The Nightmare Of Life

Chapter-39: Missing

I wake up next to a sleeping Alicia. Sitting up in bed and rubbing my eyes I notice my phone has a few notifications on it. I check my phone. Just some stupid emails about stuff that I already know. Carefully without waking up Alicia I sneak out of bed and make my way towards the bathroom. I run my hands through my hair a few times until its where I want it to be. Carefully I sneak out of the bathroom and out of the bedroom. Emerald, Taylor, and Zyra are still asleep but of course Natasha is awake and of course she is making coffee. I make my way towards her, she smiles when she sees me. "Hey bud." She laughs. I grab a mug and set it down next to hers. "Wow, bud, I'm not sure I like that nickname." She grabs her mug and shrugs before walking away. I laugh and begin to pour my cup. "Finally have a day off I presume?" She sits down at the table and sighs. "Yes! Finally. You know I know this doctor shit is important, but damn. 6 days are killer." I finish making my coffee and sit next to her at the table. "Yeah, when was the last time you had a Saturday off?" I respond before taking a sip of my coffee. "Too long. How are you and Ali, no more stupid fights?" I give her genuine smile. "We are pretty good, she is talking to me now if something bothers her, we have just been focusing on Emerald, and the club. I think after you destroyed us a couple weeks ago, we needed to get our shit together, or you just might have killed us." We both chuckle at my comment. "I wouldn't go that far, I just wanted you guys to be okay." I smile and take another sip of my coffee. "Enough about me, what's your plan today?" She takes a huge sip. " Arissa and I are going to a museum together. She has never been to one, and I need to do something except sleep." We laugh as Emeralds door opens. Taylor walks out, and slowly closes the door behind her. She groggily makes her way towards the kitchen but doesn't seem to see us. "Good morning kiddo." I say. "Ah!" She jumps startled then looks at me. Natasha and I share a laugh as Taylor regains her composure. "That's not funny." She laughs. She hesitates for a moment before looking at me. "I just came out here for something to drink, is that okay?" she asks in a sweet sincere tone. "Of course you can, you don't need to ask, what's ours is yours, bit its to early for soda okay." Taylor gives me a stern nod and proceeds to grab  the jug of orange juice out of the fridge. She sets it on the counter and looks up at the cupboards, then she looks at me. "Climb." I laugh as she shakes her head. I stand up and grab her a cup[ and set it down in front of her. "Thank you!" She says as I go and sit back down. Natasha raises her brow at me. "What?" I laugh and take a sip of my coffee. "Since when did you become such a softie?" I give her a funny face when Taylor walks up to me, clearly wanting to ask a question. I look at her and give her a warm smile. "Taylor I don't know why you are so shy around us, do you need something kiddo?" She gives me a weak nod. "I was wondering if we were going to stay here for the weekend, and if so can you take Zy and me home so we can get some more stuff, also would it be okay if we went swimming sometime this weekend?" I look at her and smile. "So many questions, I don't have a problem with you spending the night, yes I can take you home to get some stuff, and yes you can go swimming. Maybe Natasha will take you." I look at Natasha who jokingly glares at me. "Okay, Thank you Jake!" Taylor responds in a cheerful tone before skipping back to Emeralds bedroom. "I like that one." Natasha pushes herself up and laughs. "Wow, pedophile much." I glare at her. "Oh hell no!" We both laugh as she washes her mug then puts it back in the cupboard. "Well, I am out. The museum opens at 10, and Arissa wants to get breakfast before hand." She goes to leave but I push myself up and face her. "Wow, no hug. I get it, I guess I am just not that important to you." She looks at me with a are you kidding me look on her face. "What a I your girlfriend?!" She laughs before we pull one another into a strong hug. I hold her tightly. "Dude, don't kill me!" She laughs as I hold the hug a little longer before letting her go. With one last wave she leaves and I make my way back towards my room. Alicia is still sound asleep and that's when an idea pops in my head. I sneak out of the room again and gently knock on Emeralds door. Taylor opens it and looks at me curiously. "Hey, are you the only one