CHAPTER 41: RESCUE OPERATION
THE GIRL WHO CAN’T DATE
By Eleventh
CHAPTER 41: RESCUE OPERATION
Ira flapped her arms brashly every time she sees a cab, desperate to get a ride. Walking to and fro on the street and soaking wet from the rain, one could tell that she was distressed and frustrated. She checked her phone and tried to call Tristan again but when he wasn’t answering, she felt more worried.
She hailed another cab but when it went past her again, she lost it.
She screamed and cried.
“OH, COME ON!!! MY STUDENTS NEED ME!!!”
She was bawling in the street while walking to and fro like a crazy woman. Then, she saw a familiar motorbike going out of the school gate. She knew who it was – Skye Doromal.
Suddenly, she felt she had hope.
Help was on her way, she thought.
She quickly ran to him crying. She grabbed his arm and pleaded for help.
“What happened? You look like a mess!” Skye remarked.
“Tristan called me for help and told me to call the cops. And now I can’t get a hold of him. Something must have happened to him and Carlos and... we have to go. We gotta help, Skye!”
“Calm down!”
“I CAN’T! OK? I can’t calm down knowing that my students are in danger.”
“Hop in!”
Skye handed his extra helmet for Ira to wear and drove as fast as he can when she was set. When they arrived at the village, Tristan can be seen arguing with the security guard.
“Sir! Why won’t you believe me? Come on! My friend needs help. He’s in great danger. He’s badly hurt. You have to come and help him!!!”
“Tristan!” Ira called, dismounting from the motorbike.
“Miss Ira! Thank God you’re here! This st--- guard won’t believe me!”
Ira and Skye stared at the guard badly making him feel tense.
“I am sorry, ma’am and sir. But there have been a lot of pranks going on lately. I can’t leave my post because I’m the only one on duty tonight.” The guard explained.
“What happened?” Ira asked ignoring the thoughtless guard.
“I sneaked on the Pineda’s house just like I promised you this afternoon. It was all dark inside so I got really curious. But… but I could not get in because the house was locked. So I went to the backdoor and peeked on one of the windows and… and…”
Tristan started wailing.
“What happened, Tristan? What did you see?” Skye asked, holding him for support.
“I saw Carlos all tied up with a rope. He was bleeding. He was badly beaten. I tried to call him from the window but he wasn’t responding. He wasn’t waking up! Could he be…”
“No, he’s not!” Ira assured him. “We’re going to rescue him. He’s going to be fine.”
"And Mr. Doroja?"
"I think he's not home."
“Sir, can you please call the cops and bring them to…” Skye turned to Tristan for the address.
“Block 15, Lot 32”
“Block 15, Lot 32. ASAP, sir.”
“We have to go, Skye.” Ira prompted.
The three of them rushed to Carlos’ house. The lights were off. It looked empty and dark. Skye turned to the knob but it was locked just like what Tristan said.
“We have to break the door,” Skye suggested.
“What if Mr. Doroja comes?” Tristan worriedly reckoned.
“Who cares? That man is going to jail tonight! Move! I’m breaking the door!”
The boys paved the way as Ira stood in front of the door, holding in her hands a big, sharp axe.
“Where did you get that?” Skye wondered with worry that Ira might hurt herself.
“There's a shed at the back. Found it lying on the ground...”
The boys stepped back. With all her might, Ira swung the axe and hit the door with a great blow. It created a crack in the door. Meanwhile, Skye picked a rock and used it to smash the splinters and make a bigger hole. Then with his long arms, he turned the knob and opened the door.
“It’s open!” Tristan exclaimed.
“Tristan, you said he was hurt, right?” Ira asked.
“Yeah.”
“Maybe you should go home and call an ambulance too. And it’s probably best that you stay out of this. It’s dangerous.”
Tristan did not argue and chose to obey his homeroom teacher.
“Please be careful, Miss Ira and Sir Skye! I’ll call the cops again to make sure.”
The kid dashed out of the gate and run his way home. As soon as he was gone, Skye threw the rock on the ground and entered the house. Ira followed behind him, still carrying the axe with her.
The house had one floor only but it had a lot of rooms which the two professors did not notice during their first visit.
“Do you know where Carlos’ room is?” Skye asked Ira who quickly shook her head.
“Let’s split. I’ll go to the right, you go to the left.”
“Won’t it be safer if we go together instead?” Skye proposed.
“But it’ll be faster if we split. We have no time to waste.”
Ira turned to the right side of the hallway and started checking every room. Skye watched her as she walked on tiptoes. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her, worried that something bad might happen if they were not together. But he couldn’t argue with her so he followed the plan and went on searching for Carlos in the opposite direction.
[Why live in a house with so many rooms when there are only two of them living here?] Ira wondered.
Ira opened the door closest to the living room and found herself wandering into a study room. It was a room full of books and trophies. Ira went inside and explored. On one of the shelves, Ira saw a framed photo of an 8-year-old kid standing inside a yacht next to a middle-aged man who was holding a fishing rod.
“This must be his dad.” she wondered again.
As Ira headed out of the room, she saw keys dangling on the wall next to the door. She took them just in case she needed them to open some closed doors. She went on walking the dark corridor, opening the rooms she passed by and finding them empty each time until she reached the kitchen that stank with unwashed dishes.
She brushed her hand on the wall looking for the switch and when her fingers found it, she turned it on, lighting up the room, making the rats run for cover. She carefully searched the area. It was stinky and messy. At the corner was another door that looked like the maid’s quarters which tingled Ira’s curiosity that she went to check it.
It was locked.
The keys. She remembered getting them from the study room. There were a lot of them and they all looked identical. It was hard to identify which one fits the hole. After a series of trial and error, Ira still couldn’t open the door. None of those keys could open it. She was thinking of using the axe again but she was afraid that Carlos might be inside and could get hurt.
She searched the place one more time. She tried to brush her hands again on top of the door and to her luck, she touched something and voila, a silver key. She was glad to find it and rushed to open the door.
But to her disappointment, it was empty.
“You’re trespassing, you know!”
A creepy voice that came from behind startled Ira. When she turned around, lo and behold, Mr. Doroja was standing before her with a big mug in his hand. Fear crept in but before Ira could scream for help, Mr. Doroja had swung the mug on her head and knocked her out with a bleeding head on the floor.