Chapter 24 LIFELINE AT RISK

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. CONTAINS WORDS NOT APPROPRIATE AGES BELOW 18.

Mr. Dawson was on his way home when Mr. Tom Wells, his trusted safety officer called him saying there’s an emergency alert in the company. That the employees were all evacuated outside in the quadrangle and are still waiting for updates.

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

“Be careful on your way back, sir.”

Something is not right. He concluded. Something strange settled on his gut that he can’t shake off no matter how he tries to divert his attention.

“Rob, turn the car. Let’s go back to the company.”

Rob nodded at him through the rear-view mirror and circled around as well as the car behind them driven by Bob and Miller.

Tom arrived at the company in no time and he noticed the electricity went off. He also saw all of his employees were standing in the quadrangle looking up at the building. Fear and worry etched on their faces but as soon as they saw him passed through them, they went silent almost immediately.

“What happened?” he asked one of his employees that is now holding a phone and his mug of coffee. He must have been making some when the alert went on.

“Sir, we don’t know what actually is happening. We were just escorted here with the sudden alarm.

“Mr. Wells! Mr. Wells, can you please tell me what is happening?” he asked one of the safety officers carrying the walkie talkie communicating some officers inside.

“They’re still figuring things out, sir. They are still checking the CCTV.”

Seconds turned to minutes, minutes to hours and everybody is too agitated to return to their working stations, get their things and go home. One officer trying to tone down the commotion and requested the employees to calm down and that everything under control.

“Mr. Dawson, they saw a suspicious man entered the building at 4:00 in the afternoon. He is wearing a cap and a polo shirt. It’s better for us to call the police now.” One of the safety officers named, Alex chimed in with a horrifying expression on his face.

“Okay, call the police, medics, and rescuers. Make sure everybody is okay and no one got hurt.”

His eyes scanned the crowd hoping Ms. Hernandez would come running towards him but it was Elizabeth who almost stumbled on her shoes came running with tears in her eyes. James is also tailing before her with a worried expression and a frown on his face.

“Mr. Dawson!”

Liz the receptionist, is a mess. Disheveled hair and unsteady stance with her high heels.

“I can’t find Betty. She must’ve been trapped inside.” The poor woman sob in front of me worrying for her friend with James holding her steady.

“The doors are locked for sure. When the electricity turned off it will automatically lock all access doors. She is trapped inside. So something.” James said through gritted teeth.

Not a good time to start a fight and swallowed his pride whole. Tom got rid of his coat and called his three bodyguards.

“Go check the perimeter. Come back in five and tell me for the update.” Tom challenged James staring through his eyes unwavering. He wants to say he can take care of everything from here and there’s no need to tell him what to do.

“Where are the police!? I told you to call them! Where are they?” he shouted surprising the sea of employees in front of him. He wiped a hand on his face in frustration why does it need to happen?

‘Sir, they’re coming. Let us wait for the police first, before we’ll do something.”

After five minutes, three patrol cars arrived with four policemen in blue uniform came rushing to the chairman of the said building.

“Mr. Dawson, what is happening here?”

“The emergency alarm went on in my company that’s why my employees are here outside. The problem is my assistant is probably trapped inside when the electricity was cut off. All the doors are locked. Please do something.”

“Okay, calm down sir. Let us handle this situation. I want to talk to your safety officers.”

Policemen and the three safety officers proceed to talk for what is the best way to rescue Betty inside.

Not long after, the three bodyguards came rushing to the commotion and reported to Tom for the update.

“Sir, all the doors are locked, even emergency exits. But we found a suspicious car parked in the alleyway behind the building. We’ve been rounding up for quite a while now and it’s the first time we saw the car.”

Two media vans appeared carrying reporters and cameramen asking for more information. Things got out of hand and Tom doesn’t know what to do first. Any minute now, this commotion will be shown worldwide and, on every bulletin, and magazine.

“What the hell are they doing here?” he asked his safety officers that only made them scratch their heads in confusion.

This is not important right now, he must save Betty trapped inside for how long now. He had tried calling her phone but it only reached voicemail.

“I’ll go find her.”

Before Tom can move, one female employee screamed in fear pointing at the top of the building. All eyes went in the direction and gasp envelopes the commotion. Some were taking pictures and videos but Tom froze on his spot looking at a silhouette of a man in a cap and a woman beside him with her head hanging over the railing.

Tom’s phone rang with an unknown number which he instantly answered.

“Hello?” he answered without taking his eyes on the two people on top of the building.

“I will take what you took away from my family.”

“Who is this?!” he shouted gaining a few stares from the employees.

“Don’t you remember me, Thomas Dawson? How about Isabelle. My poor Isabelle. Now don’t tell me you forgot my daughter’s name?”

“Mr. Dawson! Please, wait sir… Let me explain.”

Tom was startled at the sudden outburst of a woman in her mid-twenties. Curly dark hair, innocent looking, and big blue eyes. He was on his way out for a dinner with other executives when this woman came over to him and kneeled in front of a huge crowd.

“Who is she?” he asked one of the executives but instead turned its attention to the young woman begging to hear her out.

“Ms. Winstead, we already agreed to this. Please get up.”

“Sir, Please hear me out…”

“Security! Please help us out here!” One executive shouted for being disturbed for their long-gone dinner meeting probably planning their way up for positions.

“Mr. Dawson, I can never do that to the company. I would never steal from the company. I don’t know how I ended up accused but I swear I didn’t do anything wrong! Please let me prove it to all of you… Please just let me stay in my position, my mother is sick I have to send her to the hospital. Please just hear me out…”

The poor woman cried desperately asking for their attention. But the expression on their faces is saying the opposite. They were not interested and are still looking forward to their important dinner meeting.

