Michael Afton x Reader (The Return/Stay By My Side 2)

Chapter 8: Nowhere to be Seen

Michael's POV:

"What?!"

"I took her and Chris to the diner this morning. But we lost her there. I told her and Chris to stick together, but they didn't, and then he couldn't find her so he told me and I-"

"Mom, slow down," I stopped her. "Tell me what happened from the beginning."

She took a shaky break. "I took her and Chris there this morning. I told her and Chris to stay together while I sat and talked with Henry," she began. "But after a little while, Chris came back to Henry and I and told us that he couldn't find her. They both parted ways and she was nowhere to be seen after that."

"Did he say where he last saw her before she went missing?"

"He said she was near Henry's office. He said there was something strange inside that Elizabeth was noticing, but he told me it gave him a 'weird feeling' or something. But she was persistent and wanted to see it, so she just left."

"Dammit, Chris! Why wouldn't you stop her?" I thought angrily. But I retained my anger. He didn't know what it was. It wasn't his fault.

"Wait... you're working there now, right?" asked mom.

"Yeah, why?"

"At night is when things get weirdest around the pizzerias," she said. "Have you noticed anything strange while working?"

I couldn't tell her about the incident I had last night. If I did, either one of two things would happen. She would either end up being completely panicked and try to show up herself and try to fix things. Or, she would take the chance to go find the animatronic I saw there last night. I knew how much she loved William, and still probably did; so why would she turn down a chance to see him again like this?

"No, things have been completely normal," I lied. "I haven't noticed anything suspicious."

"What if something happened to her, Michael?!" Mom went on. "What if we can't get her back this time?"

"Mom, we got her back after losing her once," I reassured her. "We can get her back again."

"Not us," mom said.

"Huh?"

"You and y/n. You're the ones that got her back last time," she reminded me. "I'll be more than happy to help find her again, but that's what I've been doing all this time. I'll keep doing my part, Michael. But I think that the only way we can really get her back is through you and y/n."

Y/n's POV:

"Gosh, I'm so glad I get lunch breaks," I thought to myself as I grabbed my sandwich from the fridge in the breakroom. "Work can be such a pain."

I sat down on my favorite couch in the corner of the room and began eating. Most of my friends in the workplace would choose not to have their lunch breaks until a bit later on, so I normally would chill out by myself at this time of the day.

I used to find it boring, but over time I started to enjoy it more. And besides, anything was better than sitting in that desk of mine for hours on end. It was nice to have some peace and quiet, even if it weren't for very long.

I was halfway finished eating and my mind was floating around when my phone started ringing. I took it out of my pocket and saw that Michael was calling. I answered it.

"Hey babe, what's up?"

"Y/n!" he exclaimed. "Are you busy right now?"

"Well, I'm at work, so kind of. But not necessarily right now, since I'm on my break. So I can talk for a bit."

"Listen, you know I wouldn't ever call you in the middle of work to tell you to leave, but I need you to come home."

"Why? Is everything alright?"

"Not exactly..."

"What's going on, Michael?"

"It's Elizabeth. She went missing earlier this morning."

"Missing?"

"Yeah. I was on the phone with my mom a few minutes ago. She took Eli and Chris to the diner this morning, but she went missing," explained Michael. "You know I'd never interrupt you during work, but it's just that... we got her back once... and I think we can do it again. But I can't do it alone. I need you."

"I'll gladly help you, Michael. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"Thanks, y/n."

I hung up and threw the remaining bit of my sandwich in the trash. I went to my boss' office and let her know about the situation before leaving and making my way home.

Once I made my way back home, Michael was there on the couch waiting for me. He looked super stressed. I took a seat next to him.

"Any updates from your mom?"

He rested his chin on the palm of his hand and shook his head. "No."

"Did your mom tell you any more specific details on what happened?"

"Not really. She told me that Chris and Eli were together, but they split up when Eli was checking out something that Chris wasn't so interested in. They couldn't find each other after that."

I could tell by the look on his face that there was something else he wasn't telling me.

"Did she say what that 'something' was?"

Michael sighed. "No..."

I didn't say anything after that. I didn't know what to say.

"What do you think happened?" he asked.

"I don't know. I mean, you've spent more time there than me," I told him. "What do you think happened?"

Michael stared forward, deep in thought. He looked like he had an answer but didn't want to share it for some reason. Then he buried his face in his hands.

"I don't know," he admitted, his voice filled with guilt and agony.

I pulled him in for a hug. "We'll find her, Michael," I assured him. "We did it once. We can do it again."

"You think so?"

I gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I know so. Elizabeth is like a sister to me. And you're an amazing big brother to her. I know we can do it."

He sighed, wrapping an arm around me and rested his head on top of mine.

"Thank you, y/n."

"What about tonight?" I asked.

"Tonight?"

"Yeah. You have work tonight. Maybe you could use that as a chance to look for her," I suggested. "I mean... I get that you might still have stuff to do. But if you have any extra time, you could use that as a chance to look for Elizabeth?"

"Yeah... I guess I could try that," he said. He sounded a bit hopeful, but still reticent.

"And I'll do my part too, okay? I'll look around and do my best to find her."

"Thank you, y/n."

"You're welcome. I'm more than happy to help," I told him. "And just trust me. I think that if you decide to look for her at work, you might be able to find some clues."