On The Verge

Chapter 20- The Warehouse

———————Chloe———————

⠀⠀The paramedics and the fire department arrived minutes later after receiving an urgent call from an elderly couple that lived next door. They immediately began soothing Kendall, Nia and Maddie's burns. Within minutes, Kendall and Nia had been cleared; their burns were not too serious and minor medical assistance was needed.

⠀⠀Maddie was a different story. She had a gruesome 2nd degree burn on her right hand. After different creams and ointments had been applied to the burn, a bandage was carefully wrapped around her hand. Soon, she too was free to go.

⠀⠀The house still burned away, sparks occasionally popping up into the cold evening air, but it was now a controlled fire and it wouldn't be long before it would be extinguished all together.

⠀⠀Now that my friends were safe, I knew I needed to get to Josh. The moon glowed in the distance and the fire glowed behind me as I snuck away from the demolished house.

⠀⠀I didn't want my friends to see me.

⠀⠀I didn't want them to try to stop me.

⠀⠀"Where are you going?" A voice asked me suddenly, causing me to jump in surprise. I whipped around and found myself face to face with Maddie, Nia and Kendall.

⠀⠀Just my luck.

⠀⠀"Home." I lied, knowing all too well my friends would not allow me to go to an unknown address to search for Josh.

⠀⠀Nia raised her eyebrows skeptically, clearly suspecting something. Frustration boiled inside of me, an incredible weight of all the emotions I had experienced these past few days— worry, fear, despair— suddenly crashed down on to me and it suddenly felt as if the weight of the world were pinning me down. I couldn't stop the sudden flow of tears that cascaded relentlessly down my cheeks.

⠀⠀"I need to save him." I stammered. turning back around, I fruitlessly tried to escape my circle of friends, wanting nothing more than to be left to my own devices to find Josh.

⠀⠀As I turned to flee, a small hand wrapped around my arm, holding me back. I exhaled miserably, yet another wave of frustration washing over me. I was wasting time— precious time that could cost Josh his life.

⠀⠀"We're not going to stop you." Kendall, the owner of the hand, said softly.

⠀⠀"We're going to help you." Maddie finished quietly.

⠀⠀A relieved smile spread across my lips as I pulled the note containing the address from my pocket. They scanned over the contents of the note, their mouths forming straight lines in worry as we devised the fastest route to our destination.

⠀⠀The address led us to a old, abandoned warehouse. The paint on the outside of the building— which once had been white— was now chipped and was peeling away in large strips. The grass outside the gloomy building was suitably brown and lifeless, it's entity in an overgrown and unkempt mess.

⠀⠀I anxiously swung the old door open, its worn hinges creaked and groaned before begrudgingly opening. Images of Josh's helpless face flashed through my mind, motivating me to continue and filling me with a sense of hurried panic as I stepped through the door.

⠀⠀The inside of the warehouse was deathly silent. Our four sets of footsteps echoed behind us as we made our way deeper into the old building. The warehouse was a series of small rooms interconnected to each other with narrow hallways. Most of these rooms were empty although dirt and dust was imminent on the concrete floors. The un-decorated walls sported no paint, just grey concrete that contributed to the dismal atmosphere.

⠀⠀I left the room and walked briskly to the next, the temperature seeming to rise with every passing second. Room after room after room we searched for Josh, but he was no where to be found. I wanted nothing more than to feel Josh's warm— and alive— hands upon my own.

(A/N: pleaseeee vote and comment!)