Vanished

Chapter Twenty

Driving out into the middle of nowhere seemed like a hostage situation. Zane didn't want to deal with anything more than being mugged for cookies. Bella had finally snapped out of her daze and was staring out the window. Esme had the window open, her body still hanging out. Jason had some bagged ice on his side from Nevaeh at Coffee Culture.

The only sight was a dark, narrow road filled with grassland and trees. Yara had her head resting against the window, eyes closed. With everything that has been happening in the past two weeks, it still doesn't seem normal. It was similar to watching a show on television about a murder mystery, but he never had the time for television.

An old light flashed on a pole near the gas station. There was a small variety store with two pumps on either side of the abandoned place.

"Was this place still open?" Esme asked, climbing out through the rectangular window.

When Zane opened the door, he saw the empty gas station with one car being pumped. He walked over and took it out, seeing that it was still working. It's strange that gas works but not cell phones.

"Esme, who are the crackheads?" Jason mumbled.

"They are four of Uden Academy's top delinquents. I don't think you'll have to worry about them," Esme said, "but Emma knows one of them."

"Top delinquents?" Yara inquired.

"I've heard it's basically students who have done the most illegal actions. There are rumours that they were on the news for a serious crime," Esme said.

Zane didn't even want to think of what those four could be capable of. If they did discover who those four were, he hoped they wouldn't increase conflict.

"I've never been here, honestly," Bella remarked, walking around on the loose gravel.

Jason looked inside the small convenience store with the light still on. Zane hooked up the heavy nozzle and opened the gas tank door. Looking up, he grabbed the cash that Nevaeh had given them, inserting it.

"Esme, you can't do that!" Zane heard Jason freak out.

The dirty glass door of the convenience store slid open, revealing Esme chewing gum, a plastic bag of gummy worms in hand, and clutching a large bag of Cheetos. She had a bottle of lemonade under her armpit and Skittles under the opposite one.

"They can't catch me; I'm too fast for them," she remarked, carrying it in a bunch. It had been a fair point on her part. Even if there had been police, Esme's speed would have been impossible to catch.

"It's not exactly something we can do." Jason trailed.

"The bubble isn't the real world. We do whatever we want." Esme's statement had become the truth; this wasn't the real world anymore.

Yara ran out with a bunch of candy in her hands. Going from being tired to having a high amount of energy, Bella still looked through whatever they might still have in the store.

"Hey, look! There's something over there!" Esme called from the opposite side of the road.

From the bright light at the gas station, there had been a shadow of something. It was near large pine trees and high grass that went up to his hip.

Esme dropped her things and rushed off after them, much to their objections. It wasn't exactly that any of them had been in fighting condition.

Zane walked over to see Esme's shadow looking around at that thing. Waving her hand back and forth, one would assume a face.

"It's that ugly girl!" she called.

Zane widened his eyes, rushing over with Jason. The grass was uneven, making Jason almost trip due to his injuries on his sides. They stopped, seeing Ashley standing still and doing nothing. It was like some packaged doll with no movement or even a body that seemed to function.