Intro:
I could feel the wind blowing right past me, not an overwhelming burst, but a soft breeze.. Still, it felt good being here, I need to be here, sooner I figure this out the better. I slowly approached the front steps, of what I could see of them anyway. It was dark. Very dark. It all started in June, but now it's the middle of January, i've been doing this for almost nine months. I'm not alone, though. I have my two best friends, they don't work together. I work with one at a time, makes things simpler. But tonight I work alone. So I took the first step up on those cracked, concrete stairs, just to watch it all crumble under me. I landed flatly on my back, but then hopped right back up just to feel a sharp pain flash right underneath my neck. "Crap." I mutter under my breath. I gingerly touched the back of my neck, deciding how bad it was. I don't think it's too bad. I could have sworn I was told this house was abandoned, but I just saw the top bedroom light flicker on and off. I couldn't run, I had to get proof. I reached into my backpack and pulled out my camera. I ran around the other side of the house, just to see a fresh cigarette had been thrown down. "Abandoned house? Psht, please." I say, sarcastically. I quickly took a picture of it. I heard a squeaking noise and quickly turned around to find what looked to be an eight or nine year old boy playing on a swing set. I quickly walked over to him. "Hey there." I smiled. "You shouldn't be here. Ms. McCormic doesn't like visitors. Neither does Anna or Henry." He said in a droned voice. "Oh, i'm sorry, I thought that this house was empty. And who is Ms. McCormic?" I asked. "Ms. McCormic is a lady." His voice still sounding droned. "And what about Anna and Henry?" I asked again. "Anna is a lady too. But she is younger than me. And she is blind. And Henry is me. I am Henry. But I am not blind, I am deaf." He frowned. "Well if you are deaf how can you hear me?" I asked. "I can't. Ms. McCormic is behind you signing to me what you are saying. I like Ms. McCormic." He grinned. Before I could turn around I felt a hand on my shoulder. "It's not nice to trespass." Cooed a heavy lady with stringy blond hair. "It's not nice to rape either." I spat. "Wha-" "Rape starts at the shoulder. Hands off." I interrupted. She tightened her grip on my shoulder. "Who on earth do you think you are talking to?" Her face twisted. "Some lady who needs to learn about this thing called 'mouth wash' I honestly think it'll help. That and if you didn't smoke 20 packs a day." I quickly spun out of her reach and ran for it. "Come back and see us!" She hollered after me angrily. "Of course! I'll bring the mouthwash!" I grinned as I ran about a mile to my parked car.
Chapter one:
I drove back to our hide out: about ten miles into the forest. Almost immediately the door swung open as I pulled up. It was Olli, one of my best friends. "Hey girl. Look, I know that you're sixteen now and can drive, but you can at least tell me you're leaving first." She put her hands in her hips. "Sorry. I went to that old abandoned house." I muttered. "What happened?" She asked. I told her everything, almost everything anyway. She was one of two of my partners in this whole messed up thing. It started here. Well not at the hide out. I mean in this town. We were at my house. We were outside, just sitting and talking, the sun had set just about an hour ago so it was dark outside. We discovered we were being watched. And since then, a lot of things have happened. It was an old lady watching us, and ever since we have been trying to find her and anyone she is working with. But so far we haven't had much luck. I walked around to the back porch and sat down on the swing and sat my backpack down. I quickly unzipped it and pulled out my equipment: a camera, a few plastic bags for evidence, disposable gloves, matches, rope, and a pocket knife. Just as I clicked on the camera I felt my phone vibrate. "Hello?" I answered. "Hey honey it's mom, where are you? It's 3 a.m." She scorned. "Oh... Sorry did I forget to tell you? I'm staying over at Olli's tonight. I should be back around lunch time tomorrow." I lied. "Oh okay, next time just tell me before you go, okay?" "Okay mom." I sighed. "Love you." She said. "You too." I hung up. "What was that about?" Olli asked, approaching from around the corner. "My mom. She wanted to know where I was, I told her your house." I grinned. "Well then, great minds think alike 'cuz my dad thinks I'm staying at yours." She smirked. We both laughed. "So how's it going with Blake?" I smirked at her. "He-uh... We broke up." She looked down at her feet. "What? Oh my gosh i'm so sorry... I had no idea. I thought you guys were pretty serious since you had been dating for two years now." My grin faded. "I thought so too... Apparently Taylor is better than me." She looked like she was about to cry. "Oh yea, she's way better at flashing him with the one thing she does have! I hate sluts," I wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug. "There's other guys out there that are way better than him." I smiled. "Thanks, Ash." She wiped her eyes. "I know what'll make you feel better." I grinned. "What's that?" She asked. "I think Ms. McCormic wants a visit." I laughed. Just then my phone rang again, I picked it up, assuming it was my mother. "What mom?" I said, agitated. "Where you expecting your mum? Oh dear, I'm afraid she isn't available right now. But maybes tomorrow." Said a creepy British sounding voice. "Tell me who you are and what you want and if it's reasonable... Maybe you won't wake up underwater for threatening me." I spat. "Oh Ashten. Patience is a virtue." Cooed the voice. "What makes you think I'm not practicing patience? I'm practicing it right now as we speak. It takes a whole lot of patience for me to not track this call, find you, cut your lips off and mount them on your great uncles wall. So, tell me what you want." I quivered. "Oh darling, I know much more about you than you think. I know that my lips would be a prize for you and all... Considering you've never had your first kiss.. But your mum's about to get hers... With a mouth full of dirt." "Are you threatening to burry her alive? I scoffed. "Now why would I ever do that? Ruins the fun of the chase!" They laughed. I took a deep breath, trying to pace myself and keep from passing out. This was all happening too fast... "I've asked you several times. What do you want?" I shouted. "Follow my rules to keep mum alive. First place I want you to go: West Avenue Parkway, near that old play set you used to go to when you were little.. Be there by sundown tomorrow or mum looses a hand.. Or her life." Then they hung up. "Olli.. I think we have a problem."
