“Reaper,” I vaguely heard through the ringing in my ears as Montana gripped my arms tight.
“Shit! I don’t think he can hear. He’s bleeding from his ears.”
“The cops will be here shortly. Your call, Montana. What do you want to do?”
“No way I can cover this shit up. We stay and help dig. If he’s alive, then we need to know.”
“Your heard him!” Mercy roared. “Start fucking digging!”
Brothers rushed past me while Montana held me firm, refusing to let me take another step.
Shaking me, he got my attention. I tried to focus on him, but my eyes kept darting back to the pile of rubble. Snapping his fingers in front of my face, Montana shouted, “MAXWELL!”
Blinking, I looked back at him, my eyes stinging with unshed tears as I stared into his eyes, unable to swallow the gut-wrenching guttural sob that finally broke free from deep within my soul as I screamed, “DANNY!”
Montana gathered me in his arms, holding me tight as my world crumbled down around me.
December 17, 2024
Pippen
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
I woke from a dead sleep, my heart pounding in my chest. I knew something was wrong. I could feel it. Reaching for my phone, I checked to make sure he didn’t call. Seeing nothing, I got up and walked into the living room, unable to get the feeling of dread to ease.
The apartment was eerily quiet, the shadows cast by the moonlight created ghostly silhouettes on the walls. The stillness of the night was unsettling and amplified the anxiety that gnawed at me. I glanced at the clock, seeing it was just past three in the morning. The witching hour, as they called it. A time when the world felt suspended between dreams and reality and when the mind was most susceptible to its darkest fears.
I sat down on the couch, trying to calm my frantic heartbeat. “It’s just a feeling,” I told myself. “There’s no reason to believe something is wrong.” But the rational part of my mind couldn’t silence the growing sense of foreboding. I picked up my phone again, scrolling through the messages, hoping for some reassurance.
Nothing.
Not a single notification.
I decided to make myself a cup of tea, hoping the warm drink would soothe my nerves. As the kettle boiled, I stared out the window, the street outside deserted and silent. The trees swayed gently with the night breeze, their branches whispering secrets to the night. I wished I could understand those whispers. Maybe they held the answers to my unease.
The tea did little to calm me. I needed to understand what was happening. I walked back to the couch, my mind racing with possibilities. Had something happened to him? Why hadn’t he called or messaged? Was he in trouble? My thoughts spiraled, each one feeding the growing panic within me.
I tried calling him, the ringing of the phone sounding unbearably loud in the quiet room. It went straight to voicemail. My heart sank. I left a message, my voice trembling as I tried to sound calm. “Hey, it’s me. Just checking in. Call me when you get this.” I hung up and stared at the phone, willing it to ring.
It didn’t.
Minutes felt like hours as I sat there, waiting. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible had happened. I tried to distract myself, flipping through channels on the TV, but nothing could hold my attention. Every sound, every shadow, seemed to be a harbinger of bad news.
“You’re up early?” Shadow muttered sleepily when he walked past me into the kitchen.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“Me either,” he replied. “Don’t sleep well without Joan. You want to talk about it?”
“No,” I said, getting to my feet. “I’m gonna go for a walk.”
I hoped the fresh air would clear my head. I grabbed my jacket and stepped outside; the cool night air wrapped around me like a shroud. The city was asleep, the streets empty and silent. I walked aimlessly, my mind still racing with thoughts of him.
I found myself at the park, a place we discovered shortly after renting the apartment. Danika loved it. So did Danny. It was peaceful, the silence almost comforting. I sat on a bench as memories of happier times flooded my mind. I remembered the laughter, the joy, the moments of pure contentment. But tonight, those memories were overshadowed by the fear of the unknown.
I checked my phone again.
Nothing. The feeling of dread was overwhelming now, suffocating me.
