"Anna! Anna! Anna are you there?! Please talk to me, Anna!" Greg yelled to the phone and his wife and Alice stared at him.

"Honey, what happened?" His wife asks.

"The line went dead while we were still talking" he answered and dropped the phone angrily on the table.

"Did she tell you anything before the call dropped?" Alice asks.

"She was crying for me to come and save her" he replied twitching his jawline.

"Oh, my child! Her life is in danger" Hannah sobs.

"I swear it, if I lay my hands on that son of a bitch that has my daughter, he'll regret ever coming to this world!" Greg growls and pulled his wife closer to his chest. "Calm down honey, I promise I'll save our daughter from that bastard."

"We need to trace the location that call came from," Alice said and Greg and his wife gaze up at her.

"Then what are you waiting for? Get to it already!" Greg ordered and Alice raised a brow at him. "I'm sorry, I think I'm just being paranoid" he apologizes and sighs.

"I'll ask my men in charge of ICT to start working on it immediately. Please let me have your phone" Alice requested and Greg handed his wife's phone to Alice. She collected it and stood up from her seat. "It's quite obvious things are getting heated up, please I really want you guys' safety, so do me a favor and go back to your lodge. I'm very sure that murderer is still out there haunting anyone related to your daughter. To be on the safe side I advise you to stay in your lodge until we can arrest him."

"It's not easy ma'am to just do as you say, I want to find my daughter," Greg's wife said in tears.

"I understand this must be so hard for you but believe me, you should stay out of this and allow us to take care of it. From my observation he is a smart and deadly criminal, he is the type that doesn't show mercy when you are under his thumb. If he could hurt a woman that has been in a coma fighting for her life, how much more you two? Just calm down and allow us to do our job."

"We'll do as you say. But please I don't want any more delays with this because I don't know how long that stupid bastard would keep my daughter alive" Greg replies.

"We'll do our very best. If you'd excuse me, I need to give this first to the ICT guys then I'll drive to the hospital to see how the young girl, Kylie is coping."

"That's only if she made it out of the hotel alive" Greg scoff and his wife nudge him on his stomach.

"Don't say something like that!" she scolded him.

"Sorry. I was just saying out my thoughts. You should put a call through to her before leaving" Greg suggested.

"I.....give me a sec," Alice said and picked up her phone from the table which was ringing. "Alice speaking".

"Ma'am, there's a situation at hand. The young girl whose mom is admitted to the hospital is trespassing" one of the cops from the hospital said on his end.

"What do you mean she's trespassing?"

"Right now she's attacking Peter because of what happened to her mom."

"What?!"

"Yes ma'am. What should I do? Should I arrest her for assault and battery?"

"No, no, no. Don't do that, just find a way and calm her down and I'll be right there in a few minutes."

"Yes ma'am" he replied and hung up.

Alice held her forehead and took a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" Hannah asks and Alice glances at the couple.

"Kylie is losing it at the hospital. I need to go there right now. I'll have three of my men escort you back to your lodge."

"We don't understand, what do you mean Kylie is losing it at the hospital? Did something happen to her?" Greg asks.

"Kylie is about assaulting a cop and that's an offense to the law."

"What?!" the couple exclaimed in unison staring at each other.

"But why would she do that?!" Hannah half-yells in surprise.

"She's upset about the attack that happened while my men were on duty."

"I wouldn't blame her if she did assault a cop, she has her reasons" Greg scoffs and his wife eyed him wearily.

"Yeah, she does has a reason but the law wouldn't care about that. I have to rush down there before something bad happens" Alice replied.

"We'll go with you" Hannah announced and Alice raised a brow at her. "We can't leave the poor girl to suffer all that is happening to her family, we need to be there for her, right honey?"

"Yes. We'll go with you to the hospital and see how she's doing. We left her before, we can't leave her again" Greg said.

"I guess we better hurry" Alice replied in understanding and led the way out.

...

"Kylie please let him go, it's not his fault this happened" Brad pleaded.

Kylie look at Brad and snickered, "So is my fault right? It's my fault these cops couldn't protect my mom?!"

"That's not what he meant, Kylie. He's just trying to say you shouldn't offend the law by your actions" Nicole answered.