awake?" She holds the door open wider revealing Zyra and Taylor sound asleep. "Okay come out here, I an idea." She follows me, slowly closing the door behind her. "Okay, how quiet can you be?" She shrugs and looks at me curiously. "I used to sneak out and I never got caught so, why?" I go to the fridge and grab a can of whip cream. She seems to pick up on what I am thinking because a mischievous smile on her face. "Are we thinking hand or face?" She asks. I shrug and hand her the can. "You decide." She takes the can and skips to the room. I hold the door open and watch as she sneaks up to Zyra and quietly sprays some whip cream on her forehead, she then makes her way towards Emerald and quietly sprays some whip cream on her hand and some on her nose. She then slowly manages to leave the room without being noticed. Once I close the door she jumps up and down excited. "I've never done something like that before." I look at her and laugh. "Shh, we aren't done yet, we have one more person we need to prank." She gives me a stern nod then follows me to my room. Luckily Alicia and I decided to sleep in pjs today. I open the door quietly and hold it open for Taylor. She walks up to Alicia slowly then looks at me. I motion my spraying all around my face. She gets the hint and proceeds to spray the whip cream all over Alicia's face. Once she is done her face is completely covered. I hold the door open and Taylor quietly runs out. Once I manage to shut the door I hold my hand up and she jumps up, giving me a high five with a huge smile on her face. "Okay, now how do we wake them up?" She asks. "I've got an idea" She watches me carefully as I go to the spare closet and pull out a bullhorn. Her smile widens as she smiles. "Okay you open Emeralds door, and I will open mine." She gives me a stern nod then skips to the door and slowly opens it. Once both doors are open we both stand back in the middle on the dining room. "You ready?" I ask. She gives me a huge smile nodding. I nod then put the bullhorn to my lips. "ALRIGHT YOU BUMS, ITS TIME TO WAKE UP!" I hear Alicia scream as well as Zyra then complete silence. Taylor and I laugh as all three of them exit the rooms and glare at us. Taylor and I burst up laughing as suddenly Emerald and Zyra walk up to us and smear some whip cream on Taylors face and my shirt. Then Alicia walks up to me and pulls me into a kiss smearing all of her whip cream onto my face. They all laugh at us and Taylor and I share a look. "Well that plan backfired!" Taylor says with a huge smile. All of us share a laugh before we all go and get cleaned up. After I want to say 20ish minutes we all exit our rooms and make our way to the kitchen. "Alright. Taylor you're in charge. Would you like to go and get your stuff now, or eat breakfast?" I ask. Taylor looks at me shocked but smiles. "Well, we did have a huge dinner last night. I say lets go." Everyone seems to nod in agreement and before we know it we all pile into Alicia's car. The drive over to Serena's place is filled with laughter and really retarded jokes but the mood seems to shift when we pull into her driveway and see her car. Alicia puts the car in park then shuts it off. "Tay, she normally works on weekends right?" I ask in a concerned tone. "Yes, well every other Saturday. I thought she had this one off" Taylor responds. We all get out of the car and slowly walk up to the front door. I go to open it and its locked. "Here I have a spare key." Zyra says as she rushes up to me and hands me her key. "All of you stay here. I will be right back." I say in a stern tone. They all nod in agreement. I slowly unlock the door and slowly enter the house. "Serena!" I yell. Silence is what answers me. I walk deeper inside, closing the door behind me. I make my way to her bedroom which is wide open. It looks like the whole house hasn't been touched the whole night. I begin to get worried as I make my way back outside. I lock the door and look at everyone. "She's not here. but before we panic, why don't we try and call her." I say in a worried tone. "Babe, that might be a problem." Alicia says looking into the window of Serena's car. I walk over and open the car door to see Serena's phone, keys and wallet just sitting in the drivers seat. Everyone crowds around me and all I can think about is the stalker that she's been dealing with. I make sure to keep calm son I don't upset anyone. "Where is our mom?" Taylor cries. "Okay, don't panic. She very well could have been in a hurry to get to work