You saved me Maddie

I can't lose you too.

I was washing my hands when I heard two gunshots and then some commotion downstairs. First I thought it was Chimney coming to pick Maddie up, but when a man's voice yelled downstairs I froze. It didn't sound like Chimneys chirpy tone at all.
"Maddie" the voice yelled.
I didn't hear her say anything. Just a whimper. Shortly after the door closed with a bang. I ran downstairs, Maddies bag and phone still on the living room table. With my heart beating in my ears, I looked out of a window on to the driveway. I could see a Maddie getting forced in to a blue car. Hands shaking I dialled 911.
Police cars and an ambulance showed up at the apartment. A black woman dressed in a police uniform came to talk to me.
"Hi" she said "I'm sergeant Athena Grant. What's your name?"
"Ellie" I said.
"Okay Ellie, I'm going to need to ask you some questions about who took Maddie"
I sat up straight.
"Yes of course"
Sergeant Grant asked me who took her, what he looked like and what happened. I told her what I knew, how he out her in a car and drove of, how she didn't fight, and what the car looked like. But suddenly Buck came in bursting through the front door.
"Where is Maddie" he yelled, his voice vibrating trough my chest.
His eyes fell on sergeant Grant.
"Athena" he asked her, pleading.
"I'm sorry Buck, we don't know who took her" she said.
Bucks eyes went from her to me.
"Get a few things, you're staying with me until Maddie's back".
I reacted immediately, going to get my clothes and my phone charger. As I packed a few shirts I heard sergeant Grant talking to Buck, giving him strict orders not to go and search after Maddie.
Everything after that felt like a blur. All of a sudden I was in Bucks car and then at the place he was staying. As I laid on another couch I could fall asleep. I tossed and turned for hours. After hours that felt like years, I looked at the time. 05:57. Buck came out from the bathroom. He had been in there for hours.
"Can't sleep?" He asked.
I shook my head.
"Get dressed then" he said.
"Where are we going" I asked him.
"To look for Maddie" Buck walked over to the front door.
I jumped up and followed him out the door, as he closed and locked it behind us.
"Let's go then kiddo" he ruffled my hair.
I think I fell asleep for a few minutes in the passenger seat of the car before I woke up by police sirens. Sergeant Grant walked up to the car.
"Get out" she said.
Buck sighed.
"Listen Athena"
She cut him of.
"You too" she said to me.
I did as she told me, grabbing my bag.
"Lock your car, and get in mine" she walked over and opened the passenger and the backseat door.
I walked over and sat in the backseat as Buck sat down in the front seat.
"Where are we going?" He asked.
"To look for your sister" she said.
"So we are not in any trouble sergeant?" I asked her.
"Please, call me Athena" she waved her hand "and no you are not in trouble".
Buck and Athena followed some leads and we found ourselves at a gas station, and even though I needed to stay in the car, I could still see a little bit of what was going on. I could see blood on the pavement and a window still open. Blood on the pavement. Blood spatter. I opened the car door.
"Whose blood is that?" I yelled so they would hear.
Buck came running.
"Blood?" He asked.
Athena yelled that I should stay in the car and Buck ran back to where he came from. She had found a body. The shopkeeper from the gas station. So we hoped that the blood I found wasn't hers, wasn't Maddies. All of a sudden we were on the road again. Somehow I fell asleep in the back of the cop car and when I woke up we had pulled up next to a car. A blue one. The one that he forced Maddie in to. Buck and Athena got out from the front of the car and I followed them.
"And where do you think you're going?" Athena sternly said.
"You can't leave me alone in your car" I said, putting my hands to my hips.
Athena sighed.
"I'll drive the car as far as it goes"
"Great!" I smiled, going back to the car and jumping in.
We drove up and stopped at a cabin. It was built in timber and had big windows. Buck was already there, searching through the cabin. I could only see him running around inside through a window when all of a sudden he ran out, looking at the ground. I heard some muffled screams before he ran out in to the forest. Athena ran back to the car, opening the front door.
"You, stay here" a stern tone in her voice.
"Yes ma'am" I saluted.
Athena shut the door and locked the car. I heard the clicking sound from all four car doors. Stuck, once again. I saw Athena say something into her radio before she ran of in the same direction as Buck had. And then I had to wait. Seconds that felt like minutes and minutes that felt like hours until I saw something at the edge of the forest. Two people walking. Buck and Maddie. As they got closer I saw an ambulance and two more police cars pulling up. When they got close enough I could see scrapes on Maddies face. Her black cardigan was darker in some spots and her hair was all rough, she had a limp, but she was there. Alive.
I decided not to get out of the car. She didn't need any more burdens. I didn't even notice Athena until she opened the car.
"Let's get you home" she said.
"Then you need to call my social worker" I told her.
"I'll just tell her you're staying with me for the night" she said dismissively.
"I am?" I asked her.
"Yeah, I've already texted May and she has already set up the guest room"
I sat back in my seat.
"Who's May?" Was the only thing I could ask.
"My daughter" Athena said, eyes on the road. "I'm guessing she's your age, she sounded really excited to meet you"
"To meet me?" I asked her.
"Yeah"
"Is Maddie okay?" I asked her "she looked quite rough"
"She will be" Athena said "but it's gonna take a while"