In the heart of darkness

45

  "Yes"
 
  "I rang the hotline, they were here. I didn't see into the back of the van but I recognised the woman. I can show you the direction they went in. I asked where they were going because they weren't from town and they said west but I don't know if that's true"
 
  "I already know I read your mind"
 
  His eyes widen as Carter turns and leaves the man speechless, mark nods at the man
 
  "Thank you"
 
  He had tears in his eyes, he was struggling big time. Ashley was like his safety blanket, he didn't just want her he needed her. We all needed them. The air around me suddenly got harder to breathe. Tears sting at my eyes as my heart contracts. My heart was breaking, to have lost all 3 of them is killing me. The guilt of having a wedding so big everything else got slack.
 
  Guilt that we made Carter and her wait so long. Guilt that I couldn't keep them safe. Scott squeezes my shoulder, his own thoughts mirror my own as tears run down his cheek. We climb into the back of the car and he pulls me into a hug. I needed it. We all did.
 
  Carter takes off in the direction the garage man told him to, he puts his foot down, the slow pace makes everything feel worse. We just wanted it to move along and find them.
 
  We drive the same road for hours and he only stops at a service station to make sure we were on the right road. The tension was thick as we tried and failed to stay calm. We jump out and when they see us coming they pull out a gun
 
  "We don't want any trouble fellas so why don't you turn around, get into your vehicle and go"
 
  Carter rolls his eyes and walks towards them
 
  "I'll shot you, I'm not afraid too"
 
  "I'd be afraid to shoot me, you miss and I guarantee that you will. not only will I gut you alive but I'll go to your home and gut your wife too because you're stopping me from getting to my wife. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem and right now you're a problem I'd rather not worry about."
 
  "You sick son of a bitch you think you're going to come here and threaten my wife? get of my property right now. Go-on get"
 
  Carter snorts and walks towards him and the stupid son of a bitch shot at him I shake my head
 
  "Aw damn you shouldn't have done that"
 
  The bullet melts on his skin so the man freaks out and starts shooting him over and over again, Carter looks like he's enjoying himself.
 
  Suddenly he clicks his fingers and the mist around his feet crawl up the man's legs. The people behind him take a step back. The man freezes as the darkness crawls up his body, wrapping around him and restricting his breathing.
 
  He gasps as the mist enters his body and suddenly Carter clicks his fingers and the body explodes. Ghost runs out and starts to eat the chunks as Carter walks through the small crowd and into the back of the shop.
 
  Everyone starts to freak out until Mark starts touching them, probably making them forget.
 
  "Go before someone else is stupid enough to piss him off"
 
  They nod not able to talk because of fear as they scurry off. Carter comes out with the security camera tape and he throws it to me.
 
  "We are on the right road"
 
  We get back in and we spend all damn day following the trail, it's late in the night and then we see it. The van on the side of the road surrounded by other cars. He brakes getting out. My heart thumps in my chest as I run after him. Hope swirls around in my belly, excitement building.
 
  "They are not there, I'm sorry I saw the van and I rang the hotline but they are not in it"
 
  Some small tearful woman tells Carter looking him directly in the eye. It was like she felt his pain and she wasn't afraid to be around him,
 
  "When did you find it?"
 
  "About an hour ago, it took me nearly 20 minutes to get the courage up to look inside"
 
  Carter turns and punches the van, a strangled sob tears out of his chest as we drop our heads in disappointment, our hearts breaking again.
 
  "18 years and I haven't spent even an hour away from her, I can't jaxon I just can't"
 
  Scott says as he falls to his ass on the ground holding his head in his hands. I drop beside him holding him. Hope leaves me as Carter crumbles. Falling to his ass as large black tears run down his cheek. A strangled sob leaving his throat.
 
  My Carter, the strongest, scariest mother fucker to ever walk this earth is in a pool of his own tears. The small woman with more balls than she has brains kneels in front of him.
 
  "I'm so sorry. I wish I could have been more helpful. I lost my Roy last year and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I live just down the road. Would you like some coffee or somewhere to regroup"
 
  Carter looks at her, the other humans around us gasping in shock as he wipes his tears
 
  "Why are you not afraid of me"
 
  She smiles
 
  "I'm not sure how old you are, or how fast you age but in all these years I've never even known of your existence and you never caused trouble until now. All your asking for is help to find your wife. And by the sounds of it she's a lot more important than any of us may realise. So it's not that I'm not afraid, it's that you are just doing what you need to do to get her back and I'm willing to help in any way I can"
 
  "If you wouldn't mind I could go for coffee and a chance to get away from the cameras"
 
  Arden snaps looking at the crowd
 
  "You know what fuck this, put the phones away or I break them"
 
  He tells them as the guards step forward they all immediately step back. He walks to Carter and goes to take his hand
 
  "Don't they will burn you"
 
  Arden frowns touching them and he yelps pulling back
 
  "Awch"
 
  "She's the only one that can touch me"
 
  He says it in a daze. The woman's chin wobbles and she grabs her mouth looking around at us sadly.
 
  "If that's the case come on, up you get, you lot need some food and a place to rest and regroup"
 
  I chuckle, she sounds like Lucy. Arden turns and puts his hand out to us and he drags us off the ground. Carter gets up dusting his ass off and he opens the van and climbs in.
 
  "I'll follow you in this, I want to make sure to look it over properly"
 
  The woman goes to climb into her car as we get into the jeeps. The crowd steps back still recording the scene. I roll my eyes but as Carter starts the van I gasp as I hear a tic
 
  "FUCK CARTERRR NOOOOOO—"
 
  The van combusts exploding into shit everyone screams and we jump out of the car again. The woman looks like she's about to pass out as she clutches her heart. I run towards the wreck as pieces of metal fall all over the place.
 
  "Carter you ok?"
 
  I call waving the smoke from my face
 
  "Is he ok! He just got blown up. How the hell is he ok!"
 
  One of the humans rant. I roll my eyes as the smoke clears Carter coughs and I can't help myself and I laugh when he's still sitting in the same position holding half a steering wheel in his hand. His clothes were still on fire as he looks at me and I snort and shake my head, Scott does the same at Carter's pissed off face as the crowd cheers and goes crazy
 
  "He's alive holy fuck he didn't blow up. Does anything kill him?"
 
  Someone shouts
 
  "Obviously fucking not"
 
  Carter growls standing up and patting his chest to extinguish the fire on his chest.
 
  "Well it looks like we lost our evidence"
 
  He dusts the dust off going to the car and he looks to the woman
 
  "Lead the way, and I'd advise any of you ass hats that are determined to follow me, I'm not in the fucking mood and I'll hear your thoughts from a mile away and you won't like what I fucking do"
 
  He jumps into the car and slams the door
 
  "I need a joint!"
 
  I hand him the bag and he lights it with his finger shaking his hair and filling the car with dust I squeak
 
  "Carter stop it! Stick your head out the window or something"
 
  He growls rolling down the window and he actually does it. If the loves of our lives hadn't been kidnapped this evening would have been quite entertaining.
 
  "It really would"
 
  Scott whispers next to me a smile playing on his lips, Carter pulls his head back in
 
  "Speak for yourselves"
 
  "Can you imagine how hard the 3 of them would have laughed, you'd probably still hear Ashley in Coby mountain"
 
  Mark's says sadly, wiping his face.