Visible Ghosts

27

Zane POV

The alleyway is empty when I reach it. Finding parking was a bitch, I had to circle back a few streets and only barely managed to squeeze into a spot.

"Sang?" I call out, stepping further into the alley; it's relatively clean. There's a putrid smell coming from the dumpster but I take shallow breaths to avoid it. "Buttercup, if you jump out and scare me I'm taking the dog and leaving you here." I threaten. Ducking down I check behind the dumpster and the trash bins and still can't find her.

Panic starts to bubble in my stomach but I push it down. Sang is capable. I honestly feel bad for whoever tries to mess with her. She'll make their life a living hell. But I can't help the worry that works its way into my thoughts.

As I'm walking to the end of the alley, a patch of red catches my attention. Bending down, I examine it and cautiously wipe a single finger through it. It's blood. Now the panic is back.

"It could have been from the injured dog." I mutter to myself trying to pace my racing heart. I'm no help if I can't focus. Maybe the dog was so hurt that Sang rushed out before I could get here. It won't hurt to call dad, maybe she went there. Dialing his number I wait for him to answer.

After a few rings I get sent to voicemail. "Could be in surgery." I reason, so I'll leave him a voicemail. "Hey dad, have you heard from Sang? She didn't update the calendar and wanted to know what she was doing before her shift started at the hospital. Give me a call later, bye." Nothing to incite any panic. Everything is okay.

Everything is okay as I jog back to the car and whip out of the parking spot without checking to see if any oncoming traffic was coming. The drive to the hospital passes in a blur, my body taking over in the mundane task. I've driven to the hospital so many times that my mind barely processes that I'm here.

With a deep breath I manage to walk calmly through the sliding glass doors, I check in with the nurse to see if they've seen Sang.

"Sorry Zane, haven't seen her yet. But she shouldn't be in for another hour or so." She tells me with an apologetic smile.

Nodding my head I continue down the hall towards dad's office. Janet is sitting at her desk and grins when she sees it's me.

"Hello dear, looking for Phil?" She asks me.

"Actually, no." I scratch the back of my head. "Have you seen Sang?"

Janet pauses in her typing and fully focuses on me. "No, I haven't. Is something wrong?"

"Nope." I say in what I hope is a reassuring voice. "Thought she'd come in early since she wasn't at home." I fib. I'm not panicking yet, now is not the time to lose it. "Dad inside?"

"He's actually in a meeting right now, he should be back in a few minutes." Janet tells me, then waves at hand at the door behind her. "Go ahead and wait. Want me to get some food?"

"That's much too kind, but I'm good. Thank you." My stomach revolts a little at the sound of food and I slip into the dark room and stand for a moment.

It could be anything, I tell myself. Maybe she grabbed a ride home with one of the guys from breakfast. Or she called an Uber and took the dog to the vet.

"I'm an idiot." I scold myself. Taking out my phone I dial her number. It doesn't even ring, just goes straight to voicemail. "Maybe it died." I tell myself, her tracking should still be on though. I open up the app Victor designed and check for Sang's pink bubble. It doesn't appear. I wait a few seconds thinking it hasn't loaded. Her last known location comes up as the alleyway.

"Zane, what are you doing in the dark?" Dad's voice startles me and I jump and whirl to face him.

"Uh, I'm uh." My brain has to restart itself to piece together a coherent sentence. "I was waiting for you." I finally manage. He flips on the lights and goes to sit behind his desk. I can't stomach the idea of sitting down so I pace a bit around the room. "Have you heard from Sang?" I immediately question.