When a Life Is Worth Only 100 Bucks

Mom and I board a flight to Fangoria to visit Alicia Carter, my wife. She's a special forces soldier who's here on a peacekeeping mission in this foreign country.

But the moment we walk out of the airport, we're ambushed by a group of kidnappers. One of them holds a gun to Mom's head and says, "If you don't give us the ransom in three days, we'll blow her head off!"

In a panic, I make a video call to Alicia, my hands shaking as I beg her to help me.

"Calm down, honey. I'll put in a request to lead a rescue mission. We'll save her within 24 hours!"

But the next day, I keep failing to get in touch with Alicia. After I blow up her phone with multiple calls, one finally connects. Amid her rushed panting, she tells me, "Sorry, honey. I just got assigned to an urgent escort mission. You guys just hang in there. I've arranged for the local authorities to—"

Her voice is abruptly cut off by a familiar male voice. "Alicia! Thank goodness you came over just to pick me up. I didn't have to spend 100 dollars on a cab after all! That cab driver didn't even have a license, and I can't believe he tried to ask for more money…"

The three-day deadline passes, and the kidnappers keep their word, letting me hear the gunshot myself.

As I clutch Mom's cold, dead body, Alicia calls me out of nowhere.

"Hey, honey. I just completed the escort mission. How are things on your end? Have the kidnappers released her?"

I look down at Mom. Her eyes will never open again. I gently wipe the blood off her face as I reply to Alicia in an eerily calm voice, "Yeah. They have."

Holding Mom's urn, I returned to the country alone to handle the funeral arrangements. Aunt Sharon, Mom's sister, helped me with the wake.

"Where's Alicia?" Aunt Sharon asked. "Why didn't she come back?"

"She's still on a peacekeeping mission…"

"That again? She didn't bother saving your mom when she got kidnapped, and now she won't even come back to help with the funeral! If your dad hadn't rushed into the fire to save her back then, she would've already…

"Your dad died saving her, and now your mom is gone, too. Will she only be satisfied when our entire family is gone?" Aunt Sharon broke down.

The harsh light of the hall stung my eyes. A photo of my parents had been placed on the table. My chest throbbed painfully. It felt like someone was hammering burning hot needles into my heart.

I reached out to hold Aunt Sharon steady. My throat caught. In the end, I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth.

"Alicia has an urgent mission to complete. She'll be back once the mission is over…"

"At your dad's funeral, she vowed to devote her life to repaying the debt she owed the Kane family," Aunt Sharon cried out emotionally.

Five years ago, a raging fire occurred, one that filled half the sky with smoke.

Dad had already withdrawn to safety, but when the authorities were checking to see who'd made it out, he realized Alicia Carter was nowhere to be found.

He dashed through the fleeing crowd and went back into the burning building to save the unconscious Alicia, shielding her with his own body. When a steel beam came crashing down, he bore the crushing weight alone and ended up dying in the fire.

During Dad's funeral, Alicia had cried until her throat started to bleed. She almost fainted from the grief.

But now, she'd specifically gone to meet Randall Larkin, her childhood friend, just to help him save the 100 dollars he would've had to spend on a cab.

In the hall, I continued to stare at the urn. My last memories of Mom kept replaying in my mind. Before we left, we'd both been thrilled that the family would finally be reunited.

Just a few days ago, Mom had held my hand and told me how this was going to be her first trip abroad.

Countless memories kept flooding through my head.

It finally hit me that I'd lost both my parents. I no longer had a family.

The last of the strength that had kept me going thus far crumbled at last. I clutched Mom's portrait and sobbed like a child.

Sitting in the empty hall, I got my phone out. My finger hovered over Alicia's name, but I couldn't bring myself to tap it.

After much hesitation, I checked her social media account instead. Her latest Instagram post was almost unbearable for me to see.

She'd posted a selfie she'd taken at the airport. She was smiling brightly, and I could vaguely detect a man's silhouette in the background.

The caption read, "You're finally here."