain my emotions and not let her see through me.
Amy: Well, too bad, doctor; you just agreed on a challenge with me a week ago. I didn’t take you as someone who isn’t a man of his word.
Her deep husky voice distracted me while I recalled the incident from last week and realised what this sudden kidnapping was all about.
Jay: If you just wanted me to fulfil this challenge, you could have let me know rather than kidnapping me from the gates.
I commented, side-eyeing her snickering face.
Amy: As if you would have spared me time.
She was right; I would run away with every chance I got and then yearn and crave for her too. I was turning into a maniac.
Jay: So this is the challenge that you were talking about. And you have kept the courtesy of providing me options. Quite generous of you. Ms. Maria.
My voice dripped with sarcasm; her fake name felt bitter on my tongue, but it also hit her nerve. Her jaw clenched, yet she kept cool; her eye twitched at my remark as she maintained her composure.
Amy: Wow! That sass suits you. So what will it be? A bet or a race?
She remarked playfully, making my cheeks flush.
Jay: A bet and a race of what?
I played dumb, not that I knew what she had been talking about, but she could fool me.
Amy: Sure. Bet on the cars that would race; you pick a model, I pick one, and then we can leave it to fate to play and see who wins. If you win, you get to demand whatever you want from me, and if I win, I’ll get whatever I want from you.
She shrugged, and slowly her composure changed.
Amy: But if you want a race. You’ll need to make 10 laps of the circuit in 20 minutes. If you make 10 laps in 20 minutes, you get to have whatever you ask from me, but if you don’t, then I get to have whatever I ask from you.
Something was very fishy; her demeanour changed when she mentioned race, as if she was really looking forward to the race rather than having to play a stupid bet that she could easily manipulate and win.
I took a moment to think this through thoroughly. I was well aware of her manipulative skills; nothing was a coincidence if Amy was involved. She had learned everything, learned to fight, cook, and kill, as well as drive a car at an insane speed. I knew I was on the losing end.
I had no hope to start with anyway. But I wouldn’t give up without a fight. So a bet was out of the question; she could easily manipulate me without me knowing it and influence my decisions to win. Even though I was always tagged as a ‘prodigy’ in my career, I never came across someone so slick and charming like Amy, who held the power to turn tables, and maybe my prodigious brain wasn’t immune to her charms and ethereal beauty.
Jay: I’ll race.
I declared. Even though the chances of me winning were slim, I was ready to give it all.
After 30 minutes of preparation and choosing a car model for the race, we had finally taken ourselves to the starting point of the racetrack. Even though I wondered why Amy chose to challenge me for a race, that had everything to do with cars and cars only. She could have challenged me in any other aspect; maybe she was also aware that I was moderately into cars. And with the limited information I have about automobiles, I could have a false sense of winning. And Amy could use that as an advantage to win against me.
I kept on overthinking until it hit me: Amy was the CEO of Ace. This automobile company had its own car models and was also highly invested in creating and crafting exquisite car models for racing. Of course, it had to be about cars! She did have a special team of engineers and staff who were helping us with everything. I was seriously missing information in plain sight. Idiot.
My heartbeats drummed in my ears as I found Amy’s car right beside mine. Her face was hidden behind the helmet and safety equipment like I was, but I could feel that signature smirk beneath her helmet. She was cocky, like always. We both had selected specific car models that we found suitable for the race. I had tried my best to use the limited knowledge of race cars that I had, while the engineers helped me with the technical instructions.
The countdown had begun. I took a good look at the racetrack; it wasn’t a difficult path with sharp turns or corners. I just had to keep up with the speed and pace. I heard Amy’s engine roaring to life, her wheels accelerating as the smoke sizzled through the friction caused by the concrete track. She was provoking me. A silent symbol of challenge.
The countdown had reached one as we saw the green flag being waved. In the blink of an eye, Amy had flown past me. Turning up my gears, I followed behind, trying my best to suit myself to such an unsuitable speed. I was very sure racing was Amy’s hobby. She had meticulously selected her car model and made certain changes to it. All I didn’t understand was why she had added so much fuel to her car. It wasn’t suggested, and it would only slow down the car with that amount of fuel.
I trailed behind her, finally getting the hang of the speed that I had never exceeded. I was getting closer to her, our first lap getting completed. The next 10 minutes were adventurous; I could feel adrenaline rushing to my veins as I accelerated even more, a thrill that had been missing from my life. I was enjoying this. In the next five minutes, we had almost completed 8 laps, and I had overtaken Amy from the corners, which surprised me. I didn’t think it was possible, or was I getting an easy win?
I didn’t ponder on it, as I continued to enjoy the thrill. It was dangerous, yet it made me feel alive. It was exhilarating. I had somehow reached the same level of madness as Amy; she had been trying to take over me, but I hadn’t given her any chances. There was only one more lap remaining. I could win this race.
