Jack Tyler
His single-room apartment was a mess, bottles were littered across the floor, and so were his clothes and those of the lady he brought home from the club last night. Her heels were laying somewhere beside the mattress, her underpants and brazier were miles apart; one was at the door, the other almost under the table. It must’ve been quite a night.
He opened his eyes and got out of bed, naked. The lady he was laying next to moaned and woke up to the sight of his cock waddling sideways as he walked to the cupboard at her own side of the bed. She greeted him and enticingly bit her lower lip as she got up and wrapped her arms around him from the back. She let out a satisfactory sigh, enjoying the firmness of his chest muscles in her palms.
“You, Jack, are a beast,” she said, gloating over his rigid body with his cock in her hand. She stroked it and kissed the back of his neck. “Last night was amazing, don’t you think?”
“I’ve had better,” Jack replied bluntly without turning to look at her.
“You jerk!” She huffed angrily and smacked him with a pillow, “I can’t believe you, Jack,” She left him and started picking up her littered clothes hastily while he laughed at her, “I can’t believe I let myself get swayed by your poisonous charms- what was I thinking jumping into bed with you?” Her words were rushed with constant stutters as she speedily got dressed.
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“You’re a good for nothing son of bitch!” she cursed, picking up her handbag from a stool, “Don’t you dare call me!” She headed out and slammed the door behind her.
He laughed, her number wasn’t even on his phone. Of course, she knew who he was, and judging the way she devoured him last night, Jack could tell she’d always wanted to have a taste of the man her friends wouldn’t shut up about. Maybe they’d also told her to stay clear that he was a dick but she didn’t listen and maybe they did not, either way, she was just another girl he’d had effortlessly.
Karen Godfrey
Unstoppable by Sia was playing in her ears as she jogged back home during her regular early morning run. Sweat had damped her tracksuit and her trainers were a bit muddy from the puddles she might have accidentally stepped into.
She passed by Tommy’s and greeted him while he was pruning the flowers in his courtyard. The old man in his gray bathrobe waved at her with a smile. A masculine guy jogged out of a side street and caught up with her. She didn’t have to look at him to know that she was talking to her but she decided to ignore him because the music in her ears was too loud. What a lame excuse, she just wasn’t in the mood for his long talks about how he found her attractive.
He snapped his fingers in her face, “Hey, I’m talking to you.”
Karen switched to a backward jog so she would look at him. He was handsome and very attractive as well but he talked too much and that was a turn-off for her, “Hi, Jerry,” she faked a smile, “bye, Jerry.” Karen switched back to her original position and sped up, “Try to keep up!”
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He tried to but she was simply way too fast for him to catch up with. Jerry slowed down after a while, struggling to catch his breath with his hands on his waist as he watched her run energetically.
When she got home, Karen shut the door and leaned her back against it with closed eyes and heavy pants. Indistinct chatter from the TV was the only sound in the entire house. She plugged out her earpods and called out her roommate’s name, “Daisy!” Karen tossed her phone on a couch and headed for the kitchen.
“Why are you yelling my name this early morning?”Daisy walked down the wooden steps with sleepy eyes. She was wearing pink pajamas and a pair of matching socks.
They met in the kitchen where Karen teased her about being a bag of lazybones as she gulped a glass of milk down her throat and bulged loudly thereafter. “I’m so hungry I could eat a whole Bear right now.” She opened the pots on the burner right before Daisy told her there was nothing edible in there.
Daisy sat on the countertop, braiding her short hair herself, “Ben called, by the way.”
Karen ignored the message about her ex checking on her and changed the subject. She asked if Daisy didn’t care about how her night went and the roommate reminded her that she did not approve of how Karen spent her evenings.
“It’s not like I have a choice,” she replied.
