by Marie Reyes
"I think there is something wrong with him." Her face looked pained as she forced the words out. He didn't push her, just remained silent, hoping she would elaborate if he kept quiet.
"It feels wrong, telling these things to a stranger. Promise me this won't come back on me."
"I promise. I swear." He tried to sound as convincing as he could. He needed her trust more than anything.
"I hate him. Ever since my mother married his father. He's a fucking creep. One day, my mom made me tidy his room. It's a shit hole."
"You live with him?"
"I know right. He's in his thirties and he won't move out. She does everything for him, like his little slave. She bribed me to clean up his room while he was out once, and I found some of my underwear under his mattress. It's fucking sick. I can't believe I have to be under the same roof as that freak. I've seen his internet history. It's creepy as fuck. He stares at me all the time. It's so obvious and they just don't see it."
"That must be awful." Martin felt a little sick and had no doubt he was their guy. "Can you go into a bit more detail about the websites he visits?"
She clearly looked embarrassed but forged on. "A lot, I mean A LOT, of porn. Then there's these forums and stuff. There's this one where they just demonize women, like blame them for literally everything. One of them is supposed to be a place where guys go to get away from women, to be independent from them. It is for people to get out of the dating game and find other interests, yet almost every post is just them hating on women. Some of it isn't so bad, but some of it is really twisted.
Martin nodded. This was their guy, for sure. It was almost a relief. They weren't mad. They might be able to actually do something after all. "Do you have somewhere to go? A friend? Somewhere safe?"
"What? Why? What the hell did he do?" The poor girl looked terrified.
He took a deep breath and unlocked his cell phone. He pulled up the video and scrolled through to the moment where he stepped right up to the camera. "I know it's not much to go on, but do you think this is him?" He held the phone up in front of her.
"Yes. That is him. Without a doubt. When he stares at me, I... That's him. I need to get out of there." Her skin seemed to change color right before his eyes, and it looked like she might vomit any second. "What's on the video?" she asked apprehensively, as if she didn't really want to know.
"It's not good," was all he could bring himself to say, not wanting to traumatize her. He could only imagine what it must feel like to be trapped like that, to have a person like that in your own home.
"I can't believe I left my best friend with him." She shook her head.
"Do you have any other information? We've tried contacting the police, but they don't take us seriously."
"Us?" She raised her voice.
"Let's just say he made a few enemies."
"Good. He deserves it."
"Do you know anywhere he might go?"
"He does disappear a lot, not that he has anywhere to go. Most of his old friends don't want to know him anymore. I have no idea where he goes though."
This only made him surer they had their guy. "Will you be going home?"
"For a little while, just while I wait. I'm going to get my friend to pick me up from mine."
"Do you think, you could check his search history. See if there are any places that he looks up, anything that might lead us to the girl."
She swallowed nervously. "I will."
"If I give you my email address, do you think you could send me his search history?"
"I will. Listen, I need to go. I want out of there as soon as possible."
"Of course. Do you want my number, just in case you find anything else?"
"Okay." She passed him her cell phone, and he input his digits. He felt protective as he watched her leave, like she was a lamb to the slaughter, and he wished he could do more to keep her safe.
Chapter
Thirty Five
The gang had discussed what to do next over drinks before Kristen insisted, as the designated driver, that they head back to hers. They could see she was nervous as they approached the front door and she pushed it to check it wasn't unlocked like the last time.
Once inside, she insisted they check every room. She doubted she would ever feel safe in her own house again. Martin's phone went off in his pocket and he was pleased to see an email from Kerry.
Hi Martin.
Connor wasn't in when I got home, so I checked his history like you said. There is one that especially caught my eye.
Kerry.
He clicked on the first link, an abandoned school. Nothing else on his history really stood out. "I think we have our location." He turned the laptop so everyone could see.
"Creepy." Piper hovered over him.
"What next?" He knew what he wanted to do, but wasn't sure anyone else would think breaking into an abandoned school to find a murderer was a good idea.
"We should go, tonight," said Aadesh against his better judgment. He had succumbed and had a few drinks earlier and wanted to do it while he still had some courage left.
"Couldn't we just tell the police there was a break in at the school, or just tell them the truth? Then they could check it out," said Piper. She wished she was brave like them, but no, she was a coward. Useless and holding them back.
"Don't worry, we can be careful, and the minute we see anything suspicious, we can call the police." Aadesh's previous enthusiasm started dwindling when Piper started sowing seeds of doubt. "We don't want to cry wolf. We need to be sure before calling them."
"What if we get killed before we get the chance?" Piper had the feeling something awful was going to happen, and she was powerless to prevent it.
"There are four of us against one. Maybe just me and Martin could go, and if you don't hear from us, then you can call the cops. Come on. You know if we call them again they will just think we're more crazy than they already do,” said Aadesh.
The combination of being left alone in a house that had been broken into the night before, and the thought of Martin being in danger and her not knowing what was going on, was enough motivation for her. Piper reminded herself what she had already lost because of this. She had to suck it up. She could do this. "I'm in."
