Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



"Quiet down, quiet down!"noveldrama

"Bang, bang!!"

The scolding mixed with the sound of gunshots sent a wave of terror through everyone in the lobby.

For a solid five minutes, the pandemonium ensued, only to come to a jarring stop when a hotel security guard was shot. His blood splashed across the gleaming floor, marking a horrific end to the chaos.

Silence fell over the lobby like a heavy blanket of snow.

Eileen, peering from behind the reception desk just a few feet away from the wounded guard, narrowed her eyes.

The entire crew looked like they were about to pass out from fear!

Huddled together, they crouched in a corner, seeking solace in numbers.

The director did a headcount of the surrounding crew and, after a quick glance, his face drained of color. He whispered urgently, "Where are Mr. Reed and Eileen?!"

The assistant director glanced around and nudged the director, nodding towards a direction with his chin, "Over there."

The director looked and saw Eileen across the lobby, crouching behind another counter with a group of strangers, cradling a little blonde girl in her

arms.

While it was a mystery when she had managed to slip away, it was a relief to see her unharmed.

But where was Egbert?!

Aurora, pale as a ghost, asked from the back, "What's happening? Is this a robbery?!"

Calvert replied, "Doesn't seem like it, they're all dressed in military gear."

Sylvia, trembling, added, "I heard about civil unrest in some countries. Could we be caught in the middle of that?"

Hobson said in a hushed tone, "Shh, keep it down, they're collecting phones."

Eileen's gaze shifted to her front right.

There, two insurgents were collecting phones in black bags, moving from one petrified guest to the next.

Soon, it was her turn.

Eileen obediently pulled out her phone and dropped it into the bag, but as the insurgent turned to leave, she spoke up, "Wait."

The armed man turned to her, his gun at the ready.

With an innocent look on her face, she gestured to the little girl in her arms, "Her watch is a phone too."

The little girl looked on with wide, tearful eyes as Eileen deftly removed the smartwatch from her wrist and added it to the collection bag.

As she did, Eileen's fingers slyly hooked her own phone from the bag and slipped it up her sleeve before withdrawing her hand.

The insurgent, none the wiser to her sleight of hand, thought she was being cooperative and moved on.

Having stashed her phone safely, Eileen looked down into the little girl's wide eyes.

Mouthing silently, she said, "What are you staring at?"

The little girl could only stare back in silence.

Eileen pushed the child gently into the arms of a nearby hotel employee, then turned her attention back to assessing the situation.

The insurgents were numerous. Apart from a group sent to round up guests from the upper floors, there were nearly a hundred in the lobby.

Eileen scrutinized the lobby's architecture and exits before her gaze lifted to the central air vent above her head.

Hidden within, Egbert met her gaze. Their eyes locked in a silent understanding. Eileen subtly acknowledged him with a nod.

Egbert, a soldier from Crestonia, knew that in situations of peril, he had to prioritize his own safety to avoid capture. Only then could he hope to facilitate the rescue of the others.

When the upheaval began, his military instincts had driven him to seek cover immediately.

Egbert signaled to Eileen from the vent, tapping out a Morse code message.

Eileen understood. Egbert had made contact with the Crestonian military, which was now in communication with the Frostsglow embassy and local government forces.

The message from the government forces was clear - this was a local insurrection, and though the rebels were brazen, they would likely avoid harming civilians, especially foreign nationals, to prevent international disputes.

Eileen glanced at the shot employee and mentally crossed out the part about no harm to civilians.

But foreign nationals were indeed less likely to be harmed.

Some hostages were still whispering among themselves, and the rebels, though noticing, didn't interfere.

Yes, she was referring to the director and assistant director of the "Romantic Revelations" crew!

What an environment for a catch-up! Did they need a microphone or something?

As time ticked by, the lobby remained stiflingly tense.

Suddenly, Egbert signaled again from the vent: the government forces weren't going to compromise, and negotiations with the rebels had failed. Almost in sync, a rebel leader erupted with profanity and, in a fit of rage, grabbed a hotel employee and began to pummel him without mercy. Eileen frowned deeply at the sight.

After the beating, the leader scanned the crowd, grabbed his gun, and marched over to the "Romantic Revelations" crew, singling out Aurora from the back of the group.

The crew was stunned, so was Eileen.

Aurora hadn't expected to be the one dragged out, especially since it was the director and assistant director who had been whispering. Panic- stricken, she let out a piercing scream!

"Bang!" Annoyed, the rebel leader fired another shot into the ceiling.

Aurora immediately fell silent.

The leader babbled something in the local language to his companions, which no one but Eileen understood.