“Yes, you do,” said Daisy following Karen to the dining room, “you could,…you know,…” she added meekly, knowing that she was about to cross one of Karen’s lines but she did anyway,”…you could call your uncle Ken,”
Karen dropped the loaf of bread she’d picked up from the table and reminded her roommate that she did not like talking about her uncle Ken.
Kenneth was the CEO CyberNema, the leading tech company in the city but he wouldn’t help out with his sister’s medical bills. Karen was working two jobs, a barista during the day and an illegal street car racer at night. She was one of the best drivers on the streets. Karen hated her uncle Ken especially after he had his security throw her out of his building the last time she was there but his nonchalant attitude towards her family actually taught her to be stronger.
Daisy begged her to quit the street racing listing the different ways things could go wrong for her. Karen promised to think about it but gave no assurance that she’d quit any time soon unless the medical bills miraculously stop coming in and her mum was made whole.
Karen heard the microwave beep from the kitchen and cocked a head at Daisy. She was famished and her roommate was secretly microwaving something for herself to eat. “Unbelievable,” Karen smiled as she headed back to the kitchen.
“Karen, come back here. Don’t even think about touching my breakfast!”Daisy raced her to the microwave.
Simon Clark
She could smell something burning as she was doing the dishes, it was the bread she was baking. Silvia hastened her footsteps to the oven where she took out the hotplate with her bare hands. She rushed to the counter and carelessly dropped it on the top. She wiped her burning hands over the apron as she winced at her pain.
“Safety precautions, mum,” Danny walked in, munching on an apple, “always wear your gloves before using the oven.”
“I will not forget that, ever again,” she replied, still feeling the pain. Her fingertips were red. “Pass me that ladle, will you?” She nodded towards where it was hanging on the wall behind him. He reached for it and handed it to her, “Oh, I need plates too.”
He blew a raspberry and got the number she needed from the dishwasher.
“Where’s your brother?”Silvia asked as she chopped some tomatoes.
“Right here,” he waltzed in, “morning, mum, “Simon kissed her head and sipped his coffee. He loosened the black tie around his neck and sat on a stool at the kitchen island.
“Bro, have you seen the papers this morning?” Danny asked him, holding one in his hand.
“No, why?”
“Looks like your role model has gone MIA.” He passed the newspaper to Simon.
Renowned Scientist Goes Missing was one of the headlines on the front page with a photo of Dr. David Shane somewhere beneath it. The story was that he was kidnapped two days ago on his way home after a presentation at CyberNema.
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“I’m sorry, Simon. I know how much the man means to you but please don’t let that ruin your day.” Silvia held his hand, “Go for the interview and give it your best. The cops will find Dr. Shane.”
He clicked his tongue and nodded. She was right, he really needed that job.
Coincidence or Fate?
Karen was worn out from all the running around trying to take customers’ orders. It was a very busy morning and this afternoon seemed even busier.
“Hey, is Ms. Julian’s latte ready?” asked a nerdy guy in a pair of oversized glasses.
“No, James just gimme a minute, okay?”Karen replied from behind the counter,” Suzie, why haven’t you made Ms. Julian’s latte yet?” she whispered to her colleague.
“Because I’ve been busy, Kay, “came the polite response with the same tone,” plus, you know she doesn’t like the way I make it. Ms. Julian only takes a latte made by Karen Godfrey herself.” Suzie concluded and faced her work.
A few hours later, she received a text from Daisy saying to meet her at a particular location that it was urgent. Karen took an excuse from work and left.
She stood in front of an apartment building for a while, wondering what Daisy would be doing here when an Uber pulled over by the sidewalk and someone called her name. She turned, “Simon?” surprise flicked in her gaze as he walked up to her with open arms. She embraced him tightly, overwhelmed by sheer exhilaration.
They exchanged pleasantries and asked what each was doing there. She told him what had brought her there and he said he was there to see his brother. Simon had to leave the interview when it was almost his turn because he got a text from Danny saying the same thing Karen’s text said.
While they walked into the building, he asked if she had heard from Jack.
