CONCENTRATION

Chapter Four: Red Water

Abby, Jason, and I leave to drive around looking for Linda and Zach. Every fleeting moment I find my hands being clamped shut, sweaty, and hot. And thoughts of the worst going through my head.
I'm in the back seat, Jason in the passenger seat and Abby driving because she's one of my only friends I trust to drive.
I watch the window and there's a new building that looks rather frightening, and it's a death penalty station. With shower heads and metal clamps that look like they go around there feet. There was a line of kids who have refused to do as they were told. Or tattered clothing. Abby stops the car to see what's happening, Alice, a girl I once knew was standing under the shower head, feet clamped in to the cement. Screaming and hollering for help- then the water turned on. Red, and steaming. She wailed and shrieked now, everyone watched as her skin peeled off and burned, to just bones and melted flesh.
I suddenly felt sick and threw up in the car. Abby turned away from the window and Jason puts his head in his hand and sounds like he was about to hurl as well.
I remember something like this when I was as younger, I was skateboarding for the first time and friend from years ago shoved me to get the wheels started, and I couldn't stop. There was a parked car and the board went out from under me and skidded under the car, scraping the skin from my knee, leaving it bare and bloody with a scratch upon my bone. I can feel the pain in my knee through my own thought.
Abby gets back on the road and we go to get Linda.
-
We drive to the once a ghetto neighborhood to a shiny high class homes for higher class people.
I don't know why this is.
We drive around and find Linda DeHarara. That's Zach's last name. And Linda's first name. We had a feeling she'd be here, because there is no way we'd be so far apart. And we've looked everywhere and asked everyone in the mean time. I get out of the car- slamming my dress in the door, and opening it to remove the fabric, and closing it again. I ran up to the door pleading it'd be her; knocking over and over. Till she opened the door. She had jewels down to her stomach and diamond and pearl bracelets and earrings. Her hair was done up. "Oh! Hello, Crystal, Jason, and Abby."
I didn't stop just to chat, "We need your help."
"Crystal," shiny Linda said, "you don't look so well..."
"We saw someone melt!" I grab Linda's shoulders and shake. "We need to get out of this. We can't talk here!" I shove her inside, everyone followed in and closed the door.
"We need to get to the school, that's where everything started. I believe what ever is making this happen is in the school basement..." I'm crying now.
Linda laughed, "I'm enjoying this life of luxury." Her husband stepped out, and we all gasped. He gained weight. So much weight.
"I feed my husband, we live a good life. Money." Linda put her hand on her chin and smiled a smile I've never seen. She's lost it- this wasn't the Linda I knew. "Linda! Who knows where your sister is? Who knows what happened to our parents!"
She looked moved for a minute. I believe that she's hiding the way she feels through a disgusting life style because she wants to move on. Her and her sister were close. "We'll find your sister. Right now we need your help."
Linda nodded, unclipping hoops from her ears.
Abby stood up and put her hand on Linda's shoulder, "We will do anything we can. Don't you worry."
Zach slammed his hand on the counter, "Make me a pizza!"
Jason looked at the man with disgust, "Never- ever treat a woman like an object." We walked out of the building and moved into a van that was charging up. Amazing how the world takes an "alien invasion" to change how everything should be.
We make our way to my place. Linda is crying. Abby is pacing the floor, and Jason is reading the only books allowed in homes, a dictionary, and a rule book.
Axel had returned home and was greeted with my famous attack hugs. "I have a plan. I have everyone. Everyone."
Axel looked around and you can see from his face, even he was excited, "I trust you."