CATHY
“I am sorry Cathy, but we have to let you go,” he said with a stern face.
His words were like a knife being pierced into me, it felt like a cold chill been run down my spine, I stood still frozen by his words, unable to speak or ask the reason why I was been let go.
“Please hand over your office ID and keys, you can keep the cars and the apartment, we have already transferred you some money that will last you till your death, the money is a thank you for your service and for building this company up again”
CEO Clark said while the board of directors all started laughing at me like it was a planned work. Some throwing mocking words at me and I couldn’t quite get the picture of what was happening to me and why I was being let go.
I was the best and without me, this company wouldn’t have been the way it was today, so how come they are going to let me go, cutting me off from the company without warning or a strike like they did to the past employees that they fired, at least that would have prepared me mentally on what to do next.
My hands and legs were shaking, and I could feel the tears gathering in my eyes as I watched them laughing and pointing fingers at me, then I noticed the Ceo signaling someone to come take the company's ID and key from me.
“Sir what have I done?” I voiced out, I was glad I was able to get my voice back after few minutes of not being able to speak.
“Nothing, you have done nothing wrong,” he said.
“If I have done nothing wrong then why are you letting me go?” I asked him
“We are done with you, we needed you for your talents and now we are done with you, we have no use of keeping you around the company any longer” Ceo Clark answered me, which caused another uproar of laughter from the board of directors.
“I still don’t understand what you mean sir?” I said getting more confused.
“Well, let me put it in a simple way for you to understand and since you are smart you will be able to get it. I employed you when I saw how great you are. We heard lots of good remarks from you on how you can transform small companies into big companies and dying companies to spring back into great companies”
He said folding his hands on the table as he stared deep into my soul
“Since our company was under the weather we needed your help to help boost it up and when we stretched out our hands towards you and you accepted we knew our company has hope again to rise once again and just as we thought you did extremely well with that and we are grateful to you. Thank you, Cathy” he said
I get it now, I was never wanted here, I was never an employee. I was just being used, used for my talent. I wasn’t really needed, and I have no place here, I was just kept here because I was good.
There was a beep on my phone and checking it I saw I was actually credited with lots of money that would be enough for me with a thank you for your service message attached to it.
They made me quit my job to come work with them promising me a lifetime with them, and giving me rewards and praise every time I did well, and then promoting me to be the manager of the business team just to toss me off.
They did all that just because they wanted to use me, they played me, they played their game right in deceiving me and using me and I was a fool for believing them that I had a place here. Nobody would have thought they would do something like this to me.
Handing over the ID card and the keys, I sluggishly left the meeting room while they kept laughing and pointing at me, I was a pawn in their hands.
I left the Bigz Company with hatred and hurts, hatred for the fact that I was used and hurt for the fact that they didn’t only use me, but they toss me away like a piece of dirt. I drove straight to the closest bar to drink away my pains and sorrows.
“I need the strongest alcohol you have," I told the bartender.
“Coming right up, ma'am,” he said, I watched carefully as he mixed the drinks in a glass cup before handing it to me.
First glass, then second, third, till I lost count. My eyes were spinning around and I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore and I broke down, yelling and saying swear words at Bigz company and the Ceo, ignoring everyone at the bar who was staring at me. I was lost in my own world.
When I was completely wasted I staggered out of the bar and got into my car, I couldn’t believe that everything I ever loved was gone, just because of the job I had no time to make friends or even have a boyfriend, right now I had no one to console me.
I had cut tiles with my family and drove them out of my life a long time ago while I embraced my job closer to me, my job was the only thing that could console me, but now that it has been taken away from me by people I thought I could trust and rely on.
Now that I have lost everything, I don’t think there is any point in me living in a world where I have nothing, even if I had to look for a job, I know will get it easily because they all want to use me and the moment they are done with me, they will toss me away. They will use me for their pleasure and greed and that is something I am not planning on letting them do with me anymore.
Can I really live a life without working, I have been so engrossed with working that not been able to work will be death to me.
It was midnight when I got out of my car, the little nap I took was able to clear the effect of the alcohol from my system a little bit, though still tipsy but I was aware of my situation, I head out towards the bridge, the road seems peaceful and quiet and kind of lonely, everyone must have gone to their respective homes, to meet their loved ones or families and I was alone, no one to meet simply alone by myself.
I stood at the side of the bridge having a second thought if I should jump in or have a makeover of my life, starting from afresh or start a company with the money I got and the ones I have been saving, with the money added together I think I can make it.
I was lost in thoughts when I heard a scream from someone coming from a dark alley not so far from where I was.
“Please…… help me……. Please” came the voice again, pleading for someone to save him.
I wanted to run away but something pulled me back, what if the person was having a heart attack, or he was stabbed and needed my help, I would be a bad person for not helping out and if I decided to live and not end my life then I would have this guilt of not helping him when he was in his dying moment and I would regret it all the rest of my life.
