Simpler Things

Part 24: Full Moon.

"Well, sure." Lee handed me a pen. I looked between the slim piece of paper, and looked at the map. To my surprise, the pen was red. I connected the lines, and the shape formed. The map looked exactly like the shape on the paper. I studied where the lines met in the middle, and looked back at the page. The centre has a large red dot, pressed roughly into the slip. He must have left it there on purpose. How did the forensics miss it?
"What is it? What'd you find?" Lee said, turning. My father stayed looking ahead at the road.
"I know where they are." I said in disbelief, and I swear I saw the corners of my father's mouth curl slightly up.

We started to drive in the opposite direction. The lines had connected over a small town outside of our town. Lee spoke roughly into his phone.
"West Borough, Armour Street. I'll give you more information when we see it."
My father drove determinedly, still not straying his eyes from the road.
For the first time in awhile, I felt... calm. Finally, we were on the verge of catching this guy. He'd be put behind bars. Serve the time he deserves for taking the lives of innocents, and threatening others.

When we drove down the unpopulated street, I realized why he chose it. There were about 6 houses on the street, each abandoned. The painted wood on each was peeling, the roofs all sagged. The only building that differed was the oldest looking. It was a large brown building, made from aged wood. The lawn was heavily over grown with tall thin trees lining the property. I looked out the window as we strolled by it. My father continued down the road catching my attention.
"You forgot to stop." I said.
"We don't want to grab attention if he really is inside. It's safer to park farther away." I felt stupid for not thinking of that explanation.
When we found a driveway to park, a couple minutes away, my father began to get out of the car. Lee stayed and grabbed the radio, identifying the building. I sat back in my seat, his words barely making there way through my thoughts. We were going to catch the guy. It didn't seem possible, or even real. Lee words finally processed, and I didn't believe what I heard.
"You're going in?" I asked. He looked back wearily.
"Back up is 7 minutes away. We'll be careful," he forced a smile and added, "stay here." As he got out of the car, his jacket slipped up, revealing a large hand gun. The thought slipped out o my mind as the door shut.
I sat back, but couldn't relax. I wanted to help. I did. I just couldn't let the feeling slide.
You've helped enough, I heard my fathers voice say. But it wasn't enough. It won't ever be enough unless I catch the guy. Unless I truly catch the guy.
I don't know why I didn't feel myself straighten. Or why I didn't hear the door close behind me. I didn't know what feeling over came me as I walked towards that house, but I knew I finally felt in control. A sense went over me, a mixture of relief and adrenaline. My footsteps quickened. I didn't know how far ahead my father was, but I planned on catching up. Even if he did get a head start, this is what I needed to do.

I was 30 meters away when they noticed, and they weren't happy. They didn't say anything, they just stopped in their tracks. Once I approached, my father frowned.
"What the hell are you doing?" He stressed each word more than the last.
"Helping. What's the chance he's even in there?" I said, using one of the pin points I thought up on my walk here.
"Go back to the car." My father said as he turned on his heel and started walking again, I followed. Lee squirmed and quickened his pace to catch up.
"I'm coming, I can tell yo-" I began to say, before my father stopped. He bent down to his ankle and lifted his pant leg, revealing a small gun.
"Why do you have a gun on your ankle?" I asked. He unholstered it and handed it to me.
"For moments like this. Has 8 bullets, pull this back, aim and fire. Don't lock your elbows and don't die. If anything happens, run. Okay?" I nodded, and we continued to walk.
We made it up to the house, Lee checked his watch and announced quietly,
"4 minutes to go."
Both my father and him took their own guns out, and loaded them with a click. We slowly began to move around the house. We moved to the back and noticed a basement door. My father looked through the small window, then quickly moved away. He reached out and twisted the knob. Locked. I looked around, searching for other routes into the building. Lee stood behind me pressed up against the wall, looking at the surroundings behind us. The small path we were on wasn't as over grown as the rest of the yard. My father looked concerned.
"What is it?" I asked barley audible. He hesitated before he answered.
"I see blood on the ground."
           My heart stopped. My thoughts flooded my brain, what if it was Megan's. I took a deep breathe and looked at the door. I needed to see if it was her. I noticed a small cut out near the ground. A dog door.
"I can fit through that." I whispered. My fathers eyebrows furrowed. He looked around, before speaking.
"Just go through and unlock the door. Quickly." He said.
            I slipped my gun into the waist of my pants and crawled through the entrance. I felt the cold concrete floor with my hands. I slowly got up, looking around the barley lit room, I turned to unlock the door when I heard footsteps. Loud thuds echoed through the room, becoming louder and louder. Fear struck me as hard as a punch, I quickly slid behind a cluttered shelf, 10 feet away. I held my breath as a large man entered the room. He walked across the floor and stopped before a crumbling wall. He brought a something lustrous out of his pocket. It glimmered in the small amount of light there was. I heard a small yelp, and mumble of a girl, followed by a shaking whisper.
"...please...don't..."
"You don't get to decide, Alyson does."
Sickness swam through my body, as a slight scream echoed through the hollow air.