Above the Ground

17- Build-A-Bear, Oh Where Did They Go

Daisy's Pov:

Creak, creak, creak. Whee-oo, whee-oo, whee-oo. I could invision the ambulance cars coming to get us after we fall through these ancient floors.

"This place isn't as creepy as before," I whispered.

"You think maybe it's because it's dark outside instead of day and we're alone instead of having backup outside? Because, you know, having Allie and Ben waiting to get help for us sounds way creepier."

I elbowed him in the side and he caved from the impact. "Just once could you stop being sarcastic?"

"Sure, if you took away my mouth."

I rolled my eyes in the dark. "So where would those papers be hiding?"

"Could be buried somewhere."

"Bruh, keep your voice down."

We continued walking slowly through the dark, through the door, through where no one's been before... in a long time. (Kinsley's 12, okay? I've seen that annoying movie a few too many times with her and Joe to not make a reference once in a while.) But we did actually walk through a doorway.

"Ow!"

I saw Joe's silhouetted figure crouch down suddenly.

"What?" I whispered.

"Walked into this desk." In the beam of moonlight coming through a broken wall his face lit up. Keeping eye contact with me as his jaw was still dropped, he opened the door to the desk. Slowly. Very slowly. Way too slow than was necessary.

My heart began to throb. Could the papers be in there?

The wood screeched against itself as the contents were revealed. Inside was a lot of dust rabbits.

That I thought the papers would actually be in there disgraced me. Luckily, nobody knew I thought that, so I was in clear.

"Ah, man," Joe said. He took another step and clearly didn't see the box in front of him, which rammed into the desk, causing an assortment of dusty objects to crash on the floor.

A voice spoke behind us. Even though it was quiet, I heard it clear as a bubbling brook, indicating it was merely a few yards behind us. "Hey, who's that?"

We both turned around to find our vision being distorted by a sack around our heads.

*time skip brought to you by Ellis. He has been going out with Grace for a while, and knows now he is in love. And now, back to our regularly scheduled program...*

Joe's Pov:

The hand on my back forced me up the stairs as I kicked and muffled a yell through the bag. I could hear Daisy doing the same somewhere nearby. They'd searched us and taken our phones and Daisy's pocket knife. The key from the music box I'd kept fell out when I bumped into that box, so hopefully they wouldn't get it.

Finally, I couldn't kick the stair in front of me, and we were on the top stair.

"Where do you want them?"

"Guest room."

That was the voice of the man in the diner. That was Mr. Old and Creepy Ronald McDonald Fugitive himself. I began to panic, thinking maybe he knew it was me specifically. Maybe he thinks we actually could incriminate him.

I was shoved an extra burst, landing on my knees. Ripping the bag from my head, I briefly saw the door in front of me close shut. A key clicked in the lock.

Daisy was beside me doing the same thing. Quick as lightning she sprang up and pounded on the door, screaming to let us out.

Slowly, the door unlocked. Before either of us could muscle out way out, though, a hand burst through the small, open crack and punched Daisy in the stomach. It shut immediately after and was locked again.