The 0714 Files: File #1 Inferno (Remake 2)

Chapter 20

September 29th, 10:18 P.M

"I'm so sorry for your loss."

I'd heard those words enough times in a few short months after that night in October, that it was enough to last the rest of my life. And yet none of the people who'd say it could bring back Mom or Dad.

It was a car accident. That's what Chris and I were told the night we both got the call. They were driving back from a friend's wedding upstate and a drunk driver missed the stop sign. Snatching our parents from us in a matter of seconds.

Chris was still in the Air Force at the time. From that night onward he struggled to keep up with his duty in the military while picking up the duty as main caretaker when I had no choice but to move into an apartment with him on base in the city. With our grandparents gone on Mom and Dad's side, and them being only children themselves. There wasn't much choice on who to go to when they passed, it was to either Chris, or foster care.

Everyone has a rough patch in their life, the one that they look back on and can say with certainty. "That was the worst part of mine." Between 15 and 16 for me, was definitely it. The amount of times Chris would be checked on by C.P.S. in the first year of taking me on fully was enough to prove how willing they were to take me.

He managed though; he always does. I picked up a job myself to help out with bills and saving for college once I turned 16. I made good friends with the neighbors in our building and even started dating a boy. It didn't last long between us, but it was enough of a distraction from the heartache and stress of going through school with Chris hardly around.

But then... Chris managed to get himself kicked from the Air Force months from me turning 17. His stubborn and rash behavior ended up being the end of that career. On a limb he moved us all the way to Missouri to some city I'd never heard of at the time. His good friend from the military, Barry Burton, retired from the military himself finally. He'd written letters about moving there and the station was looking for people to form a new antiterrorism unit for the city. He offered to help him get a spot on the team. Individuals with military, or police work elsewhere were sought after. And even though he'd been kicked out, it was still good enough to get hired.

Once I hit 18 and graduated high school though... I came back to the city for college.

It wasn't like Chris at all to just not pick up the phone and answer me. Hell, he was the one that outright demanded we call once a week to check in on each other so he knew I was okay in school and with money. So, when he stopping answering, and Jill started taking the brunt of answering phone calls with vague excuses for why Chris isn't picking up along with reinforcing he's okay. Being suspicious is a bit of an understatement.

The roar of the motorcycle is the only thing I've heard since leaving N.Y.U. the other day. I've been sitting on this bike so long with barely any breaks to eat, sleep, or to go the bathroom my butt has gone numb. My back hurts too, and with this rain in late September weather I'm sure I'll be unlucky enough to catch a cold. Within minutes I was completely soaked and have been for the last hour. I've been shivering violently every few seconds, really glad now for bringing the leather jacket with me. It's probably the only article of clothing that isn't soaked at this point.

But I can't stop to dry off. Not until I'm close to the city.

I can tell from the landscape I'm getting close to the city now and smile with relief. I took this route since I know it best. There's hardly any traffic, and four miles out is a gas station. Perfect to grab a snack and make that call to Jen like she asked for. Maybe I'll refuel the bike too, it's starting to get low.

The neon lights of the Mizoil gas station can be seen from here. It'd been put up about a year ago, while visiting Chris on my first weekend at college I'd stopped here when I saw it for the first time. The price of the gas is surprisingly cheaper in the middle of nowhere than in some of the cities I drove through. That's good though, I only have about a hundred dollars on me now from when I had to pull a bunch from the bank on the way out of New York. It's what's left of my savings from waitressing over the summer. I'd saved just enough to get me here, but I doubt it's enough to get me back. If Chris is there, I'll have to ask him for help, if not...