I had come straight from college to my sisters workplace. It had been a long day. I couldn't wait to get home, change into my PJ's and get into bed. I walked up to Darwin and let myself into my sisters office. I was expecting her to be in her office, but she wasn't. I left my things in her office, and went to go and look for her. Jac wasn't on Darwin, she wasn't in theatre and she wasn't in the labs. I figured she was seeing a patient on another ward, and she would come back when she was free. I decided to go and look for another familiar face. Zosia wasn't on Darwin either, but I knew where she would be. Every chance she got, she would be down on Keller, hanging out with Dom. Dom is pretty cool.
I walked down to Keller, it was deserted, which was unusual. I let myself into the staffroom. I was not prepared for the situation that greeted me. Zosia, Dominic & Essie were tied to the radiator by their wrists, and there was a man pointing a gun at them. I didn't recognise him to begin with, but then the penny dropped. It was Frederik, Mr Hanssen's son. I froze. I didn't know whether I should run or stand my ground.
"Run!" Zosia called out to me, but it was too late. Frederik had already clocked me. I turned to run, but was paralysed by fear when I heard the click of a gun. I turned around to look sat Frederik, and he was pointing the gun at me.
"Think very carefully about your next move." Frederik threated. I was terrified.
"You don't want to do anything stupid" He added. The gun was pointed at me the whole time. I stayed silent, I couldn't find any words. I didn't know what to say to him, and I was too frightened to think straight.
"Please, Frederik" Zosia said. She tried to stand up to come to my rescue, but she couldn't because she was tied to the radiator.
"Think about what you're doing!" She pleaded. I was still frozen to the spot in terror.
"If she knows what's good for her, she will stay right where she is, as will you" He replied to Zosia. I was so scared, a tear rolled down my cheek, and I quickly wiped it away. I put my hands in the air and allowed Frederik to search me. He found my phone and put it on the table in the middle of the staffroom, where it was out of my reach.
"Don't think about trying any tricks; do not make any noise or sudden movements." Frederik said turning back to me, he still had the gun pointed at me. I nodded meekly.
"Can you not point the gun at me?" I asked him in a small voice. He laughed mockingly.
"She is an innocent child, for god's sake!" Essie said. She was trying to protect me. She could see how scared I was.
"If you have to hurt anyone, let it be one of us. Not her, she's a child." She added. Frederik rolled his eyes at her.
"Do you know who my sister is?" I asked Frederik. I suddenly remembered who's DNA I shared, and nobody messes with the Naylor's.
"I don't care." Frederik laughed.
"You will when she gets her hands on you!" I muttered. I knew full well that Jac will kill him when she finds out.
"Who's your sister then?" He asked, mockingly, rolling his eyes.
"Jac Naylor." I said confidently. There was a moment of silence as Frederik realised who my sister was. I thought I saw an element of panic on his face, but I couldn't be sure.
"If you hurt me, she will make sure your life is not worth living." I added. Talking about my sister was making me want to see her more. Jac always made things better.
"Shut up little girl." Frederik snapped at me. The fact that Jac was my sister seemed to have unsettled him.
"Plus we are more use to you alive." I replied. I was trying to call his bluff. There must be a reason that he had chosen to keep us hostage, rather than shoot us.
"I said shut up." He muttered. I could tell I was beginning to touch a nerve.
"You're just as obnoxious as your sister." He added. I smiled, trying to convince myself and Frederik that I wasn't scared of him.
"Just remember which side of the gun you're standing." Frederik said sternly. He made eye contact with me, and tried to stare me out to intimidate me, but he underestimated me, and he looked away first.
Frederik's behaviour changed suddenly, as if he had just remembered that he had something urgent that he needed to do.
"Sit down next to Zosia." He instructed me, and he pointed the gun back at me. I did as I was told, and sat down next to Zosia without fuss. Frederik tied me to the radiator by my wrists, so I was restrained in the same way as the others.
"I will be back, and I will know if you have tried any tricks." Frederik threatened, and with that he left the staffroom, leaving Zosia, myself, Dom and Essie tied to the radiator. There was a moment of silence when he left the room, while we listened for his footsteps. They grew quieter and quieter, so we knew he had left.
I let out a small sob after a couple of seconds, as the gravity of the situation and the danger I had been in sunk in.
"I...I...want my s...s...sister." I sobbed. Jac just had a way of making things better.
"Sssh, it's okay, we're here to protect you." Zosia said comfortingly. I looked up at her, and I could tell she was just as frightened as I was.
I wriggled right up to Zosia, all I wanted was a cuddle but it was impossible with both of us tied up. I managed to turn myself around so I was facing the radiator that I was attached to and lay down with my head in Zosia's lap. I curled up in a ball, leaning in Zosia's lap. It made me feel somewhat safe.
"H...h...he had a g...g...gun." I sobbed. Zosia couldn't put her arms around me but she could just about reach my face with her hands. She wiped my tears away with the sleeve of her hoodie, then leant down and gently kissed the side of my face.
"You were brave to stand up to him." Zosia told me, gently stroking the side of my face.
"...and don't know when to shut up." She added. Looking back, I was quite foolish to be cheeky to a man pointing a gun at me. Zosia had a point.
"...just like your sister..." Both Dom and Essie muttered, almost fondly.
"when she gets hold of him, she's going to kill him..." I sighed. I just wanted Jac. We sat there in silence, not knowing when the crazed gunman was going to return. To make it more eerie, as we were tied to the radiator and unable to move around the room, the automatic lights turned themselves off, and we were plunged into the darkness.