Seconds *COMPLETED*

Chapter 3

Daniel

"Huh?" she asked, alarmed.

"Come to my house," I offered, "you'll surely be much better off there than here, stranded on the roads, at least until you're able to find Darien."

She frowned and remained silent for a few seconds. Then, she shook her head resolutely.

"No. I can't come," she said, deep in thought.

"Why not?" I asked, puzzled.

She just shook her head again, staring straight ahead.

"Why not?" I asked again, in exasperation.

"I don't know who you are, where you're from, what you're doing. Nothing. I don't even know whether you've got a family or not. I don't know anything about you. You're like a complete stranger to me! Under what circumstances, can I even think about coming with you?" she demanded.

"Well, I think you already know who I am. Daniel Sorrens, and I'm working in my father's IT company. Um, I don't remember much of my life. I lost my memory after an accident, a car accident, about a year and a half ago. I've still got my family's support so I'm not that worried I can't remember much.

My father, as I said, owns an IT company. My mother's a housewife, I mean, she used to teach in a college nearby but she resigned when my elder sister became pregnant and came to stay with us. My elder sister is Isma, I mean Karisma, but we call her Isma. She's a surgeon, and she's the one who looked after me in the hospital after I got into that car accident almost two years ago.

She's married and now, she's pregnant, so she's taken leave and come to stay with us for the next three months. Her in-laws house is very far, at least two hours' drive either way, so they thought that it would be better if she comes here to our house, for the next two months until her delivery, and a month after it. My younger sister, Rina, I mean Katrina, is still studying in college. Is that enough?" I asked.

"Why're you telling me all this?" she asked.

"You said you won't come with me unless you know about me and... my family is basically everything to me," I replied, muddled.

She shook her head, and insisted, "I didn't say that. I said I can't come with you because I don't know you. And I need to find Darien... desperately."

"I'll help you to find Darien. Don't forget you owe me $32.50 for that medicine. I'm not going to accept this watch as your payment. I need solid cash, okay? I'm sure Darien will be able to pay me back later, right? So, I'll help you to find Darien, while you can stay in my house," I said.

I didn't really want her to pay me back the money but I felt pity for her stranded on the roadside. However, I knew, she wouldn't come to stay with me. So, I might as well pretend like I wanted money to make her come to my house, which was definitely better than being stranded on the roads.

"Well, it depends whether he's alive or not," she said, blandly.

"What? I mean what's wrong with you? Is... is death all you have in mind? Earlier, when I asked you why you didn't go back to your parents, you said only their death will await you there. And now, you talk like as if Darien must be dead as well! What's wrong with you? Why're you always talking about death? Is there some serial killer out there to murder you as well or what?!" I asked, frustrated.

"He won't kill me but he'll kill everyone else around me. And Mila is his next target. You too might become one of his victims, if he sees you near me for too long," she warned.

"What?! I mean who? Who is he?" I demanded.

"You won't know him," she confirmed.

I frowned. What was wrong with her? Why was she being so secretive?