Cagayan De Oro City, Cagayan De Oro

“I’ll be home soon dad, see you there. Bye!”

Lucy never fails to call home when she gets off work. After her shift at the mall, she heads straight home. Being a working student is never easy, but to make ends meet for herself and her family, Lucy is willing to make that sacrifice. She aims to support herself in her studies. A few more good marks and she can graduate as Magna Cum Laude. With that distinction in hand, job opportunities in the best corporations will not be far away. And she can finally give the life that she dreams for her family. She will do her utmost and never give up. That is why she was pegged as a potential hero. And that is also why tonight, unlike the usual night, she will not make it home.

The streetlights, already dim, begin to flicker.

“Here we go again.” Lucy said.

Ever since the barrage of storms that hit the area this year, power has been inconsistent. On TV, the government has repeatedly promised their best efforts in rehabilitating and restoring power and services to the affected areas. But words on TV are as usual, far from reality. She pulls her jacket tighter and quickens her pace. Her house is just two more streets away.

But the three armed men waiting at a parked van nearby will not let her reach it. They all jumped out of the vehicle.

“Stop!” screamed the head man.

Lucy turned around to scream. But a huge, gloved hand covered her mouth. Another man took her legs and hoisted her up into the waiting van. Three other stood as lookouts, making sure that no evidence of the kidnapping would be traced. The entire scene took no less than 12 seconds.

Inside the now moving van, the head man got out his cellphone and made a call.

“Is it done?” the businessman asked.

Lito smiled with his reply. The ex-soldier was an expert in counter-terrorism efforts and intelligence gathering. He would have made a fine major if he continued to serve. But it was very difficult to walk away from 50 million pesos. And a 5 million bonus each time he completed a job. This was the 4th abduction since he started to work for the shady voice on the phone. That was another 20 million added to his account.

“Yes boss.” Lito replied. “We have the girl, do we bring her to the same place as the others?”

“Affirmative, bring her there and prepare everyone for extraction. We are moving our timetable. It is time to start operations here in Manila. I will contact you once you land.”

In the armed forces, orders were orders. You are never told twice. But you hardly see 70 million in the army, even if you serve for the rest of your life.

“Copy that sir.” Lito thumbed the end call button as the van sped and made its way into the night.