“No, but if I ever run into him again, he’ll be sorry.”
Clearly, she was still holding a grudge against him.
When they got to the fifth floor, they met Jack standing in front of a closed door, one could say he’d been knocking.
“You gotta be kidding me,” said Simon upon setting eyes on him.
“Well, well. I guess what they say is true; wherever Jack is, Karen and Simon can’t be too far behind.”Jack smirked.
“You lying, backstabbing son of a…!” Karen rushed at him and swung a punch that connected with his jaw. Jack staggered at the weight of the blow. He’d forgotten how feisty she was. She raised a fist to hit him again but Simon stepped in between them, “Get out of my way, Simon.” She raged.
“I see you still have that burning fire within you,” Jack said with an annoying grin she wished Simon would let her knock off his face.
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“Shut up!”Simon rebuked him. It took a while to calm her down but in the end, she was calm.
He asked Jack what he was doing there and the sarcastic idiot replied that it was a free country and then explained that he was supposed to meet someone very important to him, a girl named Cassie.
“Then go,…get going,” Karen said to him.
“Can’t do that, Luv. I’m right where she texted me to meet her. Room 504.”
“That’s weird,” she replied, “I’m supposed to meet Daisy in this same room.”
Simon chipped in that he was there because his brother had asked him to meet him there.
Now, they all knew something was definitely fishy. It couldn’t be a coincidence, no. Someone wanted them to be there.
Simon grabbed the doorknob and struggled with it but it didn’t open.
“Step aside,” Jack said and Simon shifted. He took out a metal strip from his wallet and inserted it into the keyhole.
“Who would want to bring us all here?”Karen asked, puzzled. Jack suggested that it could be someone who knew about their past and wanted to make them pay for their sins.
“Our sins?” she felt infuriated by what he said, “No, Jack,… your sin. You’re the one who screwed us over!”
“Are we really going to do this right now?” he asked, struggling to pick the lock which now clicked open. There was a loud crash from inside the room accompanied by a series of grunts like two people were exchanging punches or someone was taking a beating. Simon dared to open the door after the fighting stopped.
Slowly, they walked into the exquisite room, whoever was living there sure had a high taste for luxury. They called out to whoever was inside but received no reply. There were broken glass pieces on the floor and a wooden table somewhere in the room was also broken.
“Guys,…I’m beginning to have a really bad feeling about this,” Karen complained and for the first time in a long time, she and Jack agreed on something.
She gasped in shock when they found Dr. Shane laying behind a couch, drowning in his own blood. Simon rushed over there and knelt beside him, staining his hand with blood from the doctor’s stab wound. He tried to apply pressure on the wound but the doctor asked him not to waste his time.
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The other two stood back, confused and afraid of being framed should the doctor die. Karen had already called 911 the moment they found him and Jack ended the call before she would say anything incriminating. The weak doctor strained against his pain and whispered to Simon the code to his safe in the bedroom. Simon rushed there and tapped in the digits as instructed by the dying man, leaving blood stains on the keypad. When the safe opened there was nothing in there except a flash drive which he grabbed and rushed back.
While he was gone, Dr. Shane had beckoned on Jack and asked him to check the breast pocket of his shirt. What was in there was a folded picture of a college girl. Dr. Shane said she was his daughter and asked Jack to please find her.
By the time Simon returned, he was already dead. Jack suggested that they leave immediately before the cops arrived but Simon insisted that he would wait until the ambulance arrived.
“Don’t be stupid, Simon. We’re in a murder scene and you have the victim’s blood all over your hand, who do you think the cops will arrest first?” said Jack.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this but he’s right, Simon. We have to go.” Karen added.
As Simon rose to his feet and slipped the drive into his pocket, Karen looked out the window and saw a sniper aiming at him from a rooftop two buildings away.
“Simon, get down!” she yelled.
The sniper pulled the trigger and squeezed a round. A gunshot was heard.
