Out of Darkness

Mayday

"We have an emergency," my voice caught, "I don't know what to do."
I was shaking, and had to consciously keep from screaming out my rage. I took a deep breath.
"Mr. B. I need you to get Doc here five minutes ago," a sob escaped me.
"Mr. Taylor, is Mr. Coleman injured?"
"No," I gasped, "Iwaspracticing," I took a breath that turned into another sob. I needed to get control.
"We are on our way, Luke. Now start at the beginning."
***
I knew Gabe was going to be pissed, but I bet the look on his face when I disappeared was priceless. I felt a little guilty for leaving him up there, but this room was strange. There was a bare mattress lying on the floor and a footlocker at the end...and that's it. The other room was obviously that of a teenage girl, with clothes strewn about, posters of bands tacked to the walls, and a dresser covered in magazines and cosmetics. This one doesn't look used at all. Something was definitely off.
    I swung into the room and landed silently on the balls of my feet. I tiptoed down the hallway, past the bathroom, and down the stairs. There was another bedroom down here, and there were heavy snores coming from both of its occupants. Everything was pretty bland. Beige carpet. White walls. No artwork except a knockoff grandfather clock, and even it somehow managed to be boring. I found the kitchen, and it was much the same. Generic appliances and empty counter tops. So impersonal. The clock chimed 1 am. I noticed a door next to the pantry, and decided to investigate further. After all, it was practice. I opened the door and entered what I thought must be the garage. It was big. I expected a couple of cars since there was one also parked in the driveway but I was wrong. Boxes. Floor to ceiling boxes, stacked in rows all across the 2 car space, with an open area down the middle creating an aisle. My eyebrows lifted. Perhaps Mr. and Mrs. beige weren't so boring after all. I started to explore, but stopped dead and let out a startled "what the-" when I heard a thump behind the next row. I began a hasty retreat, when I heard a light tapping. I focused on what I was hearing. It was Morse code. An S.O.S.  I hurried forward around the boxes, and stared. There was a metal crate, maybe 4' x 4' x 4', and the slowing mayday signal was coming from inside.
Someone was in there!
"Hello?" I asked as I approached.
::knock::
"I'm going to get you out of there. Can you hear me?"
::knock knock::
My feet were sticking to the floor as I examined the door, trying to find a way to open it. The lock had a keypad. Damn. I needed Victor.
"I am going to go and get some help," I whispered frantically,"can you hold on?"
There was a pause that had me holding my breath...
::knock::
I raced out of the side door straight to where I saw Gabe lounging. Now that I was under the moonlight, I saw what the shadowed garage concealed. My feet were covered in blood.
"There was so much blood, Mr. B. It looked like someone covered the floor in cherry pie filling! What do I do?"
I was back in Kota's garage, and the others were joining me. The phone was on speaker.
"Mr. Taylor, I want you back over there with Mr. Morgan immediately to work on getting that door open. Dr. Green and I will be there in less than ten minutes. Mr. Lee..."
"Yes, I'm here," Kota stepped closer, while Victor raced upstairs to grab his laptop and bag of equipment.
"I want you to call the police. I need you to report that you saw someone entering your neighbor's garage with what appeared to be a firearm."
Kota nodded along. It was a good plan. Mr. and Mrs. Psychopath next door wouldn't be able to stop the police from entering the garage with the report of a guy with a gun.
"The rest of you need to pack up and get over to Mr. Griffen's residence. I don't want you to be seen. Luke, you need to make the door look broken-in. Now MOVE!"
Everyone hurried with the flow of seven people so used to working around one another that it looked choreographed.
Just before I left, North grabbed me by the shoulder and turned me around.
"You need me to come with you?"
He was practically growling. The look on his face would have been funny if it weren't for the image of that metal box seared into my brain.
"No, I mean, yes, I mean-" I pulled my long blond hair back into a knot and sighed,"No. Follow the plan, brother. It's how things don't end up even more twisted than they are now."
North grunted, reached behind a can of paint beside him, and tossed me a tootsie roll. I was shocked! My health-nut brother was voluntarily giving me candy. He pulled me into a fierce hug, that frankly was frightening, coming from someone as buff as him.
"You scared the shit outta me when I saw your bloody footprints," he grumbled before heading down the street to Nathan's.