Halley's words thundered like a storm in the ears of her crew, startling them into a frantic rush for shovels and picks to dig up the soil.
Each strike of the pickaxe seemed to mirror Halley's increasingly labored breathing. She had been so sure Umee was eliminated, paving the way for her to become the sole daughter of the Kimberly family. Yet, the incompetence of her team had led to this moment. Now, with Umee still alive, complications would only multiply.
How rare it was to get a chance to kill someone and clean up so thoroughly!
Halley felt a sudden headache and pressed a hand to her forehead.
By now, the mound of dirt over the prepared pit had been dug up. It was empty—there was nothing there. Umee... was gone.
"This is the result you bring me?"
Halley snarled, seizing a stray weed in her anger and tossing it to the ground. Fury radiated from her as she ignored the shocked, terrified faces around her and turned to leave.
The group scrambled to follow.
"Miss, miss, it was our fault! We were careless, letting that Umee slip past us and escape," the crew-cut man stammered, rushing to explain. But Halley's face remained cold as ice as she strode out of the forest.
"Miss, we'll make it right. We'll hunt her down and take care of her. She won't return to the Kimberly family," the man added, his voice laced with malice.
"Miss, so what do we do now?"
Halley knew anger wouldn't solve the problem. She had to deal with Umee and then create the perfect alibi. As they reached the forest edge, she pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to the man.
"Go to this address. If it's Umee, kill her."
---
The next morning, Umee woke up and noticed that Captain was nowhere to be found.
Peeking into his empty room, she wondered if the grumpy old man had unexpectedly decided to go out for morning exercise.
Shrugging off the thought, Umee headed to the kitchen to cook breakfast but quickly discovered that the food in the fridge had run out. Scratching her head, she realized she had no idea when Captain would be back. After mulling it over, she glanced toward the door. Perhaps she could go buy groceries herself?
After all, she wasn't a helpless child afraid of being hit by a car or kidnapped anymore. A vivid image popped into her head: Captain scolding her if she didn't go, saying, "Can't even buy some groceries? Are you still that tiny?"
Determined, Umee decided to surprise him by handling it herself.
Stepping outside, she looked around, feeling a strange sense of familiarity with the streets and buildings. She had walked these roads before when she first arrived at Captain's house, but it seemed that being cooped up for so long had dulled her memory.
After some wandering and retracing her steps, Umee finally reached the main road. Excited, she skipped forward, but just as she was about to cross the street, someone grabbed her arm and yanked her into a nearby alley.
Panic seized her as a hand clamped over her mouth, pinning her against the wall. Her wide eyes met those of her captor—a man in a black suit, wearing sunglasses with a long scar down his face.
Who were these people? Kidnappers? Murderers? How could they dare to act so brazenly in broad daylight?
It wasn't just one man. Behind him stood several others, among them a woman whose face struck Umee as oddly familiar.
The woman approached coldly, her hand snatching the necklace from Umee's neck.
"So, it's you. You're still alive."
The woman clenched the necklace tightly, hatred etched into her features. She ground her teeth before signaling to the others, who began dragging Umee forward. Realizing the danger, Umee struggled fiercely, desperate for someone to hear the commotion and save her. Her thoughts flashed to Captain.
Her muffled cries of "Captain! Captain!" were futile as the man behind her kept her mouth covered.
Tears streamed down Umee's face as she clawed at the wall until her fingers bled. She tried digging her heels into the ground, but her strength was no match for the burly man holding her. Even when she scratched and clawed at him, it felt like hitting a stone wall.
Soon, Umee was shoved into a waiting car at the end of the alley. The door slammed shut, and the hand over her mouth was finally removed.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Umee screamed, but her captors ignored her cries.
The woman, now seated in the driver's seat, turned to look at Umee through the rearview mirror. It was Halley.
"I'm here to take you home," Halley said, her tone dripping with false sweetness. "Father, Mother, and little Huy miss you so much."
Confusion and fear swirled in Umee's mind. Why was she being kidnapped? She hadn't wronged anyone. Could it be that Captain had crossed some dangerous people, and now they were using her as leverage?
But then, Halley's earlier words echoed in her mind: "So, you're still alive."
Did that mean... Halley and her men had buried her alive in the forest that day?
Yet now, Halley claimed she wanted to take her home.
No. Umee didn't want to go anywhere with them.
A cold dread settled over her.
"No! I don't want to go home! Let me go!" Umee shouted.
Halley laughed icily.
"Let you go? You make it sound so easy."
Umee's unease deepened. As the car sped away, she silently called out to Captain, though deep down, she knew he was just an old man—how could he possibly help her?