Feather Dark

Chapter 4

Noah

The moment I knocked, I knew there was something amiss. The door jolted open with my pounding, swinging wide to reveal the interior of Keira's apartment.

The wreckage of her little home lay silently in pieces. "No..." I heard Leigh say behind me, his voice overwhelmed with grief. His emotion aided no one at that point. I ignored him and switched to information gathering.

Like a crime scene detective, I surveyed the room, logging every detail. The couch lay fallen on its back, the cushions scattered. The glass door behind it was cracked almost to the point of shattering. The kitchen floor showed splatters of blood between the strewn utensils while a bread knife gleamed red to the hilt.

I walked slowly around the space, formulating my theory while Leigh rushed pointlessly between rooms, calling Keira's name. Eventually, he returned to my side. "She's not here," he said, redundantly. "What happened? Who did this?"

"There was at least two of them, maybe three," I informed him. I recreated the scene with my hands. "They tried to grab her at the door, but she ran. The couch was tipped, she fought them in the kitchen. I don't know who got cut, two people, maybe her, maybe two of them. One of them was thrown against this door - not Keira, the crack is too high. They got her, but she didn't make it easy." I smiled ruefully and shook my head in awe of her resilience.

"It's not her blood," said Leigh, crouching down to see the drying maroon stains.

"How do you know?" I asked, slightly peeved at Leigh's certainty.

I could see his nostrils flaring. "It doesn't smell like her."

Scoffing, I said, "How on earth could you know what Keira's blood smells like?"

"I know. I know everything about her." He stood and walked to the glass door, where Keira's slender hand print appeared on the glass. He placed his hand on top of the print before I could dissuade him for the sake of evidence. "I know how she likes her eggs, her favourite Stranger Things character, the way her hair looks in the morning and I know what she smells like."

Leigh did have a highly developed sense of smell and hearing. I believed him. "That's fortuitous, then. She's not mortally wounded from what we can deduce."

Turning to leave, I glanced briefly at Keira's bed in the far room. A familiar black bra hung from the doorknob and the sheets were rumpled. My face flamed. It was time to depart.

"Dude, where are you going?" Leigh called to my back. "We can't just leave!"

"We can't stay," I said. "We have to meet Pop and Keira isn't here. The Squadron are the only ones who can help us find her now."

Leigh grabbed my arm, his eyes full of tears and his mouth set in a thin line. "What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you even care? Keira's been kidnapped and you're acting like you're trying to solve an NCIS ep before Gibbs does! Aren't you worried at all?"

With his stricken words, I felt my fear swirl up from the bowels of my belly. Controlling it, I replied, "My feelings or yours won't help Keira now. Only logic and quick thinking will."

"You're such a robot," muttered Leigh, pushing past me and pulling his phone from his pocket. I heard him retreat down the corridor, dialling Pop.

With Leigh gone, I allowed myself a single moment of woe. "I will find you," I promised her empty apartment, then I closed the door gently and followed my brother.

So, the adventure begins!  Where is Keira?  What will happen next?  Will you vote?

See you soon,

xxoo Kate