Kill the Lights

‘Be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet. Quiet….’

Noah looked up because of a constant voice coming from above his head. It wasn’t like he was able to see it because he was squatting in a big luggage case with his mouth blocked and his wrists and ankles tied.

Noah held his breath and killed his sound. He didn't even talk and held his breath, but ‘Be quiet. Be quiet,’ sound kept coming in. A small gap that only a needle size light comes in came in with the woman’s voice.

Be quiet. Be quiet. If you make a sound, I’m gonna throw this bag to the road and kill you. Be quiet. Be quiet. She knew Noah can hear her voice.

Crazy bitch… Noah thought she was a crazy bitch. He wasn’t cursing. She was actually out of her mind. If she was sane, she wouldn’t tell Noah who’s already quiet to be quiet like playing a broken CD. –Of course, before that she wouldn’t kidnap a boy and put him in a bag.

The ground was pretty bumpy, so the wheels of the bag was rocking a lot. If he wasn’t empty stomach for the whole day, he thought he was going to throw up. He couldn’t even move a finger because of motion sickness and dehydration. Even if she didn’t tie his wrist, he was sure that he can’t do anything.

Only thing he can do was just quietly wishing for someone to find him before that crazy bitch kills him.

Chances were very low. New York was the neighborhood where people think minding other people’s business are embarrassing thing, and no one will be that creative enough to think a young woman with a traveling luggage has a child in it. Perhaps even if someone thinks it’s weird, that person won’t ask a passing by person to open up her luggage.

Still maybe somebody will rescue me. People are probably looking for me. Maybe somebody will think of this crazy woman suspicious and grab the bag and ‘tada’ rescue me. Even right now. Even later…

Ah, no one will rescue me… He thought about this after some time has passed. In this dark. From that woman. He thought no one will rescue him from the fear of dying. –Forever.

“…carlton. Mr. Raycarlton? Are you alright?”

Noah who was sleeping back seat of the car opened his eyes because of Phil's voice. His heavy and blurry eyes got slowly clearer. A dark world that looked like a hallucination disappeared and a cold air was touching his cheek.

Phil was frowning outside of the car door. Noah lightly blinked his eye and smiled like it was nothing.

“Ah. Aaah… …What was our next schedule?”

Phil sighed and answered Noah’s slow question.

“……Nothing. Go home and rest.”

Noah felt his cold sweated forehead and smiled saying “Tomorrow will be busy.” The schedules that got pushed to tomorrow will make tomorrow very busy that he can’t even use one minute, one second mindlessly. Tomorrow 13 minutes of his meal time won’t be a joke, but there is nothing he can do. Just like Phil thought, Noah wasn’t in condition where he can work.

“Don’t you have to go to the hospital? Or, should I call Robert?”

Phil said he’ll call for the doctor, and Noah shook his head.

“Aaah, don’t. Even if it’s Robert, well, will there be a special way? He will probably give me a stronger medication. –It’s nothing. Don’t worry.”

All the modern day people have it right? –Noah lightheartedly waved his hand, and, “But Mr. Raycarlton, right now….,” smiled brightly at Phil who was trying to say something more.

“You are being presumptuous, Phil.”

Underneath his bright smile, Noah’s green eyes were cold. Phil swallowed his dried throat and bowed.

“….I’m sorry.”

Noah waved his hand at bowing Phil and said, “Go home.” Phil looked at the company building where piles of work are still unfinished, but instead of telling him he can’t leave because of work, he said bye.

“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He politely closed the car door, and Noah smiled and waved hand cheerfully like he never stared at him coldly. Phil bowed his head, and Noah’s car headed to his house.

“…..”

Noah leaned on the back again and closed his eyes. He moved his finger to loosen up his tie, but he felt his fingers were trembling. He smirked. It’s already 20 years ago, but his body is still reacting to it.

What’s so big deal about that? Noah chuckled and sighed. –It was actually made into a movie, but the story wasn’t that dramatic. Just one woman turned crazy because of jealously towards his Mother, Rebecca Kelly, and kidnapped young Noah. She took Noah everywhere to escape, but coincidentally Noah got rescued. Usually child abduction ends up with child’s death, but he was unusually lucky and was able to go home safely.

The movie was a happy ending, and the actual story was similar to the movie. The things happened after were small things that public didn’t have to know.

Noah put his hand inside his jacket pocket and took out a medicine bottle. Xanax. He’s been taking these since long time ago, so the effect was very minor. He’s taking Xanax because he didn’t want to change the medicine, but his doctor Robert was constantly offering other tranquilizer. Even Noah himself thought he should stop being stubborn and take other medicine, but today he had no choice. Maybe because of the placebo effect, it was better than not taking anything.

When he tried to open the bottle, he saw a small mud stain and stopped.

“…..”

Instead of taking these medicine, he just stared at that stain. It was the stain that he got when he dropped the bottle a while ago.

When he went inside the set, everyone was quiet. There was one man at the end of everyone’s sight. Noah thought the man that was shivering under the rain was somebody else not Haley. A man who cannot be at that place.

When everyone was shocked, Noah was breathing heavily and blinking his eyes.

How can I think of that man from him. There was nothing similar between Haley and that man. Haley is the most frivolous person among the people Noah knows, and that man is….

Noah remembered vaguely about that man’s face and closed his eyes to remember him more clearly. In that moment.

Trrrrrrr-

Noah’s phone rang loudly. It was a call from Phil. Noah thought about it for a second and answered the phone. If Phil calls him even though he knows Noah’s state, it must be an emergency.

Noah sighed and even before Noah was able to ask him what’s going on, Phil answered it first.

[A new report about Mason Taylor just came in…. It says he is currently missing during the mission. –I’ll send the details through your fax at home.]

What should I do? Do you want to track him? Phil asked with a careful voice, and instead of answering, Noah moved his eyes and looked at Xanax bottle. This is certainly the point where a stronger tranquilizer is needed.