Chapter 1 Empty Cup

"If there is one tragedy that nobody could ever dare face, it is the misfortune of getting what you fought for after countless battles and decades of strife. Then, as you stumble through the throes of success, you find it empty."

Chapter 1 Empty Cup

I woke up an hour before dawn unlike most mornings when I sleep till noon. Silence is deafening due to the thick dark curtains that muffles every sound. As I slowly opened my eyes to adjust to the light in the room, I tried to roll over to my right side. My body feels heavy although I know I should not feel like this. I should feel and look like a vigorous young man despite my age. 

"Alexa, what's the weather today?"

"Today is forecasted to be quite gloomy because of the looming storm at the edge of the PAR. Temperature of 25 degrees Celsius plus or minus and humidity of 30. Overall, the weather is okay all day, except for scattered rain showers that may be expected later this afternoon till evening."

"Thank you, Alexa. Please turn on my coffee maker."

"Any urgent communications? Any call that I missed? Events?"

"None Sir. Your calendar shows however, that you have a speaking engagement tonight at seven. The Fundraising ball for the Cancer Society is scheduled today Sir."

"Thank you so much."

He went straight to the bathroom and took a warm shower. The scent of the soap and fine spray of warm water invigorated and relaxed him at the same time. He took every drop of the moment to enjoy the luxury offered by the hundred thousand dollars worth of bathroom, as the scent of freshly brewed coffee started to dance around the regulated air of the condominium flat.

He emerged from the bathroom with a lush towel around his waist and went straight to the kitchen counter. He got a box of Choco berry Croissant he bought the night before and put two pieces into the microwave. He went into the cupboard and got two mugs and saucers and two spoons.

Then , as he put down two placemats and the rest of the settings on the table, he realized that he is now alone…..alone. 

He slowly slid down the chair and the whole world came down around him. Helen was gone. He failed to protect the very reason he fought so hard to reach the pinnacle of success….

It was that fateful night when death made a visit.....

It was the bitter storm that masked the noises made as they overpowered one of the goons who guarded them 24/7. He had already cut the rope that was used to tie them both with a piece of broken glass that he found at the barn floor where they were kept. He knew that they were abducted to hide the truth that now endangered their lives. But he believes that they can use their wits to survive this situation. He asked Helen to use her beauty to get one of the guard's attention so they could escape. One of the guards went to the bathroom and then Helen talked to the guard who brought them coffee. She distracted him with a little skin and took his attention so John could make his move. He quickly strangled the goon from behind, tightened his grip and strangled the man with all his strength until the man stopped struggling. He checked for his pulse and when he found it, he quickly grabbed a piece of cloth to gag him. And used the rope to bind him like a pig on a roasting pole.

Then they used the darkness to crawl out of the cabin complex and into the woods. The storm was so fierce that the guards stationed in and outside the perimeter went indoors, while the wind and the rain made their escape so hard to detect even with the cameras around. They started to move silently into the dense forest that surrounded the cabin complex where they were bound and tried to look for a trail downhill. They're so tired and drenched but thankful that they made their escape. They were cautious not to go by any trail but followed a small river on the side of the mountain.

 However, a guard checked on them and saw the other guard bound and gagged on the barn floor. He panicked and alerted every guard on the complex using the radio. Everyone scampered in action. With all their gears and the sniffing dogs, they went full force chasing after the couple. Some of the guards used their trail bikes to go faster while others trailed behind leading the tracker dogs. They may be many and fast but the couple can hear and see them from a mile away giving them a clear head start. The barking of the dogs further announced that they were sniffing on their scent, so the couple stayed on the river to avoid being sniffed by the dogs. 

 That's when John realized that he is slowly experiencing something different. He can now concentrate his ears to listen to the radio chatter among the goons. He can clearly see the reflection of the starlight on the surface of the water and that's how he got their bearings and direction. He sensed the strain of fatigue on his body slowly being replaced by adrenaline. He is slowly recovering from fatigue and tiredness. His strength and agility increased and his physical response as of the moment is surprising. He also realized that he is now experiencing a heightened sensory awareness. He clenched his fists as he heard a starting engine from a distance. He can sense that it is a twin turbo Turbine engine, a Sikorsky helicopter! This is bad!

He quickly grabbed Helen and flung her across his shoulders so they could move faster. He leapt from one boulder to the other. As the helicopter pilot caught their image on their infrared camera. 

"All units proceed to 377 northeast by the river! Target on sight!"

"Roger! All units! Move!"

"They should never be allowed to escape! Whoever does will pay with their lives!"

Bullets and rockets started to chase them. The blazing of the rifles and machine guns lit up the stormy skies and the explosions shook the ground. 

Then, as they closed in on them, they were cornered into a cliff at the side of a road. The fall over the cliff is so steep that no one will be able to survive; but the other side is surrounded by the goons. And as the helicopter zoomed on them, it fired its machine gun and two rockets. 

John leapt into the sky as the telephone poles and cables crashed down the ravine. He grabbed one of the fiber optic cables and hung on to it. They are wounded and bleeding from bullets and fragments and Helen flung down his shoulders. John quickly tied the cable around his waist while securing the other end with his other hand. Now Helen is hanging by his injured right hand and is profusely bleeding from several wounds on her body. She felt her strength slowly draining. 

He tried all he could to grab her with his other hand but his right arm was already dislocated. Even through all the pain, he is still determined to hang on to her hand. He strained so hard that the telephone cable he tied around his waist was already digging into his torso. His sweat is drenching his right arm; the only one he can use to lift up Helen. Her weight and the rain that drenched her clothes are making it more difficult for her to cling more and for him to hold on to her.

"Hang in there Helen, I'm going to lift you up! We will get out of here alive!

"No! That cable can't bear both our weights. Sooner or later, it's going to break and both of us will fall and die. Let me go!"

"No I can't. I'd rather let myself fall than let you go. I won't ever let go of you!"

"I know John, I know. That's why I'm giving you no choice." and she wriggled her hand free from his fingers. "I love you!"

And the Cable snapped from above him…. And the dark abyss below started to swallow them...

No!!!!!!!!!

And as the memory fades. Stream flows down his cheeks. Shaking in grief, he knows that he still failed. The bitterness in his heart now covers every hint of humanity left in his innermost being.

The last strand of sanity left him as he threw everything crashing to the walls. The crystal light diffuser on the ceiling was hit by a broken mug and it crashed on the floor below. Shards of the shattered crystal pierced his body all over and he's bleeding profusely from several wounds.

As he crashed down to the floor, the brewing storm in his mind reflected the rage in his heart. He racked up his memory to remember every face that led to Helen's death. No one's going to escape the hell reserved for the darkest demons that he would unleash to all of them.