I browsed through my completed report for final proofreading before upload into Turnitin. Perhaps, there was a silver lining to my misfortune. I finally have more time to focus on improving my grades for the incoming semester so that I could aim for 2.1 or at least First Class. Haha! Who am I kidding?

I felt the hours slowly passing by ever since I left Al-Safar. Netflix was no longer showing good stuff to watch, or at least not to my liking. I'm not a GoT fan, All The Boys reminded me of Abs every now and then. I actually cringe by the way they remade Archie Comics' of Sabrina and Riverdale, so morbid that it ruined my childhood perception of Archie.

I looked at the time on my IKEA clock and it was a quarter to 2.00 am. Soon I'll be witnessing the setting back of time to 1.00 am in another 15 minutes. I used to do this with brother Zahidi when we were little, counting down to the end of daylight saving time. We would sit by the mantelpiece looking at the big ass clock above it, making a countdown like it was New Year. Then we would cheer so loudly that we woke our parents. I did once with Abs but he wasn't so keen to it. Thinking about him makes things much more depressing.

Another five minutes.

I went to the kitchen to prepare myself a cup of Tetley Tea before returning to my room and Google search 'analogue clock online'. I selected the first link that appeared on the search results and a round shaped analogue clock popped open. I took a sip of my tea and began to count down as the thin needle of the dial moved upwards. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two...

Ring-ding! The sound of my phone startled me. I flit my eyes on the screen to see Abs caller ID appeared. I looked back to analogue clock on my laptop screen and the hour needle moved a notch backwards to 1.00 am. I missed the transition. Damn it!

"What?" I snapped as I answered the phone. Then, I sensed stressed in his voice that he almost cried in panic.

"ZJ, help. I'm stuck in the basement," he hissed.

Panic transmitted from my brain down to my muscle. "Which basement?"

"Uhh... I think I'm at B2 of QPark," he stammered. "I'm in a somewhat confined space in a basement. There's a door but it's locked."

"Why can't you call the emergency line?" I grunted.

"Nick is after me," his stressed out.

That name has set my teeth on edge. My thought at that time was wanting to save Abs not only for reconciliation but I want confront Nick and avenge him. I wasn't really sure how but I just want to hurt him.

"Bring a hatchet," Abs requested. "And take Uber."