24 Hour Lockdown Read online

  I wish that way of thinking worked for me. In the nightmare, I was dead. Mitch had killed me just like he said he would, but I could still see and hear what was going on. I could hear Amelia’s terror filled screams for help as she runs from him. I hang my head in despair. I just want to forget that it happened. A nap was supposed to help.

  Quietly, Melody asks, “What time is it now?”

  I pull my phone out of my pocket and turn on the screen. “5:50 pm.” Wow, I slept for over an hour! I had no idea I was that tired.

  I carefully stand up. One of my legs is still asleep and every movement sets it off tingling. The sun is setting outside, but it’s not dark yet.

  I move to sit back down but stop when I see car lights shining. I squint and lean forward. Cold fear clutches my heart and I start to tremble as it gets closer.

  It’s Mitch’s car.

  I spin around to Melody and hand her my phone. “He’s here! Take Amelia upstairs, now and call the police!”

  Melody’s jaw drops but she jumps into action, taking the phone and picking my daughter up and running. It suddenly occurs to me that this could be the last time I see my baby. I push the frightening thought away. I need to talk to George.

  George

  It’s surprising how the stupid actions of my dogs can be turned into possible story plots. Who knew? I’ve got a decent outline for the one I told Amelia. I’m feeling hopeful about this.

  Suddenly, Melody runs past my table with Amelia in her arms. I frown, wondering what’s happening now. You never can tell with this bunch.

  I turn and call out, “Where’s the fire?”

  Over her shoulder she shouts back, “Mitch is here!”

  Mitch? Who’s Mitch? Then it dawns on me. It must be Susan’s husband. I quickly stand up and crack my knuckles. I’m ready to finally meet this Mitch.

  Just then Susan comes dashing out of the kid’s area. She’s positively terrified. I hurry over to meet her.

  Out of breath she says, “G-George, he’s here…”

  “I know. Melody told me. Call the police and go upstairs. I’ll take care of him if he tries to break in.”

  She shakes her head and hurriedly replies, “You can’t fight my battles for me.”

  I’m about to argue, when we both hear a nearby car door slam loudly. Just outside the large window, a black car has parked on the grass and a man with average build and height stumbles out of the driver’s side. Worst of all, he has a gun.

  Susan grabs my arm; her nails dig into my skin. “He’s going to kill me!”

  There’s hardly any time to wonder what Dylan Dell would do in this situation. What would I do?

  Just then, Joseph comes barreling down the stairs. His knife is out and there’s a hard look in his eye.

  Suddenly Mitch is at the window, banging on the heavy glass with his fist! If I wasn’t so on edge I’d say this would make a thrilling scene in a book.

  Susan is nearly paralyzed with fear. I move to stand in front of her. Joseph stands beside me. Mitch is screaming at us now. The words are muffled, but the message is coming through loud and clear.

  Marc

  Thanks to Joseph, I now have a new and improved office to take shelter in. What can I say? When Melody starts calling the police and Susan screams that someone is going to kill her, I run for safety.

  I’m too valuable and important to die. This world needs me! Aside from those obvious facts, there’s still so much I haven’t done yet. Not many people know this, but I have an extensive bucket list.

  The list ranges from things such as having a famous celebrity as a client and scaling the Eiffel Tower. Thanks to my unlimited resources, several of my goals have already been achieved. Being in a lockdown was not one of them, but I should add it just so I can mark it off. That is if I survive this.

  Melody comes near my office and starts scolding me, “Marc, you coward! Get out from under there and act like a man! The police said there’s a squad car nearby.”

  I’m glad to hear the police are close, but insults like that won’t work on me. I’m smarter than that.

  “I’m practicing self-preservation.”

  Suddenly I hear a gunshot!

  Joseph

  I can’t help but notice his movements are sluggish when he raises his gun. It’s downright frightening to see the barrel of a gun aimed in your direction. Even though there’s a window between us, I feel my stomach drop and my mouth goes dry.

  And I doubt this small-town library has invested in bullet proof glass. Who would break in to steal a book? If you’re going to steal something, at least make it count.

  I feel pretty foolish now with only my knife for a weapon. At least it’s something. George only has his bare hands.

  Suddenly the man’s attention is drawn away from us and he glances over his shoulder to the right. The gun is now aimed at whatever or whoever has earned his attention.

  Melody had just started to call the police when I came down here, so I hope it’s them. It’s funny how thigs work out. Hours earlier I was dreading the police coming. Now I’m rooting for them all the way.

  I involuntarily jump when the man shoots his gun. Not a second later, another gun goes off and Susan’s husband collapses. Policemen surround him and look back at us through the window. George waves and gives a thumbs-up to let them know we are okay.

  Melody

  I don’t dare go downstairs until I hear Joseph call out, “The cops are here.”

  I smile and send up a silent prayer of thanks. I hope everyone is alright. Amelia is fine, just a little scared from the guns going off. She woke up shortly after we came up here. But she’s doing better than Marc. I think I heard him let out a whimper when the second gun fired.

  “Come on, sweetie.” I pick her up.