I summoned courage and said a little prayer before walking into the dark alley and then I saw someone was on the floor lying lifeless and wasn't moving.
‘I was right he was having a heart attack, or he was stabbed,' I told myself as I hurried towards the direction of the person and then I froze.
Someone was beside the dying man, the red eyes were staring deep into mine, the little light on the alley that kept going on and off was able to allow me to see what the person was like.
He was wearing a hood above his head and he was sucking the life out of the man on the floor and when he saw me he m stopped, but I could see the blood running from the side of his mouth where his fangs were buried deep into the man's skin.
Right there, it never occurred to me to run away and that I was in danger and I probably might be the next person on the list for him to feast on, I stood there staring at him, my mind was completely captivated by the sight before me and when he stood up from the ground I knew the show was over, and it was time for me to run.
I tried running away, but I couldn’t move, my hands and legs felt like something was tying them together, I was bounded by an unforeseen force, and before I could accumulate what was wrong with me and what was going on I was pushed to the wall, his hand gripping my neck tightly.
What kind of strength and speed does he have, I won’t be able to outrun him or loosened his grip on my neck, I am going to die at the hands of a stranger, was he going to kill me the same way he killed the man lying down there, draining the life out of me.
‘Congrats Cathy, you are going to die today. The death you wished for will be granted to you I said to myself and then I heard his voice, a deep husky cracked voice, that sprung something in me to be awakened, something I couldn’t picture what it was.
“I knew things were going too well for me this night, with the way everything was placed in the right order for me, I knew it was too good to be true. You and I are both unlucky tonight. Too bad you have already seen everything that you shouldn’t see, so I have no choice……”
He said tightening his hand on my neck, raising me off the ground while I kick my legs in the air and scratched at his hand trying to free myself.
My life was getting cut off from me, I couldn’t breathe, I was choking and dying and he stood there with his gold eyes staring at me as he strangles me to death and then he smiled.
“I can see you want to live so desperately, so I will give you two options…….” He said releasing his grip from my neck a little bit, enough for my breathing to be back to normal again.
“Now listen carefully and pick just one, are you going to live the rest of your life being happy and grateful with your mouth shut, pretending not to see what happened tonight and not telling anyone about it or die by my hands right this moment and your death will be the same way I killed him,” he said using his right hand to point at the man
“……… CHOOSE!!!!!!!!” he yelled at me
I could feel the killing intent coming out from him, he was threatening to kill me with two options but was this joke because if it ain’t one then this is a trap, who would give options to his prey especially option like number one that everybody will accept without thinking twice. Spilling the secret and die or keeping it shut and live to celebrate my next birthday.
Of course, I will choose to be free, and my mouth shut for the rest of my life, I should be choosing option number one and be going on my way but something about him stuns me, he was one of a kind, a vampire that would let his prey go especially after seeing his face that was not heard of and that was hard to believe.
He feels different from the books and movies I have watched, his eyes were pure, he is a monster, but he doesn’t look like one that can kill, just then I heard the lifeless man made a sound and turning my head in his direction I could see he wasn’t dead, I could see his chest moving up and down, he wasn’t dead he was alive. This added to the list of why I wanted to keep him.
“Y — y — you didn’t kill him?” I asked him in a shaking voice
“How stupid of you to ask in your situation, you should be worried about yourself and not him,”
“I wanted to know, because if he is alive then I don’t think you will be able to kill me and…..” I couldn’t finish my statement when his hand tightened on my neck again.
“Quit your chattering, I have no time for that. Hurry up and make a choice” he yelled out.
A choice, a choice to choose either I live or die, I will rather live again and again instead of dying. Just then an idea struck me, I remembered the pains I passed through at the hands of my boss, how would it feel when I send a vampire his way to take care of my boss and his crooks, they need to feel the pains they put me to be through and how it felt like to been used.
“Can you hurt someone and make them beg for their lives, when I meant hurt I mean to hurt them” I found myself saying to him instead of running away and accepting the first option.
“What?” he asked me, I could see he was confused, but I need him right now more than ever.
“I would like you to hurt someone for me or rather some people, as you can see I am just a lady who doesn’t have the power to fight or hurt anyone, but you, on the other hand, you are different and I need someone different like you, I need someone dark and strong that can take them on for me,” I told him explaining things to him.
“Are you crazy? Or you just stupid? Don’t you realize what kind of situation you are in...” he asked me as he grinds his teeth in anger.
“…… ha I see, you think you can blackmail me into being your killer machine because of what you saw tonight, hahaha there is no use for that all I need to do is to put an end to you and my secret is safe”
“No, no, I am not threatening you or blackmailing you, I am making you a deal. One you can't refuse” I told him.
“A deal?”
“Yes, you need blood right?” I asked him seeing him flinched at the mention of blood, I knew I was going to get to him this time.
“…… so I am offering you a deal, in exchange for your help, I will give you my blood as much as you need, all you need to do is to help me with my revenge and of course I will take your secret to my grave and this will be our little secret. So how about it, deal or not”.