The Grabber

Underground Research

"I will be sure to let them know... I'm so sorry to hear that... thank you," Andrea's mother softly spoke into the pale rotary phone in the living room. A flop was felt in Andrea's stomach at the tone in her mother's voice. She didn't like the sound of it. As her mother entered the room and sat at the table for dinner, she grabbed her fork with shaking hands.
"Andrea, Michael," she said as she kept her eyes towards the table. The two looked up, worried for what they were about to hear. "Did either of you know of someone named Bruce Yamada?" The two glanced at each other. They both knew him. Very little, but they did.
"Yeah, we both do. A little. We see him riding his bike to and from school every day, why?" Their mother sighed as she sat her fork back down, not having made any intentions to eat what food was left on her plate.
"The police called, wondering if we knew about his whereabouts. They said that he was... abducted..."
"By... the Grabber?" Andrea asked softly. Michael nudged her leg with his foot as if to say "don't".
"I... they... oh god," she sighed as she stood to leave the table. Andrea and Michael watched as she went up the stairs. Their father sat his fork down as well and followed her with a "Not again," under his breath. When the two went upstairs and a closing door was heard, Michael turned to Andrea.
"You can't mention the Grabber, Dre. You know that." Michael returned to his plate, not seeming concerned for his parents. He seemed more focused on the loss of his friend.
"Sorry, I just..." Andrea played with the food on her plate. "I wish I knew what was going on in his head."
"Who's head?" Michael asked after a bite. Andrea sighed as she continued to space out in the direction of her plate. She could sense that her brother knew exactly what she was going to say, but she was going to say it anyway.
"The Grabber." A silence fell over the house as the name was mentioned. Andrea wondered if she was the only one who wanted to know more about him. She didn't want to stay in ignorance.
"Well, I think it's better that we don't know anything about what's in his mind," Michael spoke softly as he brought his empty plate to the sink. He cleaned up the rest of the table, seeing as Andrea had finished as well. She emptied her scraps into the garbage and helped fill the sink. "Considering he's a pedophile, serial killer, kidnapper. Maybe it's best to remain out of the know."
"Don't you want to know why he does this?" Andrea asked as she stood by the sink. Her brother ran the water and began to scrub the dishes with soap. "Why he decides to do the things he does? What makes him want to do such horrid things?" Michael scoffed.
"No, not really. He's just a fucking psycho. Someone who doesn't care about how anyone else feels. He just thinks it's fun and goes with it. Sadistic son of a bitch." Andrea returned the scoff as she leaned against the counter, looking out past the storm door. The street was dimly lit by the soft, orange glow of the street lamps. Such a warm view of the neighborhood. She loved the night time.
"I don't believe that," she retorted quietly.
"Really?" Her brother half chuckled as he paused his actions to look at Andrea. She glanced at him. "You don't think he's a psychopath for doing these godawful things?"
"I think," she stated. "He's a troubled man. Something must have made him this way. Villains are made, not born."
"Yeah, well," he shook his head as he returned to his work. "That doesn't give him an excuse."
"Maybe not, but I still think he deserves the chance to be listened to, just as anyone else does."

...

With the gentle breeze of the autumn air and the soft mutter of music, Andrea found herself in her own world. A world where she could never be hurt. A world where she felt safe. A world where she felt loved. A world where no one went missing. A world she wished was real. As she breathed the autumn air from her opened window, she jotted down the information she had received from James. She made sure to note everything in exact detail. From his outfit, to his voice, even his specific actions. She also made note of the van, which included a separate note of the van she had seen the other day, keeping them unrelated until it was confirmed to be the same van. She didn't want to make any mistakes with this, as it was very important to have everything right if she was going to figure this out herself. The last thing she wanted to do was frame someone else by mistake.
The soft glow of the street lamps was just enough to illuminate her notepad as she wrote. She was pulled out of thought as she heard a soft knock at her door. She quickly hid away her notepad under her pillow and paused her music. She looked up as she settled herself in bed, pretending she had just woken up.
"Dre?" A voice called softly. She sat up with a sigh of relief. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," she whispered back. Michael softly closed the door as he came to sit next to Andrea. Michael looked down as Andrea tilted her head. "You okay?" Michael didn't shift his gaze as he breathed slowly.
"I heard mom and dad talking earlier," he started. "They want to move to another state."
"What?" Andrea gasped. This was the last thing she expected to hear.
"They said it's too dangerous to stay here, but..." he shook his head. "I don't wanna leave... I like it here." Andrea glanced out the window, wishing she could speak. Perhaps she was too in shock for her voice to break through. They've lived here their whole lives. "It's just..." he continued softly. The autumn breeze being the only other sound in between his words. "With the Grabber out there, kidnapping more and more kids... so close together... they don't want any part of it. Bruce didn't live too far from us, you know." Andrea nodded softly. They used to walk home together when they were younger. She missed those days. She fiddled with her blankets as she tried to convince her voice to speak. "I just thought I would let you know... I don't know when they'll tell us."
"Or if we even can," Andrea spilled. Michael looked up for the first time. "You know we don't have enough money for that. We can barely afford what we have now."
"How do you know that?" Andrea sighed as she looked at the wall that connected her room to their parents'.
"The walls aren't soundproof," she said softly. Michael glanced at the wall before looking back down. Andrea glanced back to her brother. She moved to sit next to him, pausing just for a moment before slowly resting her head on his shoulder. "I wish everything was normal," she whispered. Michael didn't speak or move for a few seconds before nodding softly.
"Me too... but this is our normal for now." Just the sound of his words brought tears to Andrea's eyes. She didn't understand why. Perhaps it was because she knew that Michael didn't mean the kidnapping situation. He didn't mean the moving situation. He didn't even mean the poverty situation. She knew what he meant as they heard the door from downstairs open with a clumsy thud. Andrea closed her eyes tight as Michael grasped her hand. She could feel her brother's fear as she tried to hold onto her own silently. They prayed to every god they didn't believe in that this time wouldn't be as bad as the previous times. She buried her face in her older brother's neck. Michael didn't move a muscle. It was times like this that made Andrea wonder what it would be like to be taken away from this hell.
Even if it meant abduction.