Phantom of the Apartment

A Forced Hand

None of Jason's problems had magically disappeared by morning. If anything, they had multiplied. He had barely slept (which was hardly a surprise), so work seemed to drag on for years rather than hours. He hadn't run into Rebecca on his way out, thank god, but anxiety seemed to stir in his chest all day. The fact that he could hear the letter crunch in his pocket whenever he moved did not help the situation at all. He rehearsed how he'd explain the new information to the others. What will I say? 'Hey, guys, hate to bother you, but a letter I received years ago and never read has suddenly gained relevance. Wanna read it while I tell you all my secrets?' No. That wouldn't work. He'd just have to wait for an opportunity. It was hard to focus when your world was crashing down around you.

     Through some miracle, however, Jason managed to remember to pick up groceries on his walk home. Maybe I'll tell them over dinner, he considered. Then he paused, imagining the situation. Probably not. He sighed and watched his cloud of breath twist in the air. There was no good way out of the situation. For better or worse, the walk from the grocery store to his apartment was a long one.

When he pushed open his door, arms full of bags, he was greeted by a smiling Rebecca who was lounging across the couch. "Hey, is that the stuff for dinner?"

"Yeah," he said curtly, stomach twisting. He placed the bags on the counter. "Is Thomas home from school yet?"

"Nope," Rebecca said, laying aside her laptop and rising to shut the door. "I, for one, am all for having dinner without him if he takes too long." Jason gave a little smile and the two of them began unpacking the bags. "How was work?"

Jason shrugged. "Alright, I guess. Long." They continued for a moment.

"Not very talkative today, are you?"

"Just tired. I didn't get a lot of sleep." Rebecca frowned, but didn't protest. They finished unpacking, and Jason began preparing to cook. Rebecca, I have something to tell you. The words hovered on the edge of his lips, so close that he was terrified they might slip out against his will. The silence hung in the air, growing oppressive. Rebecca must have been equally uncomfortable, because she snapped her fingers and, somehow, music came through the speakers near the television. Festive and light, music for the celebration they had planned for that evening. She danced slightly as she helped him prepare, in the way that said hey, you should start dancing too. He didn't, but he smiled when she looked over at him. "You're ridiculous." She nodded and did a little turn, causing him to chuckle.

"Don't be boring. Dance!" She pulled him into the center of the kitchen. He shook his head, laughing as she tried to force him to move to the beat. He began to dance with her, rolling his eyes. He had to admit, it was fun. He was almost disappointed when his phone beeped loudly from the counter. He pulled away to check it. "Saved by the bell," Rebecca called over the music. He grinned at her and looked at his phone. New Message From Thomas it read. He sighed and opened it.

Jace. Big problem.

What? Is the bus stuck in traffic? We'll wait for you.

Murderer on the bus. Staring at me.

Jason's heart froze in his chest as he read the text. The upbeat music continued in the background in a horrible contrast.

Is it Oswald?

No, the other one. Of course it's Oswald!

Oh god. Get out of there!

Jace, we're on the same bus. Can't exactly get that far. I'll get off at the next stop.

Rebecca was at his side, looking concerned. She turned off the music. "Everything alright?"

"Thomas is in danger."

Thomas, are you ok? What's going on now?

Thomas?

"He isn't answering!" Jason exclaimed. Rebecca muttered some curses under her breath, snatching the phone and reading the conversation. There was silence for a few minutes.

Finally, a soft bing.

Off the bus. Call me.

Jason dialed the number as fast as he could and waited for three agonizing rings before Thomas picked up. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"As alright as I can be, given the situation. I just got off three stops early." Thomas paused. "Yeah, he got off the bus too. He's still following me."

"Where are you?"

"I'm not... I'm not sure." He gave a half nervous, half hysterical laugh. "Kinda lost, actually. I've never taken the bus here before."

"Give a rough estimate," Rebecca said, putting the phone on speaker.

"Uh... Oh! Sign says Kings Street."

"Alright," Jason said, taking deep breaths. "Alright. I know where that is."

"Well, let's go!"

"Jace, I... I gotta go. I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"Thomas don't you dare hang up the pho--" click. Jason hissed out a string of curses that made Rebecca raise an eyebrow.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Come on!" Rebecca raced to the door.

"Rebecca." She kept going. "Rebecca," he said sharply. She stopped. "It's half way across town. There's no way for us to get there in time to help." It felt like a knife twisting in his chest to say those words.

"So you're giving up and leaving Thomas to die? You're not even gonna try?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I never said that," he growled, pushing past her and out the door. He'd sooner die himself than do that. "It just won't be easy." Rebecca was beside him in an instant, half running as they made their way to the street. "Any idea as to how we'll make it?" Jason asked as they emerged, blinking in the harsh light. The cars whizzed by on the street, like a howling wall of death. Or something like that.

Rebecca hesitated, eyes scanning the world around her for a plan. Then she grinned. "Got one." She looked at him and the grin changed to a little frown. "You... you're not gonna like it, but it's the only way." He frowned and suspicion seeped into his mind, but he shoved it down.

"Whatever it takes," he said. Rebecca nodded curtly and raced down the street. He followed as fast as he could. She stopped abruptly, standing in front of a bright red car parked by the sidewalk. His stomach flipped. "That isn't ours," he pointed out, voice sounding desperate. "We don't have a key."

She raised an eyebrow and the doors flew violently open, causing a car on the street to swerve and honk. "It is now."

"This is stealing."

"It's parked illegally anyway."

"But--"

"What happened to whatever it takes, huh?" Jason set his jaw and clenched his fists, staring at the metal death machine as if it were an angry bull. He took a shaky breath.

"Alright," he whispered. He walked over and climbed in, trying to shut out an awful sensation of dread that seemed to flow through every fiber of his being. Rebecca ran around the other side and threw herself in, causing more cars to honk.

"Seatbelt," she said offhandedly as she strapped in. Jason pulled the strap over his chest, feeling like he was sealing his fate. Just breathe, he thought. Slow breath in, slow breath out, slow breath in, don't you dare think about the last time you were in a car, slow breath out. Easy. "Ready?" Rebecca asked, glancing over.

"Let's do this," he hissed though gritted teeth. Rebecca nodded and he heard the car hum to life. A wave of nausea washed over him.

Then, she slammed her foot down on the gas.