I continued to speed up, reaching even closer to the finish line, with Amy still tailing behind me, until I heard a loud crash. My legs instantly hit the brakes as the tyres screeched across the track, finally stopping after so much effort. My car had tilted across the tracks as I got a look at the sight. I saw Amy’s car trashed to the side, against the boundary. The engine had started emitting smoke; if it delayed another minute, the car would catch fire and cause an explosion. I quickly got out of the vehicle, removing the helmet. I sprinted across the track. My heart dropped to my stomach. If anything happened to Amy, I wouldn’t forgive myself for the rest of my life.
I bolted, finally reaching the car; the smoke had engulfed the area. I yanked the car door, which I found had been jammed due to the crash; I was running low on time. I jerked the handle harder, finally getting the door loose. I couldn’t breathe. Flashes of my wretched memories played before my eyes. The feeling of regret lingered as it had that day when I believed in the foolish promise that Amy had made to me. I was not going to walk the same path twice. I couldn’t let the past haunt me in a time-sensitive situation like this.
I yanked the handle one more time; finally, the door broke open, and the engine had caught fire. I couldn’t waste a second more. The staff approaching to rescue us were still running across the track; I couldn’t wait for help. I had reached Amy, getting rid of her seatbelt. I had successfully pulled her out of the car, lifting her on my shoulder, and I ran away from the car that had been engulfed in flames and was now on the verge of an explosion. I ran as fast as I could. Until I heard the sound going up in a boom, the heat waves were hitting me on the back as I kept running, even though I felt like fainting.
I had barely managed to escape the spare parts of the car hitting my body and protecting Amy at the same time, as I had somehow managed to get away at a safe distance with Amy. The team was quick enough to extinguish the fire after the explosion. I took Amy straight to the infirmary. She wasn’t moving. She had lost consciousness.
The other staff member had reached to help, bringing a stretcher immediately towards me. I quickly placed Amy on the stretcher, trying my best not to worsen any of her injuries. Slowly getting rid of her helmet, my hands trembled as I zipped open her jumpsuit.
There was a wet red patch on her white shirt near the shoulder. My brain blared alarms while my eyes widened. The medical staff behind me reached to treat Amy while I could do nothing but feel numb. I couldn’t breathe. I felt helpless; my hands wouldn’t stop trembling. I was a former medical professional, yet I couldn’t help her. It made me frustrated and agitated. I wasn’t capable of helping her.
I could see my world falling apart. Fear engulfed me—fear of losing Amy. My heart clenched as I gripped my chest, trying hard to breathe, but I couldn’t. I was having a panic attack. The burning building flashed before my eyes, and I felt my lungs burning. The unforgiving flames that had turned my being and conscience into ashes.
One of the staff members reached out to me, making me sit in the nearby chair, rubbing my back as they offered me water. I refused to take it. My eyes snapped back at Amy, who was being treated. Her shirt had been removed only to find an already patched-up wound that had bled due to exertion. The bandage was removed as the doctor inspected the wound. I couldn’t hear anything clearly, but I got a look at her wound, my chest tightening even more.
It was a gunshot.
She had been shot. Her stitches had ripped open at the impact.
The staff in the room tried to usher me outside, assuring me she was being taken care of while I needed to get my wounds treated.
“Please get yourself treated. You’re bleeding.”
One of them spoke worriedly, but I didn’t pay any heed to their words; my attention was solely on Amy.
I was not going to leave her alone...
I wouldn’t let her leave me this time.
“Please try to understand…”
Another staff member interrupted while I cut their words with a glare sharp enough to silence them.
Jay: I said I’m not leaving her. If you want to treat me so badly, treat me right here; I am not leaving this room. Just treat her!
The words came loud and clear, cutting through the panic in the room. My outburst had caught them off guard, and they finally let me be. My hands kept trembling, my breath uneven. The staff had been treating a wound on my forehead. I didn’t even remember getting my head hit somewhere. I felt the cotton dabbing on my skin, near my eyes; I totally ignored it.
I kept my eyes trained on Amy, who was still unconscious; it felt as if she would disappear if I looked away. I stared at her wound. There was no sign of injuries from the crash, just the fresh gunshot wound that had its stitches ripped. The medical professional was working on her stitches again. It made my heart ache, a slow death grip that wouldn’t let me breathe.
Every time the needle pierced her skin, I felt my heart bleeding. I was trying my best to breathe, my vision turning blurry from the tears. Black spots appeared in front of me, everything felt numb, and I couldn’t move. It felt as if I was in a constant nightmare; the car explosion and the burning building from that day played like a broken radio in my head.
My mind was going into a spiral, and the worst of my memories flashed before my eyes. I found myself screaming even though I wasn’t. But I could hear my screams, screams for help, crying until I couldn’t. It happened all at once, and then everything felt numb and empty.
Maybe I was dying…
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Thank you everyone for being so patient for my story updates and sharing your views in the comments. Stay tuned for upcoming chapters as we reach closer to the end.
Lots of love and gratitude 💜
Peace ✌️
