BETHANY

5

In An Unknown Location

Beth sat with her back against the wall watching Terrin. The boy was unconscious. She was breathing evenly, her eyes shimmering with tears. Her fists clenched as she felt it in her throat and her vision blurred with the tears. She wanted to scream, yet couldn't bring herself to do it. She held her breath bending over, grabbing her stomach to hold it in. She couldn't breath. Warm tears rolled down her face, dropping onto the hard slabs of flooring. Her lips started to shake and the tears fell fast. Beth slid into a crouch, trying to suck it in and not make any noise, but it hurt too much. So she let out a cry, her hands coming up to cover her mouth, before she dissolved into a sobbing mess.

Loud, gulping sobs filled the air as she cried for all the things she had lost and all the things she didn't have in the first place. She cried for the loss of her family, for the loss of her innocence, for the loss of her childhood and for the loss of herself.

For the first time in ten years, Beth sobbed for her loss.

In an Unknown Location

Max glanced over to his brother-in-law Mark, worry clouding his eyes when none of the children exited the building after an hour. They knew before they let them in that it would be difficult to get Beth out, but they had told the boys, that if they couldn't get her out within an hour, to leave her there and they would get her in a while. Max nodded to his brother and the man slipped away to inform the rest of the police squad that they would be going in.

Several officers stormed the building, pulling open door, after door, after door. As they did half-naked girls screamed as they were dragged out into the corridor and men of all ages cursed and tried to cover themselves as best as they could; their eyes were wide as they stared at the police and understood they were in trouble.

They had no idea.

"Max."

The head of police didn't lower his gun as he turned round to face his brother-in-law. "Did you find them?" He asked anxiously.

"No," Mark shook his head, "not a sign of either Gray or Flint."

"And the boys? And Beth?"

He shook his head again.

Max gritted his teeth. "They must be here!" He growled. "Will and Terrin wouldn't have told us those things if they weren't sure. Chloe wouldn't have told us those things if she wasn't sure."

"We need to find Gray and Flint," replied Mark, nodding in agreement.

"I know, we need to-" he was cut off suddenly by a gunshot. "Mark, it's Gray!" He pointed his gun and Gray squealed like a pig as he dodged the bullets, using a tiny-looking woman as a shield, before disappearing around a corner. "Get him! Get that man!" Roared Max. Said man firing a few bullets from his own gun in return.

Police from all over the place turned to look at Max and towards the direction he was pointing in. A variety of bullets were shot and Max had to scream, "Stop him without killing him!" He needed to question him. He needed to find Flint and Will and Terrin and Beth.

Gray ran through the open door that led to the round room, with the tiny girl still stalking closely behind him and screaming every time a bullet flew close to her face.

"Stop him!" Cried Max, sprinting to reach them with Mark in tow.

'Bang!'

Felix's bullet hit Gray right in the knee and the girl at his back had just enough time to jump to her right to avoid his massive body falling on top of her.

"Take her Mark," ordered Max, as he kicked Gray's gun away from his hand. The man squealed again as his eyes lay on Max. "Where are they?" Snarled Max, pointing his gun at him. "Where. Are. They?"

"Wilson...I...I don't know what..."

"Don't you dare Gray," he snapped, pressing his gun into the side of his old classmates neck, "where are Flint and the children?"

Gray swallowed. "The children? I...I don't know what you're talking about..."

Max's gun dug into Gray's fat neck. "You have my daughter," he hissed, "and my nephew."

"Your daughter? That's who she was?" He asked, faking surprise. "I thought... I thought she was Flint's daughter..."

"Tell us where she is or I swear Gray, you will die in prison." He would die in prison either way, really, he just didn't need to know at that very moment.

He swallowed. "I... I didn't touch her," he said, "never... never harmed a hair on her head..."

The girl next to Mark snorted. "Yeah, right," she hissed.

"Shut up, bitch!" Snarled Gray.

"Where are they?" Snapped Max, gritting his teeth.

"She's in the playroom with Mister Flint and the tall boy," said the girl. "She's been punished for trying to run away with the two boys."

"Where's the other boy?"

"One of the cells," replied the girl.

Max nodded and stood up from the place where he was crouching next to Gray's lying body. He grasped the wrist of the girl, almost spasmodically and tugged her forward. "You take me to the playroom," he hissed, before turning to look at Gray again. "And you take Mark to the cells. Do you understand me?"

Gray nodded and whined.

Max pressed his lips together and looked at Mark, his brother-in-law nodding back in understanding as he pointed his own gun at Gray.

"Let's go," hissed Max, to the girl.