She had a soft spot for Martin and wondered if he felt the same. It felt like there was something between them, but why would he be interested in her? She had nothing to offer. Although he was going through a rough patch, she could tell he was strong, unlike her. Her whole life was a rough patch.
Their various devices pinged, buzzed and vibrated in unison.
Pickletubs118: Hi. Not heard from any of you. Howz it going? Please keep me in the loop. I know I'm young and none of you want to talk to me, but I don't have any friends. All I do is play Gods of War. Even my mom is embarrassed by me. I can't play sports and am stuck in this wheelchair all the time. I really liked talking to you guys.
Shortstacks: Hey. Sorry we never got back to you. Been busy. I'll tell you what. We have a really important job for you. I'm going to copy a link below to where we are going now. If you do not get a message from us in the next two hours, you can notify the police for us.
"Why did you do that?" Piper asked. "They're just a kid."
"I felt bad for them."
"It's just not appropriate."
Aadesh didn't know what to do to make it right. Appropriate wasn't really his forte. "It's not as if he's actually going to have to do it. They just want to feel included."
Pickletubs118: Thanks guys. I won't let you down.
Martin got up from the desk chair. "Not to freak you out or anything, but what if Pickletubs is the killer? This person seems to know a lot about us. Pickletubs started the forum in the first place. I don't know how this didn't occur to me earlier." They all looked at each other with concern.
Piper stepped forward. "Why don't we tell Pickletubs that it was all fine and not to call the police, then we can check it out tomorrow morning, when he's not
expecting us. When it's light."
Aadesh turned to her. "That makes perfect sense, but what if it's too late? What if he has Isabella there, and we're too late? I don't know if I could forgive myself. They haven't found her body yet. She could very well still be alive."
"That's settled then," said Kristen. "I will gather some supplies. Flashlights, maybe something to defend ourselves with?"
"What, no snacks?"
"Not tonight." Kristen grabbed her baseball bat from behind the couch and walked into the hallway to fetch her backpack.
Chapter
Thirty Six
Everyone grew quiet as they approached the school. In the dark, the old brick building and boarded-up windows covered in graffiti, did not inspire them with confidence. They sat in the stationary car, preparing themselves for some light breaking and entering. There was no one else on the street except for the occasional car driving past, and as they got out of the car, the only sound was their feet on the concrete.
It was impossible for them to be completely silent as they approached. There was no real security. No fence, no gate. Just wooden boards plastered on the windows. To avoid being spotted by anyone on the main road, they made their way around to the back of the building, across the overgrown grass that scratched against their ankles.
Once they were no longer visible to anyone on the main road, they switched on their flashlights. Two between the four of them. The beams of light revealed wood on the floor, torn away from one of the windows. As far as Piper was concerned, it was a dark portal to hell. Nothing good stood on the other side of the wall.
"So... who wants to go first? Any takers?" asked Kristen, hoping to elicit at least a chuckle, but she was met with silence before Martin finally stepped forward.
"Good man." Kristen waited for him to squeeze through and got the all clear. She put her hands on the old, cracked window frame and hoisted herself through the gap. She watched as Aadesh wriggled through and fell ungracefully onto the floor. For some reason, she almost burst out laughing, but managed to suppress it. She peered out at Piper, who shuffled on the grass.
"Are you coming? You could always keep watch?" Kristen suggested before she realized that she didn't think it was a good idea to leave her alone. Although, if someone watched the exit, she might be able to see Connor if he tried to escape.
"No way are you leaving me out here on my own. I'll take my chances in there," she whispered and maneuvered herself through the space. It was that inky kind of blackness that seemed to move and shift in front of your eyes. It was a darkness that seemed alive. The flashlight illuminated a mural on the wall of people playing instruments and dust particles danced in the beam of light like tiny little flies.
A damp, musty smell plagued the air around them and Kristen covered her mouth with a thin scarf when she noticed the black mold that crept from one corner to another. A constant drip, drip, drip, persisted in the background like a light drumbeat, a sound so light that every now and then, they had to ask themselves if they were imagining it.
"Left or right? We need to make sure we search the whole place from top to bottom."
"We could flip a coin?" Aadesh offered.
"Right. Let's go right." Kristen took the lead, unable to take her eyes off of the painted people on the mural. Most people found children's paintings endearing, but this one looked like something Hieronymus Bosch would have come up with. They passed a wall lined with empty, half-open lockers, and the sound of their footsteps drifted down the empty hallway. If someone else was there, it is likely that they would be able to hear the footsteps.
What if it was a trap, leading them to their demise? How would she feel being responsible for the death of three innocent people? For all they knew, his step-sister could have been in on it somehow. Every single doubt pelted her in the gut at full velocity. "Maybe we shouldn't be doing this," she said in a shaky voice.
"We have come this far. We can't back out now." Martin tried to keep the fear from his own voice, as from what he knew of fear, it was contagious. The half blue and half yellow walls looked bright under the flashlight but just two shades of gray without. With each new room they passed, one of them would open the door, slowly and cautiously. No matter how gently they opened them, the doors would creak with lack of use.