“Your superior has decided already. I guess we don’t have anything to talk about. Sorry.”

Mr. Dawson concluded while passing through her devastated state. No mercy, she concluded. Isabelle just stood there for good two minutes with tears streaming down her eyes. Other employees were looking at her with pity and some were disgust. She was accused of stealing the company’s fund. Through that, she was instantly fired on that day. Now her problem kept piling up after one another. She already lost her hope to survive.

Meanwhile, Mr. Thomas Dawson and his six executives arrived at the company past six o’clock in the evening. With mostly with them laughing, talking about business and positions. But what brought them back to their senses was when an object fell from the building and crashed to the ground. Their head snapped to the object with their eyes widen in surprise at what they had witnessed.

It’s not an object. It’s a woman. Familiar suit and skirt. Familiar hair and features. Although their face covered with blood, they identified the woman. It’s Isabelle Winstead. Took her own life after getting fired from being accused of something she never did. She never once thought about her parents, friends, boyfriend, her future. She must have been tired from all of it. She must have been tired with her life. Being the breadwinner in the family, she took all of the responsibility at home.

Ambulance, police, and her parents swarmed in the office for investigation and interview. But none of them disclosed the real reason for her suicide. Family problems are what they declared.

“Do you remember her now? You all killed my only daughter. Do you want another secret? It was her birthday when she took her own life. Now, let me make you feel what I felt that day.”

The call ended with Tom’s hands shaking, bloodshot eyes, and quivering lips. His head snapped to the rooftop of the building and he can already make out two persons standing over the ledge.

Liz cried at the sight of her best friend seems to be lifeless and all of the employees are now gasping and screaming afraid that in every wrong move, those two people could fall.

“No…” he murmured and ran through the entrance and forcefully knocked down the door but to no avail.

“Tom, we already called the power supply company, and will help us open these doors,” James muttered trying to calm Tom down from kicking and punching the metal doors. A siren can be heard from the distance, running the firefighters, choppers flying above them, and the truck from a power supply company with generators enough to supply the building.

“Open it! Faster…”

“Tom, calm down.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, James. Betty is at the rooftop with that guy! How am I going to calm down!” continues to kick and rattle the doors but soon he was assisted with the workers taking charge in opening the doors. At first, they had a hard time opening it, overriding the system with the help of IT employees.

Lights on from the ground floor slowly up to the 26th floor giving them the horrifying state of the two. The man is holding Betty up with her arms, almost naked, no blouse but her head is hanging over her shoulder.

“Betty!” Liz shouted as if her friend would hear her.

“Liz, stay here. I'll go with Tom.”

“Take care, James.” She sobbed with her hands together in front of her looking up the building with tears streaming down her face.

Tom and James came rushing in with almost twenty policemen in suits and guns escorting the two. They never took the elevator as instructed just in case there will be electricity or system issues occur. They patiently and determinedly took the stairs way up to the rooftop.

They can already hear the sound of the chopper hovering above the building, and the man shouting at them to stop distracting him. Shooing them away like some sort of flies.

Tom’s knees buckled up and wobbled at the sight of Betty. Undergarments showing off, bruises all over her body, broken heels, and blood dripping from her head.

“Tom, focus. We have to save her.” James murmured slapping Tom in the face slightly.

Policemen took charge conversing with each other with hand gestures and slowly opened the door.

“Mr. Winstead! Put your weapon down and nobody will get hurt.” The team leader negotiated. That only earned chuckles from the man as they turned around to face the team. Betty with busted lip, swollen eyes, some bruises on the cheeks, and blood that dried up on her forehead.

“Mr. Winstead, I’ll do whatever you want. Just put that woman down.”

This is the first time Tom had lowered his pride for just a woman. It is also the first time Tom looks so beaten up and worried sick.

“Anything?”

“Yes, anything.”

“Step down from your position and disappear forever. Can you do that? If not, say goodbye to this woman already.”

James stared at Tom with disbelief in his eyes. Tom isn’t the type of person who would give up anything he built. Heck, it’s impossible. What this man wanted is to shut this company down.

“Okay. Just let her go.”

“You killed my daughter. On her birthday. You rich people are heartless! You never even given her the chance to explain her side!”

“Look, I’m so sorry Mr. Winstead. We never expected for it to happen to your daughter.”

“Your apology won’t bring my daughter back. It’s too late for that, Mr. Dawson. I am doing this so you will not forget her death, and your selfishness! You are all ruthless!”

Policemen advanced and circled the man completely. He dropped the knife so as his grip to Betty’s arms, making her flailing back to the railing.

“Noooo!” Tom ran as fast as he could and grabbed Betty from falling off the building. James pulled the two away from the railings and helped him carry Betty out of the commotion.

The man shouted in despair as the policemen handcuffed him tightly as he knelt to the ground. Shouting turned to crying. The man cried as if he’s a child once again. He is still in despair from the loss of his daughter. Though it’s 2 years ago, the wounds are still fresh and memories are still intact making it hard for him to let go.

“Isabelle!” He shouted and cried rolling over the ground. Tom, James and all the policemen looked at him with pity and pain in their hearts. Pain looking at a man cried for his daughter. A lone tear escaped from James' eyes as the scene touched him.

The policemen dragged him slowly out of the building leaving the three on the rooftop still in a daze with what happened. Their attention turned to Betty who is now still unconscious. Tom carried her bridal style with James tailing behind them.

“James, ready the ambulance.”

“Wait.”

James got rid of his coat and covered Betty’s body with it.

Tom stared at him and said, “Thank you.”

For the first time, hatred dissipated between them and finally agreed to something.