Death in room 14

Chapter 19

---Rafael---

Stretching my arms above my head as I yawned, the smell of food wafted throughout the room. I stood up to see what had been cooked. Walking into the kitchen, I was met with the sight of a plate stacked high with pancakes.

Looking back inside the room to see if whoever had cooked them was still awake, I noticed Rico was missing. Telling myself not to panic, I slowly walked over to the bathroom, hesitantly twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.

Inside the bathroom was our dirty laundry and toothbrushes but it was Rico-less. "Shit," I mumble under my breath. I wasn't mentally prepared to loose someone else.

"What is it?" I jumped and turned around, shocked to hear someone behind me. Jess stood leaning against the door frame, running the sleep from her eyes.

Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she looked up at me and must have sensed my distress. Her dark eyes widened a fraction and she peaked back into the area we had been sleeping in. Turning back to face me, she asked in a hushed tone,"where's Rico?" Running a hand threw my hair, I sigh and shrug my shoulders."he must have been the one to cook those pancakes and they were still pretty warm when I was in there so he couldn't have been gone for too long."

Jess nodded her head and reaching across me, she grabbed her phone from the bathroom counter. Dialing only what I could assume was Ricos number, she held the phone up to her ear. As soon as I heard a gruff and slightly confused hello on the other end of the line did I release a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.

"Rico, where are you?" I heard Jess's worried voice ask as I walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen to fix everyone a plate of pancakes.

To my surprise, just as I was pulling out the silverware, Damian stumbled into the kitchen. Pulling a chair out, he sat down and absentmindedly began eating a pancake with his hands. Pulling a chair out and sitting down, I wearily ask him,"so how are you feeling?" Not giving me a response, he stood up and began pouring a glass of orange juice. "Damian?" He continued ignoring me. I felt of pang go threw my heart, his eyes glazed over and taking a cold state. "Look I know you probably hate me, trust me, I hate myself to buy can't you at least acknowledge me or at least ye-" my words were cut of when Damian lunged towards me, shattering the glass of orange juice of the floor.

I was pinned down to the floor with Damian's seething face dangerously close to mine. His light brown eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red. I could see bags under his eyes and where his cheeks should have been where dark hollows. His hair covered most of his features and his skin had gone from a light tan to a pale ivory.

At this point it had finally dawned on me that nothing would ever be the same again. Erwin wasn't coming home, Rico had gone missing, and Damian was on the brink of insanity.

He might have actually strangled me right then and there if Jess hadn't come running in, not on the phone with Rico anymore. Placing the phone on the table, she quickly grasped Damian by his arms and hauled him off of me. Standing up, I grabbed a pair of shoes and a jacket. I didn't even hear Jess calling out for me over the loud slam of the door.

It was about six-thirty in the morning and I had left about twenty minutes ago. Right about now I was wishing I had stayed around long enough to ask Jess were Rico had gone but in the heat of the moment all of my worry had been pushed to the back of my mind.

Pulling out my phone, I quickly dialed His number and held it to my ear."hello?" He quickly picked up to my relief. "Hey, where are you?" He sounded confused when he replied,"I'm with Michael back the the motel right now, Jess didn't tell you?" My next few sentences was just a bunch of profanities strung together.

At any other time, I'm sure Rico would have been laughing at me. "What is it?" In my frustration, I had kicked a trash can causing a loud thump to echo down the alleyway. "Rafael, what is it?" I sighed. "Damian attacked me back at the motel so I left and now I'm completely lost." Rico gave a dry laugh. "So what were you planning on accomplishing by calling me?" His question was met with my silence, causing him to laugh loudly. "You don't know do you you?" I mumbled something under my breath and he must have takin it for a yes. "Where are you? Well come pick y-" Rico began to say, but I could his quick intake of breath. "Rico?" All was silent on his side except for the soft static phone calls normally have until Ricos strangled cry cut through it. "Rico!" I shout

But the line was already dead.