I thought about the many times Max and I had sat just watching Charlie play in the grass from the comfort of the creaky steps. Visions of a future where we sat as a family, watching our future kids make memories from the same rickety porch, clouded my thoughts.
I shook the thoughts from my head, not allowing myself to dwell on the could be’s, as I walked to my car, started the engine, and pulled away from the only family I’d allowed myself to know and love unconditionally.
Surprisingly,the drive to Atlanta was uneventful; the highway was smooth, and the only sound was the gentle hum of the tires on the asphalt. The roads were deserted. I wasn’t surprised that I’d only passed a handful of cars as I drove out of town, only sensing civilization when I hit the main highway.
It only took about an hour and a half to get to the location of the warehouse. Sheriff Cortez had let slip that there was a change of look-out detail around this time, and I hoped that would provide the momentary distraction I needed to get myself inside.
I cut the lights as I pulled up near the building, noticing two patrol cars parked out back. The officers were standingrelaxed against their vehicles, chatting about who knows what, not paying attention to their surroundings. I rolled my eyes and made a mental note to mention it to Emmanuel, should I make it out of here.
Scratch that - when I made it out of here. Not making it out wasn’t an option.
I parked the car in a small clearing between the trees, about a hundred yards from the parking lot of the warehouse. I left behind the duffel, but made sure to grab the hand gun and tuck it in the waistband of my shorts. Not comfortable enough in my abilities to not shoot myself in the crotch, I left the safety on. I didn’t need to shit to go sideways before I even made it inside the building.
I crept down the road, taking care to stay in the shadows. I was sure that the officers couldn’t see me from this far away, but I didn’t need to alert them to my presence. Somehow getting close enough without being seen, I started looking for an entrance. I noticed a small loading dock off to the side and what looked like a door propped ajar with a brick. It was out of view of where the officers chatted away.
Upon further inspection, I was right. The door was open. Unease filtered through my veins as everything fell into place. This was all happening so perfectly that I couldn’t imagine a scenario in which something wouldn’t go wrong.
I crept to the metal door and slowly edged it open. It strained on its hinges, letting out a loud creak into the dark abyss inside. I paused, waiting for shouting to come, but when it didn’t, I let loose a sign of relief.
Creeping into the room, I attempted to feel my way through the darkness. I kept my hands in front of me to hopefully catch myself before I slammed into something. Tiptoeing forward, I could see light coming from the hallway ahead andmade my way towards it. I heard distant whispers, but wasn’t able to make out what they were saying.
Momentarily distracted by the noise ahead, my foot caught on the rough metal of a table leg and I went careening forward, slamming my palms down on its flat surface. I felt the sharp sting on my leg, and I winced as I realized I’d caught the edge and cut open my shin.
“Fuck.” I whispered through gritted teeth, fighting through the pain. I’d managed to cut myself pretty good and would probably need a couple of stitches.
The light at the end of the hallway got brighter as someone opened the door. A hulking man the size of an oak tree, took up the majority of the door frame, blocking out the light. I couldn’t quite tell, but it looked like he had a gun in his hand and his gaze was trained directly in my direction.
Unsure if he could see me through the oppressive darkness, I held my breath in an attempt to make myself seem small.
“Who’s there?” he boomed, raising the weapon and pointing it in my general direction.
I did my best to breathe evenly and quietly, but as he stepped into the room, a feeling of dread washed over me. He stomped towards me, a flashlight held in his meaty fingers. Once he was close enough that the rays of light crested my body, a chill coasted down my spine.
His grin was feral as his lips spread, showcasing a yellowing smile. He cocked his head to the side as he grinned, his greasy black hair falling over one eye.
“Well, hello there, pretty little bitch.”
THIRTY-ONE
max
Rolling over onto my side,I reached for Stella’s sleeping form. When my hands came up empty, the sleep induced fog receded as panic flooded my veins, shooting me up into the sitting position.
Turning my head, I noticed her side of the bed was empty. I laid my palm on her pillow and was met with a stark coolness.
“Stella?” I called into the dark room, hoping that she’d gotten up to use the bathroom, or maybe even just couldn’t sleep and went into the living room.
I reached over and turned on my bedside lamp, illuminating the room in a golden glow. Empty. A gut churning dread filled me as I looked around for a clue as to where she’d gone. Something wasn’t right.
Had she gotten up and gone back to sit vigil in Charlie’s nursery?
A glitter of something sitting on her nightstand caught my eye, and I lifted the covers to scoot over to her side. Sitting ontop of her end table was the necklace I’d given her just the day before.
I didn’t remember her taking it off, but she may have removed it before coming to bed. The glittering stones stood contrast against the darkness, a mocking one-finger salute to all the progress we had made.
She had loved the necklace, I was sure of it, so why did she take it off?
I shifted the necklace off what looked like a note scrawled quickly on a bright yellow post-it note and my blood ran cold. In that moment, the silence felt heavy, and I knew, with a certainty that chilled me to the bone, that something was very fucking wrong.