  I walk past where Marc is hiding. “It’s safe now, Marc. Come on out.”

  I don’t wait for him to answer. Carefully we head downstairs. It’s odd seeing other people inside the library. There’s four policemen walking around and asking George, Susan, and Joseph questions. Even the scared librarian is out and walking around. She’s inspecting the room with a frown. I guess we did sort of leave a mess.

  Amelia spots her mom and insists to be put down. I set her down and she takes off like a rocket. Susan breaks down in tears and embraces her daughter.

  I walk over to where George is standing. He seems tense, like something is bothering him.

  “Are you okay?” I ask him.

  He nods. “I’ll be okay. I’m more worried for Susan.”

  Just then Marc walks over and joins us. Cheerfully, he states, “all’s well that ends well.”

  George frowns. “It didn’t end well. A man was killed, even if he was a jerk.”

  Marc shrugs. “Some good things came out of it. So, I say it was a success,” he pauses and adds, “I’m positively starving, would anyone care to join me?”

  George grunts. “Most likely it’s out of my price range.”

  Marc shrugs. “It’s just the greasy spoon down the road. I’ll buy.”

  George raises his eyebrows. “I hate to turn you down, but I’ve got to go check on my dogs. There’s no telling what condition the place is in by now.”

  I nod to Marc “That’s a sweet offer. Why don’t you ask Joseph and Susan too?”

  Marc nods in agreement and walks away while a policeman pulls George aside to talk.

  The clock on the wall reads two minutes after six. Twenty-four hours was a long time to spend in a library. But I believe it was twenty-four hours well spent.

  Epilogue- one year later

  Susan, Amelia and George were the first ones to arrive. The librarian at the desk recognized them immediately and showed them to the private conference room.

  “Looks like we’re the first ones here,” Susan commented. She set her purse on the table and George pulled the chair out for her. She smiled at him and sat down.

  Amelia was a little taller now and her hair was longer. She took a s
eat next to Susan. The door opened and Marc strolled in, a small of his kitchen staff followed closely behind carrying severing dishes.

  “I hope everyone is satisfied. I had to cut a critical meeting with a potential client short.”

  George stood and shook his hand. “Glad to see somethings never change.”

  Marc quickly wiped his hand on his suit jacket. “Marc Amos will never change.”

  As they spoke, a buffet was set. There was to be a small feast to celebrate accomplishments over the last year. Marc hadn’t spared any expense. There was fresh lobster and butter, baked chicken with sage and thyme and lemon, seasoned boiled potatoes with parsley, warm biscuits, and mini strawberry shortcakes for dessert.

  Amelia watched in awe as platter after platter was set out, piled with steaming food. George couldn’t stop eyeballing the lobster.

  Joseph entered the room wearing a suit and tie, followed by Melody and an older woman who seemed a little uneasy being around a lot of strangers.

  Melody was beaming with delight. “Everyone, I’d like you all to meet Stephine Kaiser, my mom.” After the lockdown, Melody had decided life was too short and reconnected with her mom. It turned out Frank had left her and Stephine was thrilled to hear from her daughter. After their first tearful meeting, they spent time together, rekindling their mother-daughter relationship.

  Friendly greetings were made and the food was severed. Everyone commented on how delicious the meal was.

  While dessert was being served, Melody said, “So, let’s get started. What has everyone been up to in the past year?”

  George wiped his mouth with a napkin. “My book just reached a thousand sales.”

  Stephine, who was an avid reader, perked up. “What book is it?”

  George reddened slightly, “Stan and Ollie Learn to Share,” quietly he added, “it’s a children’s book.”

  Melody lightly patted his shoulder. “Don’t be embarrassed! That’s a wonderful accomplishment.”

  Across the table Joseph said, “My new business has been opened for four months now.”

  Susan smiled, “What sort of business is it?”

  Joseph glance at Marc, who nodded in encouragement. “It’s called RenovateMe. It’s for remodeling offices and other small rooms. Currently we are drawing up plans for building local homeless shelters. If you have any questions about it, Marc knows all the details better than I do.”

  Marc frowned. “Nonsense! It’s you’re business, not mine. I did help get you started, but you’ve done the rest.”

  George smirked and thought to himself, Marc has changed. He just hasn’t realized it yet.

  Melody looked over at Susan. “What about you? How are you getting along?”

  “I’ve been pretty busy working as a receptionist at the hospital. I’m hoping to start taking a few nursing classes this fall and work towards my degree.”

  Melody raised an eyebrow and gave a playful smile. “Anything else you’d like to share?”

  George and Susan shared a shy glance before Susan held up her left hand. Everyone but Melody let out a collective gasp when they saw the delicate engagement ring. She had an inkling something was going on between the two of them by the way they kept staring at each other during lunch

  Marc chuckled. “Knew it.”

  George rolled his eyes but smiled warmly at Susan.

  “When’s the wedding?” Melody asked eagerly.

  “We’re thinking about having it just before Christmas. We’ll send out invitations when we know for sure.”

  Melody gushed. “Oh, that will be beautiful! I hope it snows on your wedding!”

