Chapter 4
I felt like I’d been asleep for ages.
When I opened my eyes, all I could see was
the ocean.
Then b
く
Then I heard a whimper next to me.
I turned and saw Susie May.
She had bright red marks on her face.
“You better stay quiet! Or else, this is what’s
going to happen to you!”
The kidnapper punched Susie May in the
stomach.
Her hands were tied up high.
If she didn’t have her hands above her head
she would’ve curled up on the floor.
“Stop it! Please! Let my daughter go. I’ll give
you anything you want!”
My parents shouted from the shore.
Pete tried to run over, but Sean held him
back.
“Why are you kidnapping my sister? If you
don’t hurt them, we’ll give you whatever you
want!”
“Mmmph! Mmph!”
Susie May tried to yell.
But she couldn’t get anything out.
“Looks like this is the Sullivan’s oldest.”
The kidnapper whispered in Susie May’s ear.
She shook her head, but it was no use.
The kidnapper chopped off one of her fingers.
My mom saw it happen and collapsed on the
ground.
“Give us a billion dollars! And we’ll let them
both go. Or else, they both die!”
The kidnapper finally said what he wanted.
Susie May seemed a little relieved.
In her mind, the people on the shore wouldn’t abandon her.
“We only have half a billion right now. There’s
no way we can get that much money that
“Please, let them go. Five hundred million is
all we can do!”
The kidnapper scoffed, and grabbed me by
the hair and dunked me in the water.
I almost suffocated, but he pulled me back
- up.
“If you only have half, then you can choose
which one lives!”
“You have ten seconds. I’m not waiting
around.”
The kidnapper counted down.
He slashed our legs.
The water was full of sharks.
“Bro! Mom! Dad! Help me! I don’t want to die!
Help me!”
I just knelt there.
Then I heard a voice.
“Are you sure you want to alter the subject’s consciousness within five seconds?”
“This is the last day for the mission. You will
be stuck in this world forever.”
“Yes, I’m sure! If she dies, I’ll be the only Sullivan!”
The kidnapper started counting down.
<
I looked at everyone one last time, then bit
down on the kidnapper’s hand.
Then, I jumped in the water.
I heard screams from the shore.
“Susie May! We want Susie May! Sorry, Ashley, we failed you…”
All that came back was a stream of blood.
