Chapter 1 When Dreams Die

Carolyn Dad was late. I sighed as I looked out the window the fifth time in a minute. He wasn't always late like this. I wondered what happened. "Who is there?" I squeaked out in panic as I heard someone trying to get in through the back door. I had a reason to be afraid. This place had more gangs than responsible humans and all sorts of criminals crawled in the city. "It's me, Carolyn." I heard through the door. I sighed as I heard dad's voice and rushed to open the door for him. "Why are you like this?" I gasped as he walked inside. "How?" I frowned more at the sight of him and his indifference to his appearance. "You look like you have been run over by a trailer, dad." He gave a low chuckle that had the hairs on my neck rising up in alarm. He only did that when he was in pain. "I guess I was." I flew to his side. "Are you in pains? Are you hurt anywhere? Let me check your body." I said, panicking. He was the only parent that I had—that I ever knew—and couldn't bear the thought of losing him. He pulled out of my reach. "Don't worry about me, Carolyn. We don't have time to do that." "What happened at work?" I doubted anything could have happened at work to make him look like this. He worked in a bank and not a boxing ring. "I will tell you everything you need to know, darling but we have to start packing." "Packing?" I was confused. "Why?" "Don't waste time asking useless questions, daughter." He snapped at me. "Start packing." He said, already moving towards his room. "You are acting strange, dad. How can you tell me to start packing when you know I have a Mathematics contest coming up next week Monday? You know how hard I've prepared and how long I've waited for it." He turned back and sighed, his eyes softening as he looked at me. "You wouldn't be alive to be in that contest if you don't start packing now, girl." My blood ran cold at his words and I watched with confusion and alarm as he walked into his room. I made my way to my room and started packing. I didn't know where we were going and wondered how much I had to pack. I would hate leaving most of my precious stuff behind and started packing almost everything I owned into my small travel bag, squeezing them in. I stopped when I heard a loud bang on the front door and went out. Dad was already in the living room and his eyes filled with panic as he saw me. "Open this door, sucker." I heard a low growl from outside the door accompanied by a rough shove on the door. The door would get broken at this rate. Dad looked at me and placed a finger on his lips. I nodded that I got what he meant and he signaled to me to go back into my room. "Aren't you going to open this door, asshole? You won't like it if I break it down myself." I winced, cowering in my room and wondering who was calling my dad such horrible names. I heard the door open and dad talking to some people as they walked into our living room. "You shouldn't have come here." I heard dad say. "Where else should I have gone to? You've refused to pay me my money." "I told you I would pay." "You had me send my boys over to beat you up at work before you promised to pay." I winced. That explained his horrible appearance when he had gotten back home. "I need more time." Dad pleaded. The man he was talking to barked out a laugh. "Time when you are running away? Why didn't you get in through the front door?" "You've been stalking me?" "I stalk all my debtors." "I will pay you, Gary. I promise. I just need more time." Gary snorted. "I'm done with your promises. I've come up with a plan on how you can pay me back what you owe. I have a deal for you. Where is your daughter?" "She is not here. She is doing her assignment at her friend's house." Gary hissed. "You think I'm stupid? Your daughter hasn't left this house since she came in by four." I was terrified to know that I had been stalked all day and had no idea of it. "Get the girl." Gary said to his boys. I was about to run to hide when two gruff-looking men barged into my room and pulled me out. I recognized them. They belonged to the blade gang, the most notorious gang in the vicinity. I couldn't help wondering how my gentle and easy-going daddy had gotten involved with them as I was being dragged outside. Dad let out a pained whimper as he saw me. "Let her go, please. She has nothing to do with this." "Isn't she the reason why you needed money? Was it not her surgery that you had to pay for that made you come to me when you couldn't get a loan from your bank?" Gary scoffed. "She has everything to do with it." Tears started sliding down my cheeks. I caused this. "Don't listen to him, darling." Dad said, crying when he saw the tears running down my face. "Let her pay for her surgery. I will have her and you can consider your debts paid off." Gary laughed. "This is an offer you should jump at." "Over my dead body will you have my daughter as a hostage." Dad growled, charging at Gary who had his hand on my face and checking it out. "She is beautiful." Gary said, smiling at him. "She will make a profitable prostitute." Gary was focused on calculating what a good investment I was that he didn't see my dad running towards him until it was too late. Dad latched on to him, clenching his teeth on his hand and forcing him to let me go. Gary screamed. "Get this loser off my skin." The two men with Gary held dad, trying to pull him away but he held tightly to Gary with his teeth and nails. "Go! Run, Carolyn." Dad raised his head to scream at me. "Save yourself." I was afraid and gasped, finding it hard to breathe when one of the men pulled out a knife and plunged it into dad's stomach. Dad groaned and still held on to Gary even though he was bleeding. "Run, dear. I'm sorry." He said with tears in his eyes as he sagged to his knees, slowly dying. "Don't let the girl leave." Gary growled at his men. With a scream, I dashed out through the back door and ran out of the house.