Frenemies ✔

Chapter 25

I decided that I should start from the bottom and work my way to the top. The warehouse, like I had said before, is a huge building. I believe it used to be a factory at one point because all the loading docks were on the lower level, first floor. The other rooms on this floor were used to pack and take the supplies to the docks for shipping to stores. The upper level, which was the second floor, was mainly used for building and making the items that needed to be packed and shipped. Needless to say, the warehouse had many rooms and that meant Tori and Mom could've been hidden anywhere in those rooms.

I also knew that just thirty minutes wasn't gonna cut it for me. It wasn't enough time. But if I needed to find both of them and get them out of this chaos, alive, I needed to search quickly and thoroughly. I figured that I should start from the loading docks because they had a lot of hidden spaces and crannies that I could search in. I came up to a door that had a worn-out metal sign. It read: LOADING DOCKS. I gripped the brass doorknob, but it wouldn't turn. It was frozen from the cold. I tucked the flashlight underneath my arm and used both hands to twist it open. It eventually budged and the door opened. The dock was extremely dark until I shone my flashlight in there. To my relief, there wasn't much for me to search through. It was practically bare, with the exception of a few abandoned boxes, scattered here and there.

I shone the light around the walls to see if there were any light switches I could turn on. There was one by the metal door. It was a circular red button that glowed. With a free hand, I pressed it. One at a time, all the lights turned on. I also heard a loud humming noise somewhere. I assumed there was a generator outside. I turned off my flashlight and slipped it into the pockets of my jeans. I carefully stepped down the concrete stairs, my footsteps echoing throughout the room.

I walked towards the boxes and poked around. No sign of either of them.

"Mom?" I called. "Are you in here?" No response. "Tori? Tori, answer me. Are you here?" Nothing.

I looked around some more but soon gave up. I turned off the lights and continued searching. I checked a couple of other rooms across the loading dock. Still no sign of Mom or Tori. I was beginning to feel really frustrated.

How long have I been searching? I thought. Ten minutes? Fifteen?

No, it couldn't have been that long already, but I wasn't sure. I haven't been keeping track of the time. After checking several rooms on the lower level, I decided to check the upper level.

Maybe Mom and Tori are up there.

I sighed. "Don't get your hopes up, Ava," I muttered glumly. "They could be anywhere in here."

Once I reached the landing, I came up to another metal door with a tiny square window. I got on my tip-toes to peer inside. I couldn't see much. It was too dark. I grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. It creaked loudly as it opened. I shone the flashlight on the walls, trying to see if there was a light switch somewhere. No sign of one.

I walked inside. The room was actually pretty big and full of empty boxes, some of which were stacked on top of each other. The room had no windows, though. Or lights.

How the heck did people get around in here without a light? I thought as I pushed some of the boxes out of my way.

For some weird reason, this room felt so much colder than the rest of the warehouse. At least to me it did.

"Tori? Mom?" I whispered.

Nothing.

I sighed. I about to check some more rooms when I heard a sound behind me. A shuffle. I spun around and shone the flashlight where I heard the noise.