Façade

Chapter 32

Nolan had figured half of it out. Aiden had taken them. He'd bundled them into an SUV around the back of the hotel, and driven off into the distance, but where had he driven after that? "Ugh. Dead end" he was exasperated. He'd been down every avenue, in an effort to find one of the few people in the world he thought of as family, but, alas, his efforts had been thus far fruitless. The trackers in their phones were well and truly out, and nothing stood between them and near-certain death, at the hands of Aiden Mathis.

He pulled out his laptop, and absentmindedly looked up their location on google maps. He noticed a black SUV in the corner of the shot, up ahead of the google maps car. He clicked on it, and was brought forward, to its previous location. Once again, it was ahead of him. "My God. Maria?!" flustered, Garcia entered the room, "What? What's wrong?" "I've done it. I've figured out how to find them!" "How?" Nolan turned the laptop around to face her. "Occam's Razor. The simplest answer is usually the best one" "Wha-? Please explain!" Garcia replied, with a laugh. "Google maps. I've seen the car Aiden drove off with them in! Look!" She gasped in response, and Nolan resumed following the SUV via Google maps. He tracked his location to the Beckenreid ski resort, about an hour away from Zurich. "We're going for them. Now" he instructed. "The only flaw in your plan being" Garcia interjected "we don't know where inside the resort they are. You've only got a view from the street." "Well then," he said with a chuckle "let's go hunting."

As they pulled up into the driveway, they began to look all around, only having a really good look when they'd parked, and set out on foot.

The barrel of a gun is a frightening sight, and one with which Daniel was not unfamiliar. Only now, he was sure it was the end. Aiden's eyes were cold, unfeeling. Like a robot, whose primary function was to eradicate him. He could hear Emily behind him, sniffing, trying to hold back her tears. She rarely cried, so this only added to his certainty of death. The world slowed down as Aiden's finger tightened around the trigger. A click from the gun reassured him. He would live. "No more bullets. I need to go out and get more. While I'm gone, don't go anywhere!" Aiden said, with an evil grin, directed towards Daniel. Each footstep brought with it more and more relief to both Daniel and Emily. As he opened the door to once again reveal the icy-coldness of the snowy land that lay beyond it.

Nolan and Garcia trudged through two feet of snow, behind the lodge, to find a custodian's shed. A small wooden cabin, with a wooden front door, and two big windows on either side of it.

Emily figured he'd been gone at least 20 minutes, when she saw a black mass right outside the window, she followed it with her eyes, as it moved towards the door. She once again noticed a sandy brown mass, only it briefly sprang up, and looked through the window. It was Nolan's head, and what a welcome sight it was. "Daniel! Nolan's outside! He's here!" Emily shouted, making Daniel aware of his presence. "What? Really?!" Daniel answered.

Outside the door, Garcia was picking the lock. "So where did you learn how to do that?" Nolan asked. She laughed and responded "Well, when you grow up on the wrong side of the tracks..." The pair heard a click, and the door swung open. They stared inside, at the Emily, who stared right back at them. Like a deer in headlights, too shocked and happy to respond. Nolan rushed over, and cut their hands free, as Garcia closed the door and locked it again. Daniel rubbed his wrists, as he's been struggling so much, he'd begun to chafe. As Nolan began to free Emily, a familiar click was once again heard emanating from the door opposite Emily.
Aiden was back.

© Sarah Egan 2013 - 2014 This story is subject to copyright and may not be copied or reproduced without the express permission of the author.