and got picked up by a coworker, she could also be with Tiffany and felt she didn't need to bring her stuff. Before we panic, lets check all of the boxes off first okay." My words seem to strike as I notice Taylor calm down as Emerald and Zyra hold each of her hands. "Okay, I am going to call Tiffany." They all give me a stern nod before I walk a little far away from them and dial Tiffany's number. After a few rings "Jake! Its to early to come in on my day off man." She laughs. "Is Serena with you?" I respond in a stern tone. "No, why what's going on?!" She responds her tone completely changed. "Can you please come over to Serena's I will explain everything then." I respond trying not to get panicked. "Yes, of course. I will be there soon." With that she hangs up and I make my way towards the girls. "Bad news, She's not with Tiffany either." I pause and watch as the concern grows on everyone's faces. "Tiffany is on her way here now. Baby, I want you to take the girls home and wait for me there." Alicia gives me a stern nod but Taylor runs up to me with a tear streaming down her face. "No, I want to stay with you." Before I can say a word Emerald and Zyra grab her hands and try to help keep her calm. I get on Taylors level and look her in the eyes. "Look I know this isn't good right now, but there could be a chance that she is at work but I need you to go to my place, and most importantly I need you to try and be brave, and not just for you but your sister too. Can you do that?" She gives me a weak nod before wiping her eyes. "Okay now go get in the car, all of you." They all listen and make there way towards Alicia's car. Alicia stays back and gives me a concerned look. "I really hope this has nothing to do with that stalker." I give her a concerned look. "I hope. I will let you know. I love you." We share a quick kiss, then she gets in the car and drives off leaving me alone in Serenas driveway. The thoughts of her possibly being kidnapped consume me, I should have told her to stay with us for at least a couple days, all I can hope for is she is just at work. I exit my thoughts to go test out a theory. I get in her drivers seat, and begin to start her car, hoping that it won't start, but my heart sinks when the car rumbles to life. "Fuck!" I yell, as I frustratingly shut off the car and throw the keys in the passenger seat. None of this makes any sense, she wouldn't just leave. I hear a car pull into the driveway behind me. Shooting out of the car I see Tiffany getting out of hers and jogging towards me. "I came as fast as I could. Should we go check her work now?" She says in a worried tone. I can see the guilt in her eyes as I give her a stern nod. We both get in her car and she quickly speeds out of the driveway. "God, I should have hung out with her yesterday, she told me about her stalker and I just blew her off." Tiffany says with something different in her eyes, almost like unrelenting anger. "You can't think like that Tiff, we will find her. Right now we need to hold onto to hope that she is at work." She gives me a weak smile and a stern nod before speeding down the road. She speeds into the parking lot and forces the car to a stop, without turning the car off she jolts out of the drivers seat. I shut her car off and rush out after her. We both stumble into the lobby, where everyone looks up at us confused. "Is Serena here?" Tiffany asks in a panic. One of the girls stands up with a frown on her face. "No, she was supposed to be but she hasn't showed and she didn't call out, which isn't like her." Tiffany and I share a concerned look at one another. Tiffany goes to say something but I stop her. "I'm sure there has been some sort of mix-up. We should go." I say in a calm tone, while holding back every emotion in my heart. Reluctantly Tiffany follows me out of the store. Once we get to my car she faces me. "She's gone Jake, my Serena is gone. I... I" She begins to panic. I put both of my hands on her shoulders. "Tiffany look at me." She does as I ask, her eyes filled with hurt as they begin to water. I take a seep breath as a single tear falls down her cheek. "I know this hurts, I know that you are hurting and are worried, so am I, but right now we need to be strong. We will not find Serena if we lose our heads. Are you with me." Her eyes show something different. She takes a deep breath. "I'm with you, what do we do now?" She responds in a calm tone. I take my hands off her shoulders. "We go back to her house and look for signs that