"Who gives a fuck about the law, huh?" Kylie retorted.

"Kylie you have every right to be angry right now. Left to me alone I wouldn't mind standing here and watching you tear this cop's eyes out of his socket" Jay said and every one of them glances at him in disbelief.

"But it's useless if you do that, babe. It won't change the fact your mom has been hurt badly. We should be worrying over your mom's survival in the coma and how to get your sister back safely."

Those words got deep into Kylie's heart and she slowly loosen her grip on the cop's shirt. She stepped away from him and embrace Jay. "I feel really bad, Jay" she whispers and broke down into sobs.

"We are in this together, I'm never leaving you alone neither is Brad nor Nicole" Jay whispers back and pats her back.

***

Julia kept running around the house opening one door to another with the card that was given to her. All the doors seems to be the same to her and none of it was leading her out of the mansion.

She came to a halt when she heard screams. "Anna?" she mumbles and glances back almost making a move to go back. "Find a way to get out of here with or without me, okay?" she flashback to Anna's words. "Oh Anna, I pray God saves you from that beast" she prayed silently and continue looking for an escape route.

She took a curve and came out to a passage with a door that requires a password. "Password? Password! What is the password? Oh, Julia please remember if not you're done for" she whispers to herself and bite her lips while she stared at the numbers on the door. Her hands were shaking with nervousness and she was trying so hard to keep them stable. When her hands became stable, she inputs the first three numbers.

"426..." she paused and thought for a second of the last number to open the door. "1!" she squeals excitedly, inputs it, and clicked the 'ok' button. She waited eagerly for the door to open. Within a minute, the door swung open revealing an elevator.

Julia gasps and a thin smile parted her lips. "This must be the way out" she concluded.

While still staring at the elevator in front of her, she vanished and was replaced with a scowl. "I wish Anna was here with me, we could have escaped this place together. What if I go back and tell her I found the way out, would she thank me or feel angry I came back?"

While she was still brooding over going back to Anna, she heard footsteps approaching and she hastily turnaround. "Anna?!" she half-yelled.

"Where are you, little girl? Anna asks me to come and get you!" his deep voice echoes a little bit close to where Julia was.

Julia gasps and covered her mouth. She knew that was a bait by the kidnapper to get her back. She also could tell Anna was in trouble since the man was out here chasing after her.

Not wasting any more minutes, she rushed to the elevator and hastily pressed the button. The elevator swung open and she ran inside shuddering.

"Where are you kid?!" the man yells again and Julia pressed the button to take her to the 1st floor.

Her shuddering became more solemn as the footsteps of her serial killer got closer than before. She shut her eyes closed and prayed silently for the elevator door to close fast before she'll get caught again.

She was hoping to flutter her eyes open and see the door closed but instead, she got a big surprise. The man was standing a few meters from the elevator grinning cockily at her.

"Hello there!" he waved.

Julia jerked and stepped back. Her behind hits the metal alerting her that it's the end of the road and there's no way out apart from the one she was staring at.

She watched as the elevator door was almost closing up. The man growls and matched hastily to the elevator. Thoughts of how to distract him so he wouldn't stop the elevator ran through her mind.

An idea struck her and she bent low hastily and untied her sneakers. She pulls them off and held them in her hands. As she had suspected, he got closer and she didn't hesitate to throw her left sneaker at him and it hit his chest causing him to halt for a second.

"C'mon!" she yelled at the door to shut close already.

"You little brat!" he growled and hasten his steps. Just one more step and his foot will stop the elevator door from closing.

"Not this time, douchebag!" Julia cussed and threw her right sneaker on his face distracting him for a few seconds and the door shut closed on his face.

Julia pants heavily while her legs continue to wobble. She slowly let herself sit on the metal before she falls down. "I hope Anna makes it out alive too" she mumbles quietly and hugged her knees while the shock never left her.

She felt like it was a nightmare. She couldn't believe all that is happening to her and her family.

The serial killer's breathing became intensed like a wounded lion ready to devour someone. He pounds his fist on the wall and groans aloud. "Little brat! Little brat! I'll catch you! You can't get away from me!" he roars and ran towards one of the rooms where the staircase was located.

