Twenty Four Hours To Live Novels & Stories

His voice was cracking everywhere, splintering under panic. I wanted to answer him, to say something cutting or sarcastic or just true, but the world was slipping away from me in spreading waves of darkness. Instead, one thought pulsed louder than everything else. It wasn’t Alexandro nor the pain nor even the blood. I had twenty hours left. Twenty hours to kill Bruce. I can’t be dying now.

I don’t even notice the blood dripping from my hands onto the steering wheel. By the time the phone buzzes, I’m ten miles away. An unknown number. I answer. The voice is distorted, feminine, deliberate. “You have twenty-four hours, Julian. Come alone. Or she dies.” And then, a soft click. No location. No instructions. Just the ticking clock in my head. I slam both fists into the wheel, the sound echoing like thunder inside the car. For a few seconds, I sit perfectly still, my breath harsh. Twenty-four hours.

Twenty-four hours to decide whether love was stronger than the need for revenge. Twenty-four hours to determine what kind of man he really was.

HOURS LATER Hayden slowly opened his eyes and sighed when he looked around. “You passed out.” Bryan said clearing his doubt and he slowly sat up. “She is still asleep?” Hayden asked and stood up from the couch and walked to the bed. “Yes, we have two hours left.” “Two hours? How long was I out?” Hayden asked surprised. “All night.” “Oh jeez.” “Let's just hope she wakes up before it's time.” Bryan sighed. ******** PAST

“The video shows her walking to the SUV. You know where she is. End the games, Julian. The children need their mother. I need my sister.” Before he could answer, every screen in the building suddenly lit up with bright light. A masked hacker appeared on the main feed and broadcast a message across the Cross headquarters. “The truth dies in seventy two hours,” the figure said in a distorted voice. Then the screen changed to a live feed that made my heart stop. Liam sat bound to a chair in a dark room. He looked tired but still alive. His eyes stared straight into the camera with quiet strength. The countdown began in bold numbers at the bottom of the screen. Seventy-two hours. The clock start

Lena’s POV🌸 I stood in our cramped apartment, zipping up my worn delivery jacket with a heavy sigh. The clock had already ticked past 10 p.m., and every muscle in my body screamed for rest. But rent was overdue by two weeks, Cleo’s school fees kept piling up like accusations, and the electricity company had sent yet another red-stamped warning. One more late payment and we’d be eating dinner by candlelight—literally. Kendra’s place was only ten minutes away from the restaurant. I could crash there for twenty minutes, steal a quick power nap, and still make it to my shift on time. I fired off a quick text.

“I… I don’t have the funds yet. Please, I just need a little more time.” “Time is the one thing she doesn't have. Her life is hanging by a thread, Cassandra.” Tears blurred Cassandra’s vision, hot and stinging as they tracked down her cold cheeks. “I understand. Twenty-four hours. Please, just give me twenty-four hours.” She hung up, her hand shaking so hard she almost dropped the phone. She stopped in the middle of the dark, lonely road and looked back at the glowing lights of the mansion on the hill. Ethan was right. And it didn't even take a single second before she had to really crawl back to him.

Carly’s image burned into my mind. Six hours. Six hours to trade one life for another. Or lose everything.

Toward whatever end is waiting. Twenty-three hours and fifty-nine minutes. I'll be there in four.

“She didn’t just try her best, Brinda… she became your mother. Through every tear, every scar, every struggle… she made you hers. And if you want her to survive, then you must live to find a solution, right?” I nodded my head in response. “And we will find the solution together. How much time do we have left?” He asked, sniffing. “Seventy two hours,” I retorted. His face went pale instantly though, he tried to hide it but he has always been a bad liar. He can't lie. He doesn't know how to. “We will find a way out.” I watched him move away from my side while I gulped down some water. He raised his phone to his ear, dialing some numbers.