Pomegranate Parfait

Chapter 6 - Part 2

Korey stared at the black screen. 

Her movements seemed too slow as she picked herself up, threw on some shoes, and lurched into the busy streets once more.

Korey redialed Sabrina's number seven times; each time went directly to voicemail. As she wandered down 25th street, her hands had begun to shake so badly, the numbers on the phone blurred. All around her, Manhattan woke – or perhaps it never went to sleep. The world was too bright and cheery for a day to lose everything.

It took a few minutes of frantic stumbling before Korey realized she did not, in fact, know where she was going. It was becoming impossible to breathe. The world caved in around her; the pressure was too much. Korey slumped to the concrete in front of a sleek glass office building. It was all too much – she did not know whether to scream or cry.

A soft voice punctured her thoughts, providing her with the space to breathe. "Deep breaths, Korey," came the memory. "Forget everything around you – just focus on each breath, one after another." Korey flashed back to a simpler time; her first week in Manhattan, the moment she and Sabrina became friends. Two dolled-up girls in a nightclub bathroom. Both hiding from something. Strange, how the strongest friendships start in the weakest places. Drowning on the bathroom floor, holding each other to stay afloat.

Korey took a shuddering breath, then looked back to her phone. The tremble remained in her fingers, but it was no longer incapacitating. At last, she began to think.

Sabrina went home with a stranger, she thought, re-reading her texts from the night before. She would not be in her apartment. But where could she be?

Korey knew what she had to do. She typed in the only number she knew by heart. He picked up on the first ring. Korey gritted her teeth. "I need a favor."

***

She was running. Sprinting down block after block, ignoring her labored breathing and the ache crawling up her side. A few more minutes, and she was there. Apartment Building 146, 32nd Street and 9th. Korey gave herself only a second to take in the massive glass structure before throwing open the double doors and storming inside.

Sabrina was in there somewhere. The bell chimed as Korey slammed her fist upon the Concierge's desk. A mousy-looking man with a greying combover and unfocused eyes emerged from the back room. "May I help you?" he chirped, resettling the glasses that had fallen from his nose.

Korey did not recognize her own voice: it was too rough, too forced, too feral. "A resident came in last night with a blonde girl, about five-feet tall, wearing an enormous pink coat." She sucked in a breath before continuing, sounding sharper than broken glass. "Tell me where he is."

The man shuffled behind the desk, eyeing the crazy girl before him. "I'm sorry, Miss, but I cannot disclose any residents' information—"

Korey drew the pepper-spray from her pocket. How it ended up there, she did not remember. She pointed the nozzle at the clerk. "Normally, I am a patient person. Blame your resident," she spit, "for my lack of manners."

"Miss, I'm going to have to call the police if you do not leave –"

"My friend is in danger. That man has done only God-knows-what to her," she growled, becoming dangerously calm. "It is your choice: tell me where he is, and I will be on my way."

"And if I don't?" he gulped.

There was nothing human about her grin. "Shame you even have to ask."

***

Sixth floor, fourth apartment on the left. Korey opted for the stairs in leu of the elevator. She did not have enough nerves left to withstand the forced-cheeriness of the elevator music.

The door was unlocked. Unease was too light a word for the feeling that shuddered through her as Korey stepped into the dark apartment. She had watched enough horror movies to know this would not end well.

The apartment was large, for Manhattan. A fully furnished living room complete with a brick fireplace complemented a semi-exposed kitchenette. A hallway led to two back bedrooms and a full bath. It was meticulously clean. It looked more like a showroom than a home.

Korey crept to the fireplace, picking up one of the iron pokers resting along its side. She began to wonder if confronting a potentially dangerous man on her own was the smartest idea. At least the police were on their way. Korey was certain the clerk had called them on her the moment she left.

Korey slunk to the first bedroom door, terribly conscious of her own harried breathing. Fire poker gripped tightly in one hand, she swung the door open. It was empty. The bed was not even slept in.

She prowled to the next door. This time, when she flung it open, Korey discovered the first room that showed any sign of life. The bed was mussed and clothes were thrown about the floor, one particular item catching her eye. Korey picked up the furry pink coat, raising it to her nose. It still smelled of her: vanilla, with a trace of amber. Just as she strolled to the bed to inspect a glittery, press-on nail half-hidden by the sheets, a thumping noise caught her ears.

Korey crept to the bedroom door and peered into the hallway. The bathroom door was hanging open. Just as she rounded the corner to the front room, the front door slammed shut. Korey was running again.

A figure ducked into the stairwell as Korey burst into the hall, trailing a long, dark coat. Something shivered in her memory, like de-ja-vu. Korey barreled down the stairs, taking them four at a time. A scent like burning wood filled her nose. The man burst into the lobby, with Korey just a second behind. They leapt over chairs and tables, dodging other residents as the chase heightened. Korey reached out her hand, anger fueling her more than adrenaline, close enough to grasp his charcoal trench coat...

Strong arms jerked Korey back, and before she knew what was happening, metal cuffs cut blisters into the sensitive skin of her wrists. Korey shouted against the officer, struggling to get away, but it was no use. She had no choice to watch as Sabrina's captor slipped out the front door, flashed her a sickening grin, and disappeared into busy streets. Her gut sank. 

Partly because the man was getting away. 

Partly because his smile confirmed her worst suspicions. 

Mostly because the man's eyes were completely white.