  Joseph nodded at Melody. “And what have you been up to?”

  Melody smiled at her mom. “I’ve been spending a lot time with my mom. But actually, I have something to show you all.”

  The room was quiet as Melody reached for her blonde wig and pulled it off. Eyebrows shot up when they saw the beginnings of short red curly hair.

  Melody looked down before explaining, “When it started growing back in, it turned red and curly.”

  Susan grinned at her. “It’s beautiful!”

  Stephine took her daughter’s hand and smiled tenderly at her. She was proud of her daughter and thankful to have her back in her life.

  Feeling left out, Amelia suddenly burst out, “I’m going into first grade!”

  Everyone congratulated her and Amelia was satisfied.

  Suddenly, an all too familiar announcement was made over the intercom, “The library will be closing in five minutes. Please bring all items to the checkout desk at this time. Thank you.”

  “We’d better hurry,” George chuckled.

  “I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind another lockdown,” Commented Melody.

  Marc groaned. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

  “I didn’t tell you guys before. But I was actually the cause of that lockdown,” Joseph admitted.

  All eyes were on him and he started to explain. “My brother, Nick, called the police on me after I confided in him about…my plan. He passed out before he could tell police my name.”

  Joseph recalled visiting Nick in the hospital directly after the lockdown. He was unconscious at the time and didn’t wake up for another two days. When he awoke, Nick had been angry and wouldn’t listen to his apology or believe that he had changed. It wasn’t until Marc went to see Nick and explained everything.

  “Nick wanted to be here, but he had to work.”

  The room was quiet until there was a knock at the door. Melody got up and opened it to see the librarian with her hands on her hips.

  “If you guys are planning on staying overnight you can just forget it.”

  The end

  A word from the author

  Although the characters and the events that took place in this story were fictional, several themes are true and can hit home.

  It’s sad, but things like depression, abusive relationships, cancer, and being consumed with plotting revenge go on more than we’d care to admit. I realize those topics are hard to swallow; they were hard to write about too. But it’s important not to give a blind eye to the hard truth.

  No matter what you’re battling, please know that you are loved and there’s hope. Hope for recovery and for peace. I want to encourage you to seek out the right help.

  I can’t personally speak for any of the topics in this book, but I know God is able to heal, forgive, comfort, give hope, and save. Most importantly, save. He truly loves you and wants the best for you.

  Suicide Prevention Lifeline- 1(800) 273-8255

  Domestic Violence Hotline- 1(800) 799-7233

  American Cancer Society- 1(800) 227-2345

  National Prayer Line- 1(800)-4-PRAYER

  Battered Women & children- 1(800) 603-HELP

  Homeless- 1(800) 231-6946

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  Turn the page for a sneak peak of Welcome to Ludicrous….

  1- Arrival

  The train came to a halt and Priscilla Pinwick stood from the hard bench. She picked up both her carpet bag and hand bag. She detested train rides and was eager to get off.

  Outside, the spring air was nice and a gentle breeze blew, making the few blossom trees dance.

  “Wait for me!” A shrill voice called out.

  Miss Pinwick frowned as she watched a young woman come racing toward the train. The suitcase in her hand banged roughly against her legs as she ran. The girl didn’t even acknowledge Priscilla. She dashed right past her and boarded the train.

  Miss Pinwick
thought the woman rude but decided to sidestep the matter. She held her head high and wrinkled her nose in disgust as the smoke and steam from the train lingered in the air. She took long strides, as long as her pencil skirt would allow, and marched to the station depot.

  Just outside the tiny building was a sign that proclaimed: Welcome to Ludicrous! Enjoy Your Stay!

  Miss. Pinwick scoffed. “Nonsense!” She huffed.

  The town of Ludicrous could not be found on any map. It was small- the population was just out of reach of 100 residents. Visitors were almost nonexistent, and visits from relatives were extremely rare. Which was the case of Miss. Pinwick.

  After much arguing and useless excuses, Priscilla had reluctantly agreed to visit her sister over spring break. It wasn’t that Miss. Pinwick loathed her older sister, she just loathed the idea of travel, visiting strange, isolated towns, and people in general. But, the train was long gone and she was still there.

  The depot was nearly empty, except for an odd man who sat behind the counter window in the next room, laughing like a hyena. Miss. Pinwick walked right up to him. Tears rolled down his cheeks and the color of his face was a concerning bright shade of red that made his silver whiskers seem to glow. He wore a green ball cap and bib overalls.

  She cleared her throat and demanded, “I’m expecting my sister, Abetha Gray. Has she arrived yet?”

  The man wiped his face and managed to look her way. He held up a comic book and grinned. “Want to hear a joke?”

  Miss. Pinwick was appalled! “Most certainly not! I wish to know if my ride is here.”

  The man was either hard of hearing or was simply ignoring her. “What did the giraffe say to the gym instructor?”

  He didn’t give her a chance to answer before exclaiming, “Spot me!” The man slapped his knees and burst out in laughter. “Don’t that just give you a kick in the funny bone?”