she was taken. When we find some, we go to the police. Are you with me?" She gives me a saddened nod before we both get in her car and speed off. We are pulling up to Serena's house when I notice something in the driveway. "Wait, stop here!" As she begins to stop the car I get out. "Jake!" she yells but I ignore her and walk up to what I see and that's a set of tire tracks near the beginning of the driveway. Tiffany jogs up to me. "Jake, what is it?" She asks, I don't respond and just point at the tire tracks. "Look at theses, based on how deep they are, whoever did this sped out of the driveway. You and I both know that Serena wouldn't drive like that. I hate to say it, but this proves that Serena was taken." The words hit me like a mac truck, I watch before my eyes Tiffany begins to crumble as she begins crying collapsing to the ground. Her sobs shoot daggers at my heart. I try to force the tears inside as I slowly begin to help Tiffany up. "Come on." I cry. I manage to pull her to her feet but she pulls me into a embrace, tightly wrapping her arms around my neck. I hold her tight as she sobs into my chest. "My Serena is gone Jake. I don't know what to do." She cries as she holds me tighter. After a long moment I push us apart and gaze into her eyes. The hurt and guilt in her eyes is haunting. "We need to go to the police, can you drive?" She shakes her head and hands me her keys. "No..." I snag them and we briskly walk back to her car. The whole drive to the police station is silent with Tiffany's sobs being the only thing I can hear. I park in front of the police station and quickly get out and look back at Tiffany. "If you want me to go in alone tell me now." She looks at me her eyes lost, its like Tiffany isn't with me anymore. Without saying a word she gets out of the car and we both walk inside together. An officer looks up with a sweet smile. "Someone was taken." Tiffany says before the cop could get a word out. The officer looks at us confused. "Why are you just standing there? Did you not hear me, someone was taken!" She says again this time her voice is raised. "Ma'am, I need you to calm down and tell me what happened?" The officer says in a calm tone. I watch as Tiffany shifts her whole personality. "Somebody was taken, what more is there to tell!" She says. I try to comfort her by putting my hand on her back but she just shrugs me off. "Ma'am--" the officer begins to speak but is interrupted. "Deputy Jones, I got this." Says a older, I would say mid 40's, white man, with a thick beard, light brown eyes, he has a bald head, his build is decent as you can tell he keeps himself in shape, and he is wearing a black suit with a black tie. He walks up to us calmly and gives Tiffany a reassuring look. "I am detective Eugene Porter, I understand that someone has been taken. I want to help the best I can but I am going to need you to calm down. I can't get any details if you are yelling. So ma'am I want you to please remain silent, while you sir explain what's going on." I watch as Tiffany folds her arms but doesn't say another word. Detective Porter gives me his full attention. "Okay, so our good friend Serena is missing, Her car is at her house with her phone and keys inside, we have tried her job thinking that she was just in a hurry but she's not there either. Finally there are some really strange tire marks in her driveway. It looked like someone dug a hole in the dirt by speeding out of there." I watch as his eyes widen with realization. He whips out his phone and begins to make a call. "This is Porter, he has struck again, we need all available units at--" he pauses and looks at us. Tiffany tells him the address and he says it in the phone before hanging up. "Detective, what is happening?" I ask as I begin to worry. He lets out a weary sigh. "I hate to say this but the signs are all there, your friend is missing and we know who took her." He responds in a saddened tone. Tiffany steps up to him. "Who?" He looks at her, "Over the past couple years there has been a string of missing persons, all women." He pauses almost like he doesn't want to continue. "None of those women returned, so we can assume that they are all... dead. We have been on this case the whole time but whoever is doing this is smart and knows how to stay hidden, I am so sorry but I'm afraid that your friend is in grave danger..." Tiffany and I share a look as I feel my heart break. This can't be happening. "What do we do now? I can't lose Serena." Tiffany cries...