Money Gone

Money Gone

By Andrea Basile

I froze, checking my pockets. Where was the money? Panic rose up deep within me, blossoming through me like a poisoned flower. Bile came into my mouth. I checked once more, just to be sure. Looking through my pockets, all I found was a scrap piece of paper, a gum wrapper, and a paper clip. I sighed. Two words kept circling my brain over and over again, blocking every other thought. I’m dead. Suddenly everything around me starts spinning; I stagger and reach out to grab the garbage can to keep me standing. I squeeze my eyes shut for a couple minutes, then open them again. My surroundings aren’t spinning anymore.  I’m in an alley. It’s past midnight and I was supposed to deliver 10,000 dollars to a man that has been keeping my mom captured for the past two months. The 10,000 dollars would have saved my mom’s life and gotten her back to me….the same 10,000 dollars that was lost.

Two Months Earlier

“Mom! I’m gonna be late for school again! Can’t you ever hurry up!”

“I’m sorry hunny, I’ll be right down!” It was a bright sunny day in late April and I was standing at the bottom of our carpeted stairs. My heels were clicking on the ground ticking away the time. I already ate breakfast, got my makeup done, turned off the t.v, and got dressed. And my mother can’t even be ready when I actually have to leave for school.

“Whatever, I’ll be in the car.” I growled, grabbing the keys and heading to the car.

As soon as I got in our red Audi, I heard a thump. I just thought it was nothing so I just started humming to “I’m sexy and I know it” by LMFAO. Another slow 5 minutes passed by and I’ve had enough. I swing the car door violently open and stomp inside our house.

“MOM!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. I’m never this worried about getting to school early...to be honest I actually don’t like school. But today is the day that Griffin Smith, the most handsome and popular guy at school, is going to ask me out at my locker. Before first hour. My mom doesn’t reply. Just then I realize how quite it is.

“Mom?” I asked hesitantly. I slowly started walking up stairs, my heels being the only sound in the house. I reached my mom’s room and the door was closed. I slowly opened it, picturing the main song in “Jaws” playing. The door creaked and opened. Inside everything was a complete mess. There were drawers open, as though someone had been looking for something. Clothes were thrown all across the room. The bed covers were all on the ground, and there was a broken glass on the ground as well. There. In front of the bed. There was a stain, a stain that looked a little like dark coffee. It was in front of the bed. Only it was different, it was a redish liquid, and there was a trail of it that led to the bathroom.  My heart stopped. I’ve seen this in horror movies…it was blood. Without knowing what I was doing my legs magically started moving towards the bathroom. I was barely breathing, and my heart was thumping so hard in my chest I thought I was going to explode. I place my hand on the bathroom door, bracing myself for what I was about to see. I swung the door open. The huge mirror on the wall was shattered and there was blood squirted on it. All the products my mom uses for doing he hair and makeup, were on the ground, making it look like a jumble of different shapes and colors. Blood was also on the bright white curtains of the shower. Just then I realized someone was screaming…it took me a little longer to realize I was the one who was screaming. I fell to the ground horrified by all the blood.

“Mom!” I yelled.

I got up and sprinted to my room. I swung open the door…but no one was in there. I then rushed down stairs and into the kitchen. No sign of my mother. I reached out, grabbing onto the counter like my life depended on it. Suddenly the phone rang. I let it ring 3 more times before I answered. The phone felt super heavy in my sweaty hands.

“H-hello?”  I stammered.

“I want 10,000 dollars. You have two months.” Said the voice on the other line. It was a man, his voice was rough and cold.

“W-what? Who is this?” I whimpered.

“You will meet me at the bar on Broadway, at 12:05 pm sharp.”

“Who is this?”

“If you don’t bring the money, I will kill your mother.”

“Who are you? Where’s my mom?”

“If you tell the police, I will kill her too.”

“What have you done to her?”

The line went dead. In seconds thoughts filled my head, threatening to break my skull open. What’s going on? What just happened? There was blood in my mom’s room…was it hers? How did this man get inside the house? How was I going to get 10,000 dollars?  My vision blurred and my eyes rolled back into my head. I was unconscious before I hit the floor.

To Be Continued