Elizabeth had finished baking cookies. She had also prepared some fried chicken and cheese dipped fries for the night. She yawned and looked at the clock; it was 11:50. She shut the lights down and went to her bedroom. She opened the bedroom as cautiously as she could. She did not want to disturb Jacob in his sleep.
Elizabeth went straight to bathroom to freshen up and get rid of drowsiness.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Harry and gang knew that only an old couple lived in the house. The lights of the house were off. They had jammed the security system of the house. They jumped across the wall. A single bulb was lit in the front yard.
Harry had handed them a gun each. They were holding guns in their hands. They slowly approached the door.
The plan was to open the front door with a master key. Then Malcolm would go and anaesthetize them with chloroform. Harry and Jerry would look around the house for any unexpected visitors. Once they cleared the situation, they would look for valuables freely.
Malcolm reached the door and pushed the key in the keyhole. He then pressed the button. They waited for a few minutes and then with the sound of a click, the door was unlocked. Malcolm pushed the door open and Harry took the lead. The Hall was completely dark.
Malcolm reached inside his pocked and moved towards Master Bedroom. Harry and Jerry crossed the hall and started climbing the stairs to check the room upstairs.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Agent Hernandez had just reached Fort Worth. He was here to investigate the robberies that had been assigned to him. A woman named Tara was captured while stealing a highly classified state-of-the-art jamming device "AnthonyMx05". Tara was one of the researchers at the facility. Tara on further investigation, had confessed to stealing one of those jammers earlier.
She told the authorities that the equipment was stolen from her by a gang of thieves. The appearance and modus operandi of the thieves matched with the robbers Agent was looking into. He was hopeful that he will get them this time.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
As soon as Elizabeth entered the room, Jacob woke up. He looked at the alarm clock. It was about to go off. He took it and pressed the button to put the alarm off. Bathroom was occupied; he had no choice but to wait.
Jacob way lying in bed, waiting patiently for Elizabeth to come out when the door to the bedroom opened. All his drowsiness vaporized, and he quickly jumped behind the bed. The invader had a gun in one hand and a spray bottle in other.
Jacob waited for the invader to come a bit closer. He had a very small window to catch him before Elizabeth came out of bathroom.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Harry climbed the stairs without making any noise. Jerry followed him. There were two rooms upstairs. They checked room on the right; it was empty. They moved towards the other room. Harry cautiously opened the door and peeked inside. Night bulb was lit in the room and in the center a young girl was sleeping in bed.
The temperature of the room was a little higher than the hall downstairs. The girl must be feeling hot that's why half her body was out of the blanket.
"She is gorgeous." Harry thought. His heart raced. He went in; Jerry followed.
"Wow." He thought as he reached the edge of her bed.
The cold weather, dim light and her youth were creating a romantic and seducing ambience in the room. They both stared at her for a few moments. Then they looked at each other meaningfully.
They did not need words to agree in this matter.
"This is turning to be the best New Year eve ever." Harry thought as his sparkled with lust.
In the dark they look like hungry depraved animals who just spotted their prey.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Malcolm was extremely nervous. He objected on this part of the plan and suggested that either Harry or Jerry should do anaesthetize them, but Harry did not agree. According to him this was the easiest part; he just had to handle two sleeping old folks. He pulled the safety lock of his gun on, just to be on the safe side.
Malcolm opened the door and entered the room. The lights in the room were off. The light from the bathroom made the room a bit visible. His heart was pounding as he shivered with nervousness. It took him a few seconds to get used to the darkness. He silently approached the bed.
He was about to spray chloroform but there was no one in the bed.
He was dumbfounded. He turned around to inform Harry about the situation when someone grabbed his ankle and pulled his leg.
"…only one-minute remaining. We will start the count down soon and welcome the new year with happy and excited hearts." The television turned on.
Malcolm shrieked in shock, slipped, and fell on his back. His scream was muffled by the loud noise of television. The sprayer fell from his grip. He kicked the man who grabbed his leg and quickly tried to get up, but that man was quicker. He got up faster and kicked him in the gut.
Malcolm, who was already halfway up screamed in pain and bumped into the wall. His elbow struck the wall, and his finger pressed the highly sensitive digital trigger. The bullet penetrated the attacker in the chest, and he fell over with a loud cry. The bathroom door opened, and a woman came out.
"Jacob…?" She was surprised.
Malcolm who was still processing the situation, got startled by her sudden appearance and shot her in the head. With a light cry, she fell on the floor. It took some time for Jacob to grasp the situation and come to his senses. He exhaled and got up. His shivering had vanished, and his heartbeat was normal. It's like when an ocean calms down after a tumultuous storm.
The old man was still alive. He shot him again and again and again. He left the room after he made sure that the old man had died. He closed the door and started climbing the stairs.
"Hey! Abraham! Do you know that #LifeIsNow has become the most shared tag across the globe ever on all the social media?" The commentary continued.
"Okay! They are starting countdown. Let's go to Times Square."
"Ten…"
"Nine…"
"Eight…"
"Seven…"
"Six…" Malcolm reached upstairs. Light was coming from one room. He could hear his team inside. He went near it silently and grabbed the doorknob. His eyes gleamed with excitement. It's like he had forgotten what just happened.
"Five…"
"Four…"
"Three…"
"Two…"
"One…" He opened the door and jumped in.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Malcolm screamed.
All three of them got surprised.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Marlo Sheen was too high to feel any nervousness. The cigarette that Ralph gave him worked like magic. His head was spinning a little bit, but it was nothing to be worried about. Marlo was standing backstage. He looked at his smart gear, it was already 12:05.
"Whoooooo." He screamed with excitement and thrill.
"Okay. It's time to welcome Rockstar of the year."
The crowd screamed.
"Please welcome with a huge round of applause. Marlo Sheen!" Anchor announced.
Marlo Sheen went on stage as soon as he was called. He enjoyed all the cheering for a while and then started singing.
Hey listen! you there?
Done somethin' You Fear?
Don't worry! Let it slide.
You need mercy, Put it aside.
Forget the past and to it bow.
Just feel it, Life is now.
Laaaaaaaaa-if is now…
Life is now. Life is now.
Hey listen! You there?
Hurt someone, you care?
Be shameless, lose pride
You did what heart decide
Cheat, Love, and pow-wow
Just lose it, Life is now.
Laaaaaaaaa-if is now…
"Life is now. Life is now." The crowd went into frenzy.
Hey listen! You there?
You lonely? In Despair?
Break the chains that bind
Rules? Leave'em behind
To thyself make a vow
Don't wait up, Life is now.
Laaaaaaaaa-if is now…
"Everyone!" Sheen screamed.
Life is now. Life is now.
Hey listen! You there?
For somethin', yer heart waver?
Don't wait up, don't ponder.
Culture? society, let'em plunder.
Don't think of the way. How?
Just snatch it. Life is now.
Laaaaaaaaa-if is now…
Life is now. Life is now.
Hey listen! You there?
Show your hands? They bare?
Why wait, think and slobber?
Go get it, Go squander
You alive? why stop? Plough!
Die tomorrow, Life is now.
Laaaaaaaaa-if is now…
Life is now. Life is ugh-Aah…
In his excitement and due to his dizziness from the cigarette, he could not keep his balance and fell off the stage.
. . . . . . . . . .2nd Volume Ends. . . . . . . . . .