They shined their flashlights into the rooms, scanning them from one end to the other. Desk chairs littered the classrooms. Some upright, some tipped over with the legs pointing into the air like the limbs of a beetle stuck on its back. Aadesh jumped back as something crunched under his foot.
"What was that?" In her panic, Kristen's voice came out as a hiss. The flashlight revealed it was just a striplight that had fallen down the ceiling and laid in fragments on the floor. As they continued, they reached a set of stairs. It was not time to go up yet, not until they had searched the entire ground floor. Besides, it felt safer when they could be sure of the nearest exit, and the further they strayed from it, the more nervous they became. As they walked past the stairwell, a noise traveled through the air like a shock wave, and they froze.
"Shit." Martin whispered. "This is it."
"Not necessarily. It could be teenagers messing around, it could be a homeless person," Aadesh suggested.
None of them found Aadesh's words particularly comforting, and they started ascending the steps, slowly at first, as if trying to resist whatever awaited them. Martin couldn't handle it anymore: the not knowing, the anticipation. He picked up his pace. Whatever the noise was, he wanted to know now and to get it over with. For all he knew, it could have just been a squirrel or some other harmless animal.
When he got to the top of the stairs, he flattened himself against the wall. There was still a noise, something, or someone, shuffling about. The sound was coming from his right and he took short sideways steps and urged the others to do the same. He wasn't taking any chances. Kristen passed him the baseball bat as he was first in line. Everybody turned off their flashlights, not wanting to alert anyone to their presence.
There was just enough light coming in through the upstairs windows for them to make out their surroundings. Martin couldn't keep the thumping of his heart under control and had to repeat to himself over and over, you're not having a heart attack. His body liked to convince him he was dying. It would trick him by mimicking the symptoms of a heart attack, right down to the tingling sensation in his left arm.
He only became aware of how much his hands were shaking when he saw the baseball bat vibrate, and he tried to steady it. He didn't want the others to panic too. His breathing had become fast and erratic, and he concentrated on taking slow, deep breaths as he peered around the corner. It was too dark to make out much of anything. Without the flashlight, it was like the blind leading the blind.
They needed actual proof before they could call the cops. Something to show them that they weren't just a bunch of people with too much time on their hands and overactive imaginations. A wail emanated from down the hall, and a series of short, sharp screams followed, echoing off the hard, concrete. Martin's leg started shaking, but he couldn't keep it still. There was no denying what they were doing now. Up until now, he could trick himself into believing he wasn't in any real danger.
He pulled his phone out and, barely managed to keep it steady as he dialed 911. It didn't take them long to answer, and he kept his voice to a whisper. "Someone is in trouble. They're screaming, being attacked."
Kristen struggled to listen to what the operator was saying.
"We're at that abandoned school." He took the phone away from his ear. "What is this place called again?" Before anyone had time to respond, Martin dropped to the ground. Kristen fumbled to find the button on the flashlight and could now hear the operator asking if they were still there.
The voice stopped as she heard a stomping sound and the cracking of glass. As she found the button, a shaft of light shone temporarily blinding someone who had emerged around the corner. Aadesh grabbed the baseball bat from the floor and swung
it wildly, narrowly missing his target.
"He's got a gun," Piper shouted. She wanted to run in the opposite direction more than anything, and she wasn't sure if she was staying because of loyalty, or because she was paralyzed with fear.
"Is that Isabella Torres? Is she alive?" Aadesh asked over the screaming.
"Drop the bat. Drop it now," The man demanded. It must have been him.
"They're onto you Connor. The police are on their way, and they know who you are." He needed some sort of leverage as he tossed the bat on the floor. Aadesh concentrated on his face, trying to determine if he was surprised, or frightened that he knew his name, but all Connor gave him was a smirk. Martin grabbed Connor's legs, dragging him to the floor. Aadesh heard another scream and there was barely time to react.
Piper and Kristen ran towards the stairs. The sensible thing to do. Before Aadesh knew it, he was running in the direction of the pained cries like some idiot that he would usually berate if he was watching a horror film. Don't do it, he would scream, knowing full well that was never going to happen, but this time he was the one running towards inevitable danger.
Martin was close behind him and then a gunshot. It was the first time he had ever heard one, and it was deafening, louder than he imagined. He knew he should stop, check Martin was not dead on the floor, but what good would it do, if he kept running? Surely Connor would follow.
If Martin had got hit, maybe it wasn't fatal. He ran so fast he put his hands out in front of him to stop himself colliding headfirst with the wall. His hands stung as if he had just slapped someone and he turned around, darting through an open door to see who he believed to be Isabella Torres, bound, and gagged. She just screamed through the fabric, unable to form actual words. Martin was now at his side and followed him into the room, slamming the door behind them just in time to prevent Connor getting in.
Martin put his back to the door, putting all his weight against it. Martin ducked as another gunshot rang out. The bullet got lodged in the thick glass panel, somehow not making it all the way through. Aadesh now set to work on untying Isabella's feet. Martin could hear and feel the force of Connor impacting the door from the other side. "Some help please," Martin yelled. Connor had stopped pushing against the door, and it became eerily quiet until they heard a metallic click.