|. Short dark stories .|

See you there

[ Case 226 ]
[ Location: downtown New York ]
[ 4/17/2016 ]

Six year old Mackie Zem waved goodbye to her friends as she walked out of the school parking lot. "I'll see you soon!" She called with a grin, waving one last time to her friends as they stepped onto the school bus.

"Bye Mac!" Her friends sang jumping up onto the bus to go home. Normally Mac would get onto the bus with them, but today she decided she was going to walk instead. She didn't live far from the school, at most her apartment was a few blocks away.

The sky was clear and warm with not a cloud in the sky. A chilly breeze floated through the streets of New York, the traffic jams loud and angry as people got stuck in the traffic. Mac was used to this though, she had lived in this city her whole life.

Mac was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City with her older brother, James. Mac was small for her age with long hazel hair and chocolate eyes. She always seemed to be wearing a bright smile, and her laugh could light up an entire room. On this warm day, she wore a pastel purple cardigan over a light pink T-shirt with a sky blue skirt that fell to just above her knees. Mac wore knee length white socks and pastel pink Marie janes.

  The young girl was pretty confident with knowing the route back home as she had walked this way home many times with her family. Mac knew a few short cuts they had learned throughout the years, so she skipped along without a worry in the world.

Mac turned into a small alley between two shops. The alley was wrapped in shadows and trash littered the path. A rat scurried across the alley startling the young girl. As creepy as this alley was, Mac had taken this. Short cut many times so she didn't think twice about how it seemed darker than normal.

  She was almost all the way down the alley when she noticed that a tall chain link fence had been added at the end of the path.

Mac sighed and turned around, gripping her backpack straps tightly in her small hands. As she was about to start walking back, she felt something grab the handle on her backpack making her stay put. Mac tried to look over her shoulder at what had grabbed her bag, but she couldn't quite she what it was.

"Stop moving kid, it will only make this worse than it has to be." A deep, gravely voice murmured from in front of her. Mac whipped her head to look back in front of her where she saw two men standing in front of her. Both men were tall and wrapped in shadow making them look like part of the shadows themselves.

  "What's a cute little girl like you doing out here all alone? You know this is not a safe place for little girls like you." The man who had spoken before purred, putting his hand under her chin to make her look at him.

"Let me go!" Mac cried struggling against her captors hold.

"Aww cute, the little baby is trying to be brave." The man teased with a smug grin.

Mac whimpered as the man behind grabbed her hands tightly, yanking them behind her backpack. He then duck taped her hands together tightly. "Just do as we say and you will be just fine." The man hummed as he finished taping her hands together. "Keep silent and follow us to the car." The man in front of her growled tugging her forwards.

  The poor girl tried to run and scream for help, but the men held her in their bruising grip not letting her move away. When she tried to yell the men just taped her mouth shut, dragging her along as tears poured down her face.

" You're gonna be a fun one to play with won't ya kiddo." The man said with a smug smirk as he shoved her into the back seat of his old truck.
—

Dear Diary,
  My sister Mac never came home from school today. Mom and dad called the cops and they are out looking for Mac. Her friends said that she wanted to walk home from school today so she never got on the bus. I hope she is okay and the cops will bring her home all safe and sound tomorrow.
-James Zem. April 17 2014

Dear Diary,
  Mac still hasn't come home and the police are loosing hope on finding her. I hope she is okay. The cops think that she may have been kidnapped by one of the many gangs in this place. I hope she doesn't hate me and left cause of me. We got into a fight the morning before school and I told her that I hoped I would never see her again. I feel so bad and I wish I could go back in time and apologize and hold her again. I miss you little sis.
-James Zem. April 22 2014

Dear Diary,
  Mac has been pronounced dead and we had a funeral for her yesterday. Mom and dad have been sad and stressed lately and they have been getting into fights. Poor Mac was only six, she had her whole life ahead of her. I haven't told mom and dad about our fight but I think I should. I miss you Mac.
-James Zem. May 2 2014

Dear Diary,
  Mom and dad say it's all my fault Mac is gone. They said I should have been nicer and that I will go to hell for all I have said to her. They don't even talk to me anymore. All my friends left me because that say that I need time to heal, but all I want is to talk to someone. It's lonely all alone. Mom and dad broke up and neither want to keep me, the judge wants to send me to my grandparents but they don't want me either. I just want Mac back.
-James Zem. May 19 2014

Dear Diary,
I don't know how much longer I can continue on like this. Dad hit me until I bled yesterday and he always has weird  women around. I was sent to live with dad a few weeks ago and it has just been getting worse. I'm sorry Mac that I failed you as an older brother and I hope you are happy up in heaven. Mom and dad were right, it is my fault that Mac is gone and I don't deserve to stay where I can ruin others. I'm sorry Mac.
-James Zem. June 29 2014

Dear family and friends,
I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough. I deserved every mean word and painful hit that you all gave me. I hope you all have amazing lives without me to taint you all. I apologize to all of you that you had to deal with me and I apologize to Mac for not being there to protect her. Bye
-James Zem. July 2 2014

[ News reporter ] Ten year old James Zem was found hung by a jump rope earlier this morning. The body was found by the boys father, Mark Zem soon after he came home from work. The young boy was found with multiple old and new bruises all over his body. The boy's parents had recently filed for divorce after their six year old daughter Mackie Zem disappeared a few months ago. The boy's parent are currently under investigation for child abuse and the verdict on that should come out shortly. The day this boy hung himself was his missing little sister's birthday, so police wonder if the boy killed himself to be with his sister on her birthday. That is all the news for now, we will come back with updates shortly.

"I'll meet you on your birthday sis, you can count on that."