His hand instinctively went to his pocket, searching for his electronic card. "Damn it!" he cursed vehemently when the realization hit him that he had given Julia the card. He made his way to another door, attempting to open it, only to find it locked. Frustration coursed through him, driving him to punch the wall in irritation.

Several minutes passed, and with no other viable option, he begrudgingly resolved to take the elevator. Returning swiftly to the elevator, his anger evident, he jabbed the button forcefully. As the doors swung open, he entered with a mixture of annoyance and urgency.

Meanwhile, outside the building, Julia had managed to secure her escape. Surveying her unfamiliar surroundings, she furrowed her brow at the dense bushes enveloping the building. "Where am I?" she mumbled to herself.

Her attention was drawn to the incongruity of a magnificent house nestled within the heart of the forest. Puzzled, she voiced her thoughts, "How could someone construct such an exquisite house in the midst of a forest?"

Continuing her visual sweep of the environment, she discerned a narrow path. With cautious steps, she ventured onto the wooded trail.

Abruptly, the sound of a rolling door closing reached her ears, causing her to pivot sharply for a glimpse. "It's him," she whispered, urgency propelling her to delve further into the thicket. Concealed behind a sturdy tree, she concealed herself from view.

"Where are you, little brat? Come out of your hiding, or I'll end your sister-in-law's life!" his voice boomed, his threat carrying a chilling weight. Julia pressed her hand against her mouth to stifle any sound, acutely aware of the stakes. "Do not push me to plead with you!" he warned with menace.

Julia felt bad for leaving Anna. She took a step forward to surrender herself to the man so that he won't hurt Anna. But as she did that, someone emerges behind her and grabbed her from behind. He pushed her back to the tree with his hand covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Julia muffles a squeal with wide eyes petrified of her safety.

"Shhhhhh! Quiet, I won't hurt you" the man said in a whisper and Julia shook her head. She didn't believe what he just said. After all, she's been through, it was hard to trust someone else. "I swear it, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to save you."

Julia became still and calms down a bit. The man removed his hand from her mouth and said, "We need to get out of here before he began searching the woods for you."

"Who are you? Why are you saving me from him?" Julia asks.

"I'll tell you everything when we are out of here, I promise" he answered and took Julia's hand.

Julia stared down at their entwined hands and glance up at him. She gave a slight nod and they both ran out of the woods.

The serial killer scoured his surroundings, his intent gaze futilely searching for any trace of Julia around his building. Frustration gnawed at him as he strode toward the edge of the property, eyes fixed on the nearby woods. "Where are you hiding?" he snarled through clenched teeth, his fist clenched in barely restrained anger.

Venturing deeper into the woods, his quest yielded no results. He muttered a bitter remark, "All thanks to that damn bitch," his tone dripping with venom as he referred to Anna. "She's going to pay a heavy price for this, not just with her own life but with those of her parents," he vowed vehemently, a sinister promise that echoed through the woods as he made his way back to his mansion.

Arriving at the mansion's basement with Anna slung over his shoulder, he forcefully slammed the door shut and secured it with a resounding lock. Anna's limbs were bound tightly with unyielding rope, her vulnerability evident. He released her onto the ground with a brutal shove, eliciting a pained whimper from her.

"You wretched creature! You allowed that little brat to escape my grasp!" he seethed, his anger escalating. "Prepare to witness the depths of my brutality!" he spat, seizing a handful of Anna's hair and dragging her toward the chair where he had previously restrained her, a grim reminder of the consequences she had already endured for defying his rules.

Anna forced a laugh out and that got him more agitated. "I thought you were smarter than this? I can't believe an eight years old can escape a powerful assassin like you" she deadpans and giggles.

"Shut the fuck up!" he barks and slapped her face.

Anna raises her head slowly and chuckles harder. "Is that all? Do you think hitting me would stop me from talking? Tut tut tut, you're mistaken. Do you see that little girl that just escaped? She's a smart kid. She is going to come back here soon with the cops and they are going to arrest you and you'll spend the rest of your life in jail!" she sneers triggering his anger.

"You think so? You are so delusional. You think just because she escaped from me then she'll make it alone out of the woods?" he shook his head and smirked. "You have no idea what the outside of this place looks like. There's no escape bitch. In a short while, you'll see your sister running back into my arms through that door. Just wait until you see for yourself" he grins wickedly at her and Anna stared at him distastefully.

