Second Chance

Mistakes

I pull up to the safe house. She's still out when I open the trunk. I gather her up and carry her inside. There's a mattress on the floor in a corner in the back room. It's covered in stains and there are places where the springs have forced their way through the mattress padding. I wouldn't normally lay any child on this mattress but there isn't anything better. After laying her down I turn and walk back to the front room.

There's a beat up old couch and a few crates with a piece of wood laying over them to make a table. Broken glass beer bottles are in the corner and beer cans litter the floor throughout the whole house. The windows are boarded up and there aren't any doors hanging in the door frames in the house. The cupboards in the kitchen are bare save for a few boxes of food that have no doubt gone stale long ago and a few cans that have missing labels to keep them company. There's running water at least. In the bathroom there's a whole where the toilet would go but at least the sinks intact. The tub looks like animals have been using it as a toilet, that or the homeless people who no doubt use the house to escape the weather.

I need to get things worked out. I wasn't planning on taking her. Well at least not today. It was supposed to be a simple follow up visit. I just couldn't let the opportunity pass us. The next one wouldn't happen until we made it and that was still a few months away.

I pull out my phone to make a few calls. The first is to my supervisor. He picks up after two rings.

"Wiesel speaking." His voice grates on my nerves. Even over the phone.

"Hello Sir. I'm calling to update you on the situation. The Remington child is still missing and local law enforcement has expressed their need for any available agents we can send."

"We sent a few out there already. I can see if we can spare anymore. Are you still at the scene?" He sounds annoyed. He always sounds annoyed but this is more than normal.

"No sir. I had something come up. I need a few days to take care of it. I'm calling to put in a leave of absence."

"That doesn't matter. I need you on scene. There needs to be a full on investigation into the Remingtons. The paperwork just went through and I want to make sure we cover our asses. We can't have families adopting kids just to have them go missing after it's final." He sounds pissed now.

"I understand how important this is sir, but I can't do that at this moment. I'll start the investigation as soon as I get back. Or you can assign it to another agent."

"If you don't get back to the scene right now and start this investigation I will fire you!"

With that he hangs up. I hate that he thinks he can issue ultimatums. I just need to wait a little while longer. Crap. This isn't going how I wanted. I need to make one more call before I can do anything else.

*BMR*

My head is spinning and all cloudy like I've been underwater too long. Sore muscles and stiff joints riddle my body. I try to open my eyelids but I can't. They feel like lead. I try sitting up but my head's too heavy. Everything feels weighted down.

It's deja vu. I felt the same way waking up in that hospital room over three months ago. I must have been drugged then with the same shit this dickhead used. I wait a few minutes and try to clear my head. I hear sounds coming from outside. Straining my ears I can barely make out what I'm hearing.

It's a car. Someone's here. The car door slams shut and I can make out that they're stomping their way to the door. The door slams open and close and then there's yelling.

"Why the hell did I need to come here?"

His voice sounds vaguely familiar. Maybe as if from a dream.