39: Bites, Face Mask, Action! part 2

“Then why aren’t you coughing from the beginning?” Witz asked.

“Late reaction. My body tries to fight the urge to sneeze and cough. But now it’s uncontrollable and can lead to anaphylactic shock or worse, death.”

Witz approached her

“Nooo!” she screamed so loudly. “Not you! You’re a pervert!”

“What the heck are you talking about?”

“Y-You groped me a while ago.” She turned her gaze to Doofus. “You, too! Don’t you dare touch me.”

“I didn’t grope your ass!” Doofus denied.

“I’m a kidnapper, but I’m not interested in you. You don’t serve my taste, and you don’t have money,” Witz defended.

“What was that scream?” Tres arrived.

“Just a small commotion,”- Kidnapper 4. She approached Ashmille to get her face mask.

“Alejandrino!”

“Yes?” Drino answered curiously.

“Why don’t you show your wound to this girl? If Drino dies from tetanus, his career will be over.”

Kidnapper 4 rushed to see Drino.

“And you, Tres, get the face mask in my pocket instead.”

Tres went to her. “Here?”

“My pants are tight. Go grab it from behind.”

He placed himself behind Ashmille and touched her pocket. Before she could get her face mask, she moved her hands from behind her back and grasped Tres’s handgun from his right pocket.

Ashmille intended to scream so loud to call Tres’s attention, who was on the lookout outside, and let him be near her to grab his gun.

“Get down,” she commanded them while pointing the gun at them from the right side of her belly, still with her hands tied behind her back. “Drop whatever you’re holding and raise your hands.”

“Ashmille…” Drino mumbled, looking in disbelief.

“Sly black cat,” Witz cursed.

The moment they captured the wrong girl, Ashmille, Witz considered her a black cat that brings bad luck. They failed to abduct the rich girl, Anthasia. And now Ashmille, the black cat, is outsmarting them.

“Witz, throw away your knife on the ground, now!”

Witz threw his knife away. The three dropped and kicked whatever stuff they had while raising their hands and sat down. Ashmille kicked the knife to Drino.

“Untie yourself first.”

Drino picked the knife. He cut using the knife like a saw until it loosened. He did the same with Ashmille while she was still pointing the gun at them.

“Nobody moves,” she threatened them.

“Hmp,” Witz scoffed. “You can’t shoot. Not at human beings.”

Ashmille felt a shiver while holding a heavy gun. She only realized that the gun might be real. It was heavy, and Witz was confident that she couldn’t shoot them.

“Ma’am, please, I still have a family,” Doofus pleaded.

“You don’t beg. You demand, you’re a kidnapper,” Witz remarked.

“No, I’m not. I didn’t want to do this.”

“Can I have that?” Drino saw her agitated. He took the gun and freed Ashmille’s sweaty hands. He pointed the gun at them. “Remove your head covers...”

They didn’t move, so Drino shot at the floor near Doofus.

“Ah!” Doofus whimpered.

“Now!” Drino exclaimed to impose dominance.

The four removed the black cloth on their heads hesitantly.

“Ashmille, go get their phones. Take a picture of them and post it online. Locate our current location, then pin it to ask for help.”

She did what she was told to.

She concealed the four phones, placing two in each of her pockets, and kept a knife in her hand for self-defense, just in case.

“Tie their hands and feet with metal wires.”

She held the rusty metal wires and tied them. He seized the door and car keys from Tres’s pocket and gave them to Ashmille.

“Nobody moves an inch. One wrong move and these bullets will go through your brains.”

Ashmille unlocked the door when Witz and Tres stood behind them and kicked Drino’s back. He dropped the gun on the floor.

“Doofus, help us!” Tres called him. “Get the gun!”

Doofus cowered on the floor and shivered after hearing multiple gunshots. He doesn’t want to see who’s bleeding or who’s dead.

Drino tries to dodge all their kicks and punches. He also initiates attacks.

Kidnapper 4 ran to get the gun when Ashmille pushed her away. Kidnapper 4 stood up and took hold of the gun, but Ashmille bit her.

“Ouch!” she bawled, then slapped Ashmille’s face.

Kidnapper 4 went for the gun again when Ashmille stabbed her left hand with a knife.

“Whaaa!” Kidnapper 4 shouted, lying on the floor.

Ashmille possessed the gun. “Let him go, or I’ll shoot… for real.”

Drino coughed, touching his stomach. His left eye is barely open, and his mouth is bleeding.

When Witz and Tres just stared at her, she tried to fire from a distance, but the gun was out of bullets.

“Get her,” Witz whispered.

Witz and Tres run towards her. Ashmille ducked and picked something off the floor. Drino grabbed Ashmille’s wrist, and they ran. They ran fast and went to the area where the black van was parked. Drino put the car’s keys in and started driving.

“That was close,” Ashmille panicked.

“It is. We lost them!”

He requested her assistance by turning on one of their kidnappers’ phones’ GPS. They also informed Drino’s employee and the police not to proceed with the ransom money.

Drino saw Ashmille wear her face mask, which she got from her pants’ pocket.

“I’m sure nobody knows me here. It’s a rural place,” he commented.

“Rural places still have access to the internet and TV.”

“But limited”

“Limited doesn’t mean 100%. Don’t underestimate the power of 1%.”

“You might view yourself as the 1%. When you said I should not underestimate the power of 1%. I believe in your quote.”

“I am less than 1% of your fans. You have millions of followers online. They can be everywhere.”

“You can be the 1 or the 0.0001%.”

“Wait, you have a point. If a civilian saw us and knows your face, we could ask for their help and report the crime easily.”

“You’re wearing a casual outfit, and if you’re wearing that, they might mistake you for one of the kidnappers.”

She removed her face mask while looking at her casual office wear. Maybe if she dressed up in a dress or an elegant jumpsuit, she wouldn’t be mistaken for one of the culprits.

“Okay, I’ll follow you.”

“Thanks to your face mask. Such a lucky charm.”

“Don’t underestimate the power of a face mask. This is not only for hiding identities or disguise but also for clutching a gun from a kidnapper.”

He laughed. “Aw…” he twitched in pain because of the punches he received.

“The fourth culprit was not exactly close to you, but she still has a connection with you. She’s one of your employees who has access to your company and your personal details.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t one of my friends, family, or relatives.”

“You were right about that.”

They dropped off at the nearest police station to file a case. They were bruised, with a few scratches on their face, elbows, and knees. Drino’s face is bleeding, and he is limping. They walked while holding hands to support each other.

Drino was right to be hopeful. They indeed left the place alive, but he didn’t say they would leave with clean faces and bodies.

“I wonder what happened to our SOS lunch box,” Drino pondered.

“I guess it didn’t work. At least we tried.”

“Good job, Detective Feder,” he smiled with a thumbs up.

“Nice backup, Assistant Detective Montezales,” she tittered and responded with a thumbs up.

They chuckled together like they were having the best time of their lives.