Immortal's End

Pain (25.)

[Oak.]

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S GONE???!!!" Lin's voice from my phone echoes in the stairwell backstage, where I sat with Darien. It's about 5am. I got up when I realized she wasn't still under my arm.

"I mean, she's not here. I only called you to see if she went with you this morning." I speak calmly, trying not to panic. "She wasn't here when I woke up."

"How did she get out?! How did you not notice she left!!!" I rub my forehead, Lin's yelling is a little grating.

"Lin, stop yelling. You'll wake your son, then Eva will be the least of your problems when V has to get Seb." I remind him, and he finally takes a breath. "Thank you."

"I checked the video feed and she walked out with someone around three am this morning." Darien speaks up, although he sounds nervous.

"I thought you were watching the feeds almost 24/7 if you weren't here, Darien." Lin points out, and that's when the guilt fills his face.

"I... I was busy..." He mutters. "I was out most of the night."

"DARIEN. What could have been more important-"

"It was a date! Okay!?" Darien interrupts Lin. I simply smile proudly.

"Ha... told you you'd find someone." I snicker slightly, patting his back. He blushes.

"Thank you, Sir Oak. I um... yea. It was fun. But I do apologize for leaving my post."

"Ok. So." Lin breathes again, I can practically hear him pacing. "Any traces?"

"She left her phone. All it had was a text that said 'empty. Come to the stage '. Her kimono was left on the stage. And I have a feeling I know who took her." I say.

"Diggs." Lin growls, muttering a few choice curses in his preferred language. "This is what we get for underestimating him... call the police. Send them to his house, see if he's stupid enough to take her home."

"On it." Darien takes out his phone, stepping away to make the call.

"He has to bring her back by early afternoon. He wouldn't kill her, he's too attached to her to kill her." Lin says, trying to find the hope here.

"I hope so. If he didn't take her home, all we can do it wait." I sigh. And we do.

Darien meet the police when they stop by, saying his sister is missing. Unfortunately, no prints but Eva's were on anything they would have touched. The video footage wasn't as helpful as we hoped. Still, they did say they'd stop by Diggs' place. A couple hours later, they came back, saying no one was home. No warrant was granted to search as there wasn't any probable cause. As afternoon starts to roll around, Lin comes over. He's significantly calmer than earlier, but when we fill him in on the police's report, the stress returns.

At 2:55pm, there's another knock at the stage door. It wasn't the police or the pizza we ordered. Instead, and this is the strange part, it's a pet crate covered in a blanket. A note with a key taped to it rested ontop of it.

I'll be back for my doll. Don't get too attached.

"LIN! DARIEN! Help me get this inside!" I call inside, moving around to lift one side of the blanket. Inside was my worst fear. Eva. My precious love. Bare and bruised, blood drying on her back, silver rings surrounding her wrists and ankles, a larger one around her neck. She was blindfolded, big headphones on her ears leading to a small mp3 player hooked to the top of the crate. I shake my head, lowering the blanket.