Chapter3. Will we ever go home again?

I was now sitting with a group of people at a distance from the 'now reduced to ashes hotel'. Our hands are tied up with ropes. I looked around for her friends. There are so many people! It looks like the terrorists have captured everyone, if so then Eve, Vivi and Liz should be here. I walk across the crowd of people and hear Eve calling my name. We quickly met each other.

"Ray! I've been looking for you! Oh God! I'm so glad I found you, I was worried sick!" Eve says with tears welling up her eyes.

We hug each other for a second, wishing it could last longer, wishing we don't have to let go, afraid that if we do, we will lose each other in the chaos and fear. Life has always been unpredictable, it's just the way it is. But still this was on another level.

"Do you know where Vivi and Liz are?" I ask, fear hiding behind my voice, afraid I might hear something I don't want to.

Eve says with tears in her eyes and her voice cracking from the tears buried in her throat, "I don't know.... I have no idea. they are nowhere to be seen... *sob, sob.... do u think they killed them?" the tears rolled down Eve's pink cheeks.

"It's alright Eve, you need to be strong, we have to get through this!" I told her but I guess I was just trying to tell myself that because my eyes were flooded with tears threatening to spill and roll down my cheeks, but I tried hard to suppress them because I knew if I cried now, I would completely break down and I couldn't afford that at the moment.

The armed men, terrorists, were keeping a close eye on everyone, so there was no way we could escape. I see one man walking in our direction so I grab Eve and sit on the ground with everyone else. Everyone is terrified, some crying, some suppressing the urge to cry. No one knew what was gonna happen to us now. The uncertainty was suffocating us all.

The enemy has set camp and are constantly patrolling the area to keep an eye on us. All of them are dressed in black, kinda like the typical terrorists we see in movies but then I see that man, he stands out a lot, the one with the sword, who almost killed me. He had his face covered, so I couldn't see him properly but now I see him clearly. He is standing a distance away, his arms crossed at his chest, talking to some other men. He has a gruff and muscular appearance, fair skin, short messy hair, and eyes that hide a lot of bloodthirst behind them. He had a very intimidating presence to him, the kind that will instantly tell a person that he was extremely dangerous and not to be messed with. He was a devil in disguise. a monster. He looks my way and I instantly, out of fear look down, hoping he didn't catch me staring at him. And then a commotion rises as the men yell out to everyone to get up because we are leaving. And God knows where they will take us.

They load all the hostages into a big truck, and lock us up. The truck moves and we are on our way to another hell.

During the journey, they would regularly stop at some areas to reload supplies and also feed and give water to the hostages, just enough so that we don't die. Although by the time they gave us any food or water, we were already half dead, we had barely any strength in us. We stood outside the truck waiting to be blessed with so much as a sip of water. Our hands were still tied with ropes and the bad guys gave us some water one by one. A few steps away from me, I saw a young man from our college beg for more water bcz he had accidentally spilled his cup and the man handing out water punched him and he fell to his knees.

The man grabs him by the hair and says, "We don't have any water to waste on slaves like you. You should have been more careful!"

'Slaves? He just called us slaves! Were we going to be made slaves or something?' After the man leaves I go over to the man on the ground, his face not rising from shame, fear, and helplessness.

I offer him my cup of water and he stares at me with disbelief and says "Do you not need to drink that?"

I tell him that I already drank some so he can have the rest. His eyes filled with tears and his hands shook as he held my cup of water and drank from it. I notice his parched lips and know exactly how thirsty he must have been, we all are, so how could I just turn a blind eye to him. He thanks me with big tears streaming down his face and I simply smile and leave to get back to Eve. As I make my way through the crowd, I bump into someone, someone I had not expected to cross paths with again.

I look at him, my eyes wide open with disbelief, disappointment and slight fear. It was him, that handsome man I bumped into in the antique shop, earlier before my life started going downhill. It was definitely him but it seems like he is one of the terrorists!

I would recognize that beautiful tan face, that scar over his left eye, those gorgeous wavy locks of his anywhere.

I wasn't the only one surprised at this encounter because his face also lit up with disbelief. I wonder if in that moment we felt the same way, that I wish we had met differently.

I saw his face light up with disbelief when he saw me but it was just for a brief second. He quickly composed himself and then had this serious look that said he couldn't care less. A very foreign look. I know we are nothing but strangers but back at the antique shop he had a gentle look on his face, an almost sweet demeanor. Now he was just cold. I stood there bewildered that he was part of this kidnapping and this...chaos and misery! I wish he wasn't. I wish all of this was just a dream, a nightmare.

Because you know what the good thing about nightmares is? It's that at least they end. But I guess not when this nightmare right now is my reality.

Just then, someone called him from behind, "Velaris! Get over here! we need you to discipline some rebellious kids over here." And just like that he left, we didn't utter a single word.

***

The prisoners (namely, us and the rest of the people that were captured along with us) were taken somewhere else, we were getting anxious with every passing minute. How far were they gonna take us? Where are they gonna take us? What are we going to do? Will we ever get to go back home? I was drowning in the thoughts flooding my mind.

We got on a boat and crossed the ocean. The ocean...Oh how I love the ocean. The golden rays of the sun shone on the surface like golden glitter had been sprinkled all over. Miles and miles of ocean water stretching for what seemed like forever. The strong cold wind blew past me, the scent of salt air made me feel at ease, like home. Despite the situation we were in, I let the wind take along with it all the thoughts and worries clouding my mind. I stared at the ocean, and lost myself staring into the depths of the oceans and how it was pulling me into it. I had always found the ocean extremely beautiful in every possible way, along with its glittering surface and the unknown depths of its waters. I was enchanted by how something so beautiful could be so frightening at the same time. That's how the ocean was to me. And I liked it because it felt like home, we used to play by the beach all the time back home.

And then Eve comes and startles me, pulling me back into reality.

"I'm worried about Viv and Liz. we haven't met ever since we were separated back at the hotel." I stayed quiet. I didn't say anything, what could I have possibly said?

From a close distance I notice a familiar face. My brother! Jacob! He comes running towards us and his face lights up with a smile and a sigh of relief escapes his mouth.

"Jay! It's really u! I'm so so glad to see you!" I say overwhelmed and relieved seeing him safe. Eve tears up and Jay hugs us both, a hug filled with warmth and love. I wish we didn't have to let go. The three of us spent our childhood together and now I'm afraid of being left alone.

We ask him where his friends were, He was with them during the trip and it turns out, just like us they had also gotten separated and Jay was left alone.

I can't imagine the pain of being alone in the middle of all this confusion. But he tells us that before he was separated they met up with Liz and Vivi, so they are probably with his friends right now. We let out a sigh of relief, at least now we know that they are alive.