The Mind Reader - A Sherlock Fanfic

The Long Road

Lestraude insisted that we drive in a police van. I've never been a big fan of being too obvious, but the greatest people never got their way. Casey was in the passengers seat, with Anderson at the wheel. I argued for a solid five minutes to kick him out of the van. Lestraude insisted. Idiot. Casey directed us to go deeper into the darker side of London. Busy, main roads became narrow alleys. Building became dirtier, and older. Not as many people walked on the sidewalks. Those who did, looked dirty. And high. Pedestrians stared at our van with narrowing eyes. They don't see many of us here. They don't like us here. This won't end well, but that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is seeing Amy, and figuring out what's happening. Just seeing her again, and telling her the things I should've told her long ago-

"Right!" Casey yelled.

Anderson suddenly turned a sharp right into an almost invisible alley. Those of us in the back of the van almost fell out of our seats. John, who was sitting on the side the gravity was pushing was smushed against the van wall. He looked like a wrinkled pancake for a split second. Anderson quickly regained control of the van. "Honestly, Anderson! Would it kill you to use the breaks on a turn like that?" I said through gritted teeth as I sat myself back up.

"I couldn't see the road, Sherlock!" he argued.

John, Lestraude, and I were all staring at the back of his head. I could tell that he could feel our gaze on the back of his neck, because he straightened up in his seat. "If you don't mind me asking," he's trying to change the subject. "Why are we even trusting someone who was working for Amy Winters, to take us too her? No offense" he said to Casey.

"None taken," Casey blatantly replied. "Just keep going straight. We're nearly there,"

The road seemed to never end. The building walls on either side looked like they were closing in. Air seemed to grow both thicker and thinner.  An opening in the buildings finally came into view. The van suddenly arrived to a fork in the road. Either side transformed into an old, quaint neighborhood. The houses each had a small front lawn, a little iron gate and fence around each property, and each house is built by typical dark brown bricks. However, the grass in the lawns are either dead or overgrown. The iron gates are rotted and covered in moss and ivy, and the bricks were moldy and cracked. The neighborhood looked abandoned. It was like a ghost town in the middle of a bustling city. Anderson slowed the van to an almost sluggish pace. The air in the van seemed to grow thinner. We all seemed to feel a child run down our spines. I have a bad feeling about this. Casey said to turn right. "It's the fourth house on the right," she said hesitantly.

I looked out the window as we passed each house. They all look like they have been abandoned for years. Windows were old and boarded up, and some front doors were even missing. The only forms of life we could see is the occasional person, scurrying along the sidewalk, or old druggies passed out under trees or in the middle of a dilapidated front lawn. The further we went down the street however, the more people appeared. Most of them had puffy jackets, and their posture practically screamed that they were carrying weapons. Some of them wandered around alone, others clumped together in small packs. As we passed, they all zoomed in on us. We were like rabbits in a wolf den.

The van started to slow down. We have arrived. Anderson parked on the side of the street opposite the house. It was bigger than the other houses, but it didn't look much different. Everyone was silent for a few minutes, none of us wanted to get out of the van. The longer we hesitated, the closer those on the streets came to us. "Lestraude, plan?" I quickly broke the silence.

"I was hoping you had one," He replied in a slight whisper.

"You're the one who insisted on dragging us here," Anderson poked at me.