Are We Out of The Woods Yet?

Part 19

Night fell and Liv hadn't come home. Aaron was sat hunched over on the sofa, finger and thumb pinching his nostrils as he stared at the floor. Chas helplessly watched him from the table. She'd tried to talk to him, persuade him it was alright, that she'd be back any minute. But even she was starting to doubt it.

Aaron sat numb to everything but his burning thoughts of self-hatred and self-blame at losing his little sister. All afternoon he'd only been thinking one thing. Where is she? It had brought on a throbbing migraine that lasted hours and was still present, it had caused him to scrape his fingers through his hair obsessively all the time and the over-thinking had been draining his energy, he'd only been running on twenty minutes sleep that day as it was. He'd picked up the phone tempted to call the Police too many times but Chas had told him to give it chance and he knew at the time, every time, that you were supposed to give it twenty-four hours before reporting someone missing. Missing. Liv was missing. Would she ever come home? What would he tell Sandra? Oh I'm sorry you want your daughter back? Yeah she's been kidnapped and you'll probably never see her again. A silent tear fell down Aaron's crimson cheek. He'd never see her again would he? She'd be dead and he would be to blame. She was only fourteen, if she was still alive she was probably so scared. He was about to break down when loud voices could be heard coming from the main area of the pub. Even though Diane was in the process of selling her half, she was, for now, still working behind the bar. You could hear her expressive tone of speech and know it was her anywhere. For the first time in an hour, Aaron lifted his head slightly to try and listen in to what was going on. "Come on love, are you coming? Maybe someone's brought Liv back?" At that Aaron stood up straight away, brushing past his Mum and rushing out and in to the pub area behind the bar. He searched frantically for Liv, he couldn't see her, any hope he had regained, faded once again. At some point Chas had arrived behind him and seen there was no Liv too. She'd put a comforting hand on Aaron's back, letting her hand slide off shortly after, as she knew he didn't like too much physical contact when he was upset, at least not from her anyway. Ashley and Laurel were stood behind the bar. Andy was also, surprisingly, with them. "What on earth is going on? We're about to close for the night." Chas took her place beside Diane behind the beer pumps.

"Oh Chas love, it sounds awful."

"What does?" Chas stared Diane down, more than desperate to be enlightened on the subject of the matter.

"It's Gabby, she hasn't come home." Laurel admitted tearfully.

"Lachlan is missing too. There was an attempt burglary up at Home Farm this afternoon. Both of 'em were in the house with Chrissie when it 'appened." Andy added quickly. Aaron's eyes widened. Chas straight away looked behind her to nod at Aaron as if to say 'I'm thinking the same thing as you are' She was in a way, but in the same way she wasn't because Aaron was tormenting himself for forgetting Liv had befriended Gabby whilst Chas was only having thoughts that this news was promising. "Chrissie was hit over the head with somethin' and left there. Lawrence found her on the floor in the office and she's been taken to the 'ospital. But the kids were nowhere to be seen. We think somebody's taken 'em." Andy continued. Laurel suddenly started sobbing.

"I'm so sorry." She apologised as all eyes focused on her.

"No love, it's ok, come on all of you, come round to the back." Chas was about to argue that it was too late in the day for this but she decided it would sound harsh so she let Diane begin to lead the pair through to the sitting room.

"Wait, Ashley." Aaron stopped Ashley on his way through the gap in the bar. "You haven't seen Liv today have you? Like, she might have been with Gabby maybeh?" Ashley thought about it for a second, searching his memory.