"He's saying she's a celebrity," Eileen thought to herself, with a hint of irony. So much for the safety of a famous actress.

The leader, holding Aurora by her clothes with one hand and brandishing his gun with the other, placed the barrel against her head and ordered one of his men, "Start the live stream!"

What?

Then the broadcast began.

The next second, every screen in Frostsglow's public squares lit up with the image of the rebel leader, gun to the head of an actress.

The rebel leader, with a menacing scowl plastered across his face, was threatening the world through a live broadcast. His message was blunt and terrifying - if the government forces didn't surrender, he would kill the famous movie star, potentially sparking an international crisis. Everybody knew you didn't mess with Crestonia.

If anything happened to their beloved movie star, Aurora, Crestonia's only nominee for an Academy Award, there would be hell to pay. How the government troops would explain themselves to the powers in Crestonia was anyone's guess.

The rebels taking the Crestonian starlet hostage was broadcasted live on Frostsglow, but in the age of the inte, within minutes, the footage had spread like wildfire across the globe.

Due to the time difference between Frostsglow and Crestonia, most Crestonians were asleep during the broadcast. They woke up to a world turned upside down, their national pride and the heartthrob of millions, Aurora, had been kidnapped by insurgents while filming abroad!

Twitter was ablaze with retweets, comments, and frantic searches, so much so that the server nearly crashed under the strain!

When the rebel leader realized his broadcast had gone viral, he switched to English, addressing the international community and world leaders directly with his demands: Surrender the government troops, and everyone goes free.

In English, a tearful Aurora finally understood him.

With a cunning glint in her eye, she blurted out, "If you're looking for influential stars, don't pick me! Egbert's here too! He's an Oscar winner! He's way more famous!"

Silence fell like a thick blanket.

Following Aurora's statement, there was a collective pause across all platforms-Twitter, international social media, and even the mainstream news outlets covering the story. Comments and live chat came to a standstill.

The rebel leader, momentarily caught off guard, peered at Aurora and narrowed his eyes, "You mean Eg..."

"Egbert Reed!" Aurora interjected, "You can look him up; he's famous, he's here, we were together just a moment ago, and now, now..."

But Egbert was nowhere to be found.

In her panic, Aurora's eyes darted across the room until they landed on Eileen, who was eyeing her with a venomous gaze from behind the counter. Survival instincts kicking in, Aurora pointed at Eileen, her voice laced with desperation, "Her, she's Egbert's wife, grab her!"

All eyes turned to Eileen.

Dressed in a casual black ensemble, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, the pale and striking woman sat on the cold tiled floor by the

counter.

The leader approached Eileen, reaching to grab her collar, but in a swift move, she stood up, dodging his grasp.

"You're Egbert's wife?" he asked, frowning.

With a scoff, Eileen's icy stare flicked towards Aurora. "Sorry, one moment," she said.

She strode past the leader, her steps confident and determined, until she stood right before Aurora.

"You're more fit to be a hostage than I am... with your skills," Aurora managed to say, with difficulty. "Smack!" A sharp slap echoed as Eileen's hand connected with Aurora's cheek.

Aurora, clutching her face in disbelief, could only utter, "You..."

"Smack!" came a second slap.

"Eileen!" Aurora cried out.

"Smack!"

"Ei..."

"Smack!"

"Smack!"

"Ah! Eileen! You-"

Eileen rained down a torrent of slaps on Aurora, leaving her face swollen and bloodied, her mouth spilling out a few teeth.

"Ei..."

"Hey, stop it..." an insurgent approached menacingly, intending to halt Eileen's onslaught.

Eileen sidestepped, avoiding his grasp while simultaneously grabbing and twisting his wrist.

Caught off guard, the rebel yelped as Eileen, expressionless, snapped his wrist with a sickening "crack!"

Dispassionately, she took his gun, chambered a round, and aimed it at Aurora's forehead-all in less than a second.

Aurora's legs trembled with terror, too frightened to move.

All the rebels immediately trained their guns on Eileen.

The leader shouted, "Hold your fire!"

Silence reigned in the hall. Eileen's clear eyes bore into Aurora's, and in a chilling tone, she whispered, "I really want to blow your brains out..."

Aurora's face contorted with fear. But then Eileen tossed the gun aside, straightened her disheveled sleeve with a snort and said, "Unfortunately, I can't afford a criminal record."

Turning her back on Aurora, she was now surrounded by a ring of armed rebels, the shocked leader of the insurgents in front of her.

"Cool as you please," Eileen asked, "What was that earlier? Am I Egbert's wife? Yeah, damn right, I am."