She could not breathe; water was being poured into her mouth and something was preventing her from spitting it out as Jess opened her eyes – darkness was all she saw – her vision was blocked by a cloth of some sort. She tried to pull the cloth off but unfortunately, her hands seemed to be tied up to the metal chairs' armrests.
Oh, how I hoped whoever took me had a good explanation for this.
The drenched cloth was pulled from her face and two figures had emerged from the shadows into the dimly casting light hanging from the ceiling. After blinking a couple of times for her eyes to adjust a shiver went down Jess's spine when reality struck.
Immediately everything came rushing back to her; the party, the shooting, the diner, the police officer probably posing as one and using it as a disguise, the man from the mugshot: the psychotic, insane, serial killer and the syringe that was used upon her in the car of the traitor or deceiver.
A mother of a headache throbbed in Jess's head, probably the aftermath of the anesthesia or something that was in the syringe she was injected by.
"So, this is the daughter of the man who puts traitors in hiding." The older man stalked towards the disorientated girl. Leaned forward and rested his hands on the chair's backrest, caving her in. Staring right into her soul with his cold, soulless, hateful eyes. Demonic eyes.
His gaze did not falter. His hot breath fanned over her sticky face which was covered in fallen tears and drops of sweat and the water that was poured over her. Jess's heart had an intense match of tennis with her rib cage, begging for an out.
"The only traitor here is him," Jess gestured with her pounding head to the young blond.
"And my father was only doing as he was told, his job." She continued and defended her father. A sickening smirk appeared on the older man's face and he glanced back at the younger man who was barely kissing the dim light showing an emotionless face. A young man lost in thought.
The old man was agitated with his son and with the girl. So, he swooped back his muscular right arm and let his hand come crashing down on Jess's left cheek. Tingles of pain erupt through her entire face as well causing her left ear to buzz and tears at the brim of falling, cracks in the dam. She could not let the dam break. She could not break, not now. Jess tried her best swallowing her scream pain and her tears at bay, patching up the dam wall.
Her cheek hurt like it was on fire but she had to stand her ground and not let a tear slip, not a single drop. This excuse for a man had already taken too much from her. Jess had to fight, to defend her own no matter the cost even if she ended up with more than a concussion and a shattered cheekbone.
***
Red and blue lights gave colour to the endless darkness of the forest. Yellow crime scene banners were being spun between trees while Detective Buckley had made his way up through the damp forest grounds to the cabin.
Taking everything to memory and comparing the report of the on-scene cop; the smell of the forest, the perfectly crafted luxury cabin, and the muddy footprints that went up the wooden stairs.
He was greeted by the examiner who was covered in white plastic from head to toe on his way out and given the all-clear. Making his way up the side of the stairs, following the prints to the front door. He let it play through his mind, upon seeing the muddy footprint on the door by the handle, making a mental note that the kids were responsible for locking the door, he closed his eyes and as if in the shoes of the culprit he kicked the door, therefore the door had a dent.
Pushing, or as in mind kicking the door open and stepping into the opening. Continuing to follow the prints and stopping at two more indefinite prints, as if he had come to a stop. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes once again Buckley saw the scared and panicked faces of the kids staring down the barrel of his gun.
The kids panicked; one boy went under the dining table – where a pool of blood was beginning to dry. Two girls went behind the couch. The second boy went into a closet and the third girl went out the back door.
Before he had come up to the cabin he had spoken with the kids and gotten their statements:
Dylan Fox – The boy in the closet.
Ashley Stewart and Lee Chang – The girls behind the couch.
Peter White – The boy under the dining table – and on his way to the hospital to have immediate surgery.
Jessica Brown – The girl out the back door.
Jessica was not present when Buckley made his rounds. Her friends had told him that she had gone out the back door and into the forest with the man hot on her tail.
Upon hearing that Buckley had sent two and four-legged officers out to go look for her if she still was in the forest, he highly doubted and to report back the minute they found something, anything. Before he had left the shaken-up kids, he had told them that they would the escorted by police officers back to the station where their parents were waiting for them.
Buckley walked to the dining table, crouched, and examined.
"Peter White. 17 years old. Shot through the scapula into the right lung. It might be fatal says the EMT. Mother has been notified and is in-route to the hospital." Officer Davis said as he entered the cabin with a tablet in hand, making his way to Buckley.
Continuing his tour, Buckley walked up to the back door, saw three bullet holes and examined them. The height of the culprits' aim and the width of the hole itself.
"Jessica Brown, 17 years old. Father is a Public Defender. Mother is an Auditor. Could not find any siblings listed. Grandparents all passed away, but she has an uncle in the Navy." Davis continued.
"Father?" Buckley turned to the dining table.
"Decided." Davis checked the tablet again.
"And Public Defender you say." Acting oblivious about the Browns and not letting his knowledge about the show. Turning to face his team member, in confirmation the officer just nodded.
"I want every one of the father's case files on my desk by tomorrow morning. The mother's as well and I want an update on The Butcher that escaped this morning ASAP and get every CCTV footage in the area. Send the mayor an email to implement a semi-curfew until the maniac is back in his hellhole so that he can burn until there is nothing of him left."
Detective Buckley was a man of his word. He promised the Browns that he would not stop until their daughter was found and with his team by his side nothing was impossible. He could almost relate with them, he too is a parent, a son down under in the Australian Air Force Academy.
Authors note:
Thank you for reading Chapter 4! As always feedback is welcome 💬. And remember to vote.
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Runaway (Slow Update)
Mystery / Thriller"Run. Keep on running. Don't stop and don't look back. Those words kept on repeating in my head as I ran through the forest that was being invaded by the darkness of the night. My heart was pounding in my chest. My breathing dramatically increased a...
