Dead?

Missing

“Where the hell did he go?” Max shouted in all directions. She was targeting her rage at the only person she knew – Katrina. The one person who was new to the duo, the person they some reason or another decided that they were going to help. The person she couldn’t fucking see no matter how hard she strained her eyes, focused her mind or tried to calm down.

“If you’re still in this apartment when I get back, for the love of all things holy answer me!” She shouted, storming out of the apartment, stomping down every step she possibly could without falling. Her phone buzzed, she ignored it, and it buzzed again when she hit the pavement in front of the house.  She shielded her eyes against the rays bouncing off the cars parked along the sidewalk. She started for her home when her phone once again buzzed – she finally grabbed hold of it to see Chastity had texted her several times.

With a heavy sigh, she checked the time – there was just one more bus heading toward Chastity’s house. She hurried along the sidewalk, walking around a few stray cats who hissed angrily at her for invading their home. With the  cars their honking and the words that came out of the men’s mouth as she walked away kept her occupied – she  wished she could wear her headphones safely but the influx of harassment as she came up to the bus stop, she wasn’t sure it was safe. She held out her cellphone, with 911 already up ready to be pressed just in case.

She settled next to an elderly white woman who had grocery bags nestled around her legs, and on her lap. Smelled of stale, ramen and cat piss, she placed ear buds on, playing her Mozart to help try to calm her nerves. The familiar Quicktrip with faded strip club sign from settled against the rusting gates. The building long since demolished, now just a busted cement lot. If not for that sign, she would be lost, as there was a Quicktrip every few blocks in this city.

The house was in an iffy area; her house was run down --- built in around the forties and hardly maintained. The lawn hadn’t been mowed for months but autumn was arriving soon so it would be dead anyway. The road was empty save the trash collected in the gutters. No car in the driveway, she approached the door, knocked gently before entering.  The radio blasted the mix music station, it coming from her bedroom, which was just a pocket next to the laundry room.

Maxine was greeted with only a smile –the frustration and anger of the day lost with every thrust and moan.   

***

Katrina unsure of when to tell Maxine that she had followed behind her, sat in the living room of the girls house.  Most of their activity was hidden under the bumping music vibrating through the house. Michael’s apartment was too quiet even for a maybe-ghost to sit alone in. She had run up to Maxine but unsure how to start a conversation with the girl as she had things in her ears with loud music playing through them.  When a partially dressed strange girl waltzed into the living room only to erupt into screams of terror – she knew she was had.

“Who the fuck? Maxine is this girl yours?”

“I came alone, Chastity.” Terror riddled Max’s voice as she looked over into the livingrom. She grabbed the broom.