“Nate, what is it?” I heard Ryan’s panting become louder as he sprinted towards me. I stared down at those three numbers, what did they mean?! “Nate?” I felt him squat down on the ground beside me.
“444.” I said it in such a monotone voice that if you didn’t see me, you would’ve thought I was some recorded audio on the telephone. Why did these three numbers bother me so much? “What?” His hand came into view as he slowly took the picture from my hand. I heard him catch his breath as he saw the picture then he grew silent as he turned the picture over. I looked up at him and saw his brow furrow in frustration. Then, under his breath, he muttered, “What the hell does that mean?”
“Chris! Matt!” I yelled their names and felt it echo across the open field and in what felt like seconds, they stood by our huddle, droplets of water dripping off their forms and sparkling in the sunlight. I watched as Ryan passed the picture to Chris and watched as Chris’s face twisted in confusion when he discovered the numbers. I stood up and said finally, “We have to figure out what that means. It might lead us to my parents.” Chris nodded and without thinking, I snatched the picture out of his hands and stuffed it in my pocket, taking off towards the house.
“Nate! Natalie! Shit…” What could those numbers be? An apartment number? The beginning of a telephone number? I needed to find out! “Natalie!” I felt someone yank my arm towards them but I snatched it out of their grip and turned on them. Ryan stood towering over me, “Nate, we don’t know if it will lead you to your parents. It could mean anything!” I turned on him feeling a deep feeling come over me, a feeling that would drive me to find my parents. Whatever it took, I would find them.
I ripped my arm out of his grip and stormed out of the field towards the house ready to figure this out.
∞
“What are you talking about?! That makes no sense!” I rubbed my temples and they yelled about the strategy for the hundredth time. I fiddled with the pocket knife in my hand, opening it, closing it; staring at the reflection as though it would give me some clue for the best way to figure this out.
Chris stood up glaring at Matt screaming, “We don’t have time for fancy strategies anymore! We need to get in and get that journal because it might have something about those numbers!” I don’t what it was about these numbers but it gave us new hope, a new hope that just happened to be ripping us apart. The deafening sounds soon turned to silence as I lost focus on reality. I could fully see Matt throwing his hands about and Chris pointing fingers but it was like a silent movie.
I glanced over at Turk and Jake, whatever tension had left them at the field was now back and from the looks of it, worse. I felt myself glaring at Turk again as I remembered how he might possibly know what the hell was going on and why. I felt myself snap back in reality and noticed Chris and Matt on the verge of a fist fight.
“Turk.” All attention snapped towards me as I glared at Turk. His eyes met mine in a questioning stare and I continued. “What do you think we should do?” His eyebrows scrunched together as confusion crossed his face. Clearly, I’m still managing to surprise him. Jake was glaring at me and I felt anger start to bubble up inside me but I held it off and Ryan’s voice boomed. “Natalie, we don’t need input from them! They might be in our house but they are not a part of our gang! I don’t care what Chris says!”
I stood up walking over to Chris, still twiddling with the pocket knife in my hand. In my eyes, he seemed just a little too quiet and it was bugging the hell out of me. He knew more about the night my parents were taken and I had a gut feeling he had a strategy in mind. But suddenly, I had one too but I wouldn’t be revealing very soon. Turk glared at me through his blonde bangs and said through clenched teeth, “I’m not helping you. You people obviously don’t know how to run a gang if you let your captives provide input on a major decision.”
His bluntness almost made me laugh. From day one of them being here everything hasn’t been going well I will admit but we need answers now. “I’m only going to ask you one more time. My parents might be being tortured right now and I need to stop it. Now tell me something because I know you’re smart.” I leaned forward, getting in his face so the only thing he would be able to focus on would be me. “If you don’t then I might take your observations into consideration. Why let our captives roam free and become a part of thing gang? It makes no sense I agree.” He looked at me and I could the debate going on in his eyes but he came to one conclusion.
“Go to hell.” I smirked and leaned back. “Gladly.” I looked at Chris and Matt who stood closely watching my actions. “You heard him. He goes back downstairs and we tie him up.” Matt shook his head and Chris was seething with anger. “Natalie we are short on men! He needs to stay here.” I rolled my eyes probably risking a good beating and Ryan stiffened up saying in a low voice, “You’re pushing it Nate.”
“You need more men? Call enforcements. We all know we have friends who can help. We can get guys to come with us and get guys to watch this idiot while Jake comes with us. We can’t do this with just six people. This takes a lot more. Their gang is ten times the size of ours. We’ll be dead within ten minutes.” Chris’s stare hardened and even Matt resembled a rock. Chris looked at Matt and Ryan. “Tie him up. Now.” They both moved in an instant, lifting Turk up and hauling out of the room and back down in the basement.
Chris stood up and took a stance between Jake and I. “You’re right Nate. It’s time for us to start acting as your father would want us too. You and I will come up with a plan and I’ll be calling in some favors.” Ryan walked into the office and Chris while walking over to the phone. Before picking up the phone Chris ordered, “Ryan and Nate, tie Jake up as well but far away from Turk. Gag them too.” I nodded as we walked over to Jake who looked as if felt betrayed somehow. Welcome to the new gang.
I know it's short but I realized that no gang would really act like this sooooo....making some changes. I might even change character names not sure yet but here is the update! Enjoy
