Absent Link

Chapter 9: Ride

Keith and Dylan had both dressed in lightweight clothes, expecting the weather to stay pleasant throughout the day, but as the hours passed, the sky had gradually turned grey and overcast, and a cold mist had begun to settle over the landscape. It was going to rain, and the two boys were happy to soon be inside a warm bus.

"It's almost here," Dylan muttered to Keith as he stood up from the sidewalk bench. "C'mon."

In anticipation of the nearing vehicle. Keith, who had miraculously fallen asleep, groaned and groggily pushed himself up from under the bus stop. As Dylan stood up from the bench, he crossed his arms against his chest, trying to protect himself from the chilly mist that seemed to seep into his bones. Dylan hadn't bothered asking Emon to turn off his sense of cold, as it wasn't too bad, but it definitely contrasted with the morning. He shivered and blew on his hands, trying to warm them up. Keith, meanwhile, was struggling to fully wake up as he stumbled to his feet. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

The bus stop was small and cramped, with a roof overhead to provide some shelter from the weather. It was surrounded by a few other buildings; their windows fogged up from the chill. The streets were bustling with activity, cars and trucks whizzing by as pedestrians strutted down the sidewalk.

In a few seconds, the bus came into view. It was an old, battered thing, with peeling paint and rust spots dotting the sides. As it pulled up to the bus stop, the doors swung open with a loud creak, and the boys rushed to climb aboard.

As soon as they stepped inside, they were greeted by a warm wave of unpleasant smells. The bus was cramped and stuffy, filled with the scent of sweat, old food, and gasoline. Keith wrinkled his nose in disgust and tried to hold his breath as he made his way down the aisle, searching for a seat. Dylan paid for the ride and followed closely behind him; his face contorted in disgust. The bus was packed with people, and it was a struggle to find a place to sit. If a seat wasn't taken, there was a good reason why. Despite this, Keith and Dylan eventually settled for a couple of seats near the back of the bus, but they were barely big enough for the two of them to squeeze into. They sat down, trying to make themselves as comfortable as possible as they settled in for the long ride.

Keith leaned back and looked over at Dylan, a look of concern on his face, "Do your parents know about this?"

Dylan squinted and frowned, "I told my mom I'm going out."

"For how long?"

"I'll be back by tonight."

Keith snorted, looking back to the chair in front of him, then he chuckled, soon breaking out in laughter.

"What?" Dylan wondered what was so amusing.

"You just a set a deadline of... what time is... eh, who cares. We only have a few hours to literally rescue a hostage from a huge company that probably has top-of-the-line security."

Dylan's voice lowered, "Amelia's probably not in immediate danger. Morris Oil might have rescued her from the kidnappers."

"A fair assumption, but pitifully hopeful. You told me the kidnappers were expecting someone from the 'Cast'."

Dylan thought for a second, then admitted, "I mean.... why would such a big company be involved with this stuff?"

"Big companies do a lot of weird things, Dylan."

"... Yeah, I guess so. So, the Cast has to be connected to Morris in some way." Dylan sighed. Most of this thinking would have been smart to do beforehand, but here they were, with no choice other than to follow through with their mission.

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Daylight was beginning to fade away, and cars slowly began trickling out of the parking lot in front of Morris Oil Processing Center. Dylan had tried to communicate with Amelia, but there wasn't much to say as Amelia did not know where she was inside the building, and Emon said it was easier to control Dylan's abilities without hanging on to a soul light. However, Amelia could tell them that she was in a restraint, apparently waiting for someone to arrive.