Two Villains

Ch. 9- The Stalking of Dr. Kaya

I knew that there was only one person who might have the answers and solutions to this mess: Julia.

I called her, even though it was late in her time zone. It was 11 p.m. at her place and midnight at mine. I had caught a fever from being drenched in the cold rain the previous day.

But Julia didn't answer her phone. Worried, I sent her a message on social media, but she was missing there as well. My concern grew stronger as I began to wonder if she was okay.

The next day, I received a message from Mila. She informed me that Julia was alright, but her mother had suffered a stroke, and she was in Naples taking care of her.

Shit! I mumbled. I couldn't text her about all these dramas. She would take sides with her friend, just like she did previously.

I kept pushing through my duties despite having a fever. One night, it spiked to 103°F. I was so exhausted and hungry that I even forgot to order food for myself that night. My supervisor finally forced me to take sick leave.

I don't remember much, but at some point during the night, a rush of sweat washed over me, and miraculously, my fever broke. I was so fatigued that I couldn't recall whether I had dreamt of ordering food online or if I had actually done so. My brain was clouded, and I had been running on an empty stomach for days. I had lost a significant amount of weight.

Then, at 2 a.m., I heard the doorbell ring. I sat up straight, puzzled. I cautiously approached the door and peered through the peephole, spotting a delivery boy on the other side.

Who the fuck was he?

He told me he had an order for food for me. Without thinking I took them inside. I had not eaten anything for a whole day. When I went to pay, he said it had already been paid when I ordered.

All these were Italian foods. Pizza, Pasta, lasagna, Tiramisu......

I ate like an ape, then I realized I didn't place any order for food as I checked my phone. Though I opened the app, the food remained unordered as I failed to check out my order cart.

Shit! shit! shit! I might have been poisoned.

I retched into the toilet bowl, forcing my finger down my throat to induce vomiting. It was a vile experience, and I gagged uncontrollably. Afterward, I quickly downed a thick mixture of charcoal powder and water-like juice, which is often used as an antidote for poisoning. I then called my supervisor to inform them that I suspected I might have been poisoned.

My supervisor began to panic and immediately called for an ambulance. I was rushed to the hospital, where they performed gastric lavage to clear my stomach contents and sent a sample of the food I had consumed to the lab for a poison check.

To my relief, the poison test came back negative. It seemed that the food I had eaten was innocent. I stayed in the hospital for a few days as they treated me for my viral fever. I was finally discharged on the fifth day, and my supervisor at the NHS was kind enough to grant me an additional three days of sick leave to recover.

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One night, out of curiosity, I decided to peek outside through my window. The clock was almost midnight, and the world outside was mostly dark, with only a few apartment lights dimly glowing.

Suddenly, a sleek, black BMW pulled up silently in front of my building. It was a quiet and eerie arrival, making no noise. Two men stepped out of the car, both dressed in dark suits and wearing sunglasses. They moved with purpose and immediately locked eyes with me through my third-floor window.