***

"Kylie!" Greg's wife yells from the lobby the moment she caught sight of the young girl. Jay let go of Kylie and she caught up halfway with Greg's wife. "Are you okay?" she asks embracing her.

"I'm so scared, ma'am, I'm so scared my mom will die" Kylie muffles.

"Shh, don't say that. She'll be fine, you'd see" Greg's wife assured her and rubbed her back soothingly.

"Kylie we're sorry we left you behind at the hotel," Greg said and Kylie slowly released herself from Hannah's arms.

"No, it's fine. Your daughter is very important to you guys, I understand that. Besides I wasn't alone, I had my friends with me" Kylie replied and wiped off her tears. "What did the cop lady say about Anna's whereabouts?"

"Not much information. Although she found our daughter's hair clip on the roadside close to the neighborhood where Anna's apartment is" Greg answered.

"Oh, my God!" Kylie and Nicole exclaim in unison.

"Is she alive?" Jay asks.

"Yes. Surprisingly Anna put a call through to us while we were at the station. She said I should come save her. Unfortunately, she couldn'ttell me where she was before the line went dead" Greg answered.

"Oh, my God. What do we do now? We need to save her before he kills her" Nicole said.

"Yes, we need to. The cops are so slow with the search. There's also the disappearance of Julia, nothing has been said about it!" Jay grunts.

"It's the truth, I don't know why there's so much delay in this investigation of a thing. It's been two days already since Anna has gone missing and now Julia is also missing. Who knows who's gonna be next among us? This is all like a nightmare!" Nicole exclaims and everyone threw her a glance.

Alice discharged Peter and his men and the new squad she has arranged took their position in the hospital. Instead of three policemen, she added three more men making it six men. Three on the outside, three on the inside.

After giving them instructions, she walks up to Kylie. "Hey Kylie, I'm sorry for what happened to your mom. It shouldn't have been that way. I promise something like that will never happen again. Now, there is tight security to protect your mom, you, and your friends" Alice declared.

"Thank you. I just hope my mom gets well" came Kylie's sad response. "Have you heard anything regarding my sister?"

"No, not yet. I've involved MI5 in the two cases and they've assigned some of their men to search for her in every car they come across on the highway and the streets. I'm yet to get feedback from them since then."

"We need to stop wasting time! Can't you see the whole process is not working? Let's do this our way" Jay said and Alice furrowed at him.

"What do you mean? The only means we thought we had was to trace the location of the call that came earlier, but he outsmarted us by disabling it before we could trace it" Alice replied.

"Let's hunt that damn bastard without all your squads trooping off to the destination" he answered.

"That's not going to happen! You talk as if you know where this murderer is hiding. Tell me something, what do you know about it?" Alice asks raising a suspicious brow at Jay.

"Don't get me wrong. I know nothing about where that bastard is hiding if not I would have cut off his head by now!" Jay snarls.

"I'm as clueless like you are. But there's one thing I've been thinking while driving down here-" she pauses and glance from Jay's face to another.

"What?" Greg asks.

"The road where I found your daughter's hair clip-"

"Yes, what about it?" Greg interrupted.

"I think it has an extension. After my squads and I searched the woods and found nothing, I asked them to return to their base without getting to know what the end of the road looks like. It didn't occur to me until when I was driving down here."

"So what are you trying to say, that there's a possibility that road might lead us to where Anna has been kidnapped to?" Greg asks.

"I think so. I have to be sure of what the end road looks like first before we talk about that."

"Let's go there right away," Nicole said and Alice glance at her.

"No, it's not your call. My squads and I can take care of that" Alice replied.

"Not to sound disrespectful but I don't think you understand her. The three of us together with our friend that is outside is going with you to that destination and nothing you say is going to change our mind" Brad said and Alice raised a surprised brow at him.

"Hope you remember I'm the one with authority here?" Alice inquires and Jay shrugs in response.

"Doesn't change anything. Our minds are made up" Jay replied on Brad's behalf.

"I'm not leaving my daughter in your hands. I'm going with you guys" Greg announced.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Alice exclaims exasperatingly glaring from one face to another.