Sighted

Chapter 30: What Lies Ahead?

Gin

     Even though little light reaches the grungy alley, the lightening of the sky above lets me know that dawn is near. Owen shifts in his sleep behind my seated back, huddling deeper into his sweatshirt, the cardboard beneath us rustling slightly.

     This is our third morning since Dylan left, our search has had slow and frustrating progress. We searched nearby for hours, before accepting we needed to extend our search back to the city. From there Owen and I set out alone, stopping to check around every town along the way.

     There are too many at home that need protection for Mom or Grandma to accompany us. Alex stayed behind to continue on the antidote with Dad. Since we hadn't had time to bring a lot with us when we fled the city in the first place, our first stop was back at the apartment.

     A small part of me was hoping that we'd find Dylan there, but the apartment showed no evidence the boy had stopped by. I made Owen wait down the street while I snuck in and gathered up some supplies to last us for a few days, exiting the compromised location as swiftly as possible.

     We then met up with Officer Cordova, who'd already begun searching, along with a few trusted supernaturals on the force with him. We can't report Dylan's disappearance officially, in case word gets around to DemGen and we risk the halfling's safety. Unfortunately, at this point, no news is good news.

     Owen's wounds are healing well, and a lot of the swelling has gone down, leaving his body marked with large, ugly bruised patches. He can't keep up with me and I refuse to split up, so we've been searching for about six to eight hour intervals before stopping to rest for another four to six hours. We stopped sometime after one a.m. last night, when Owen looked to be on the verge of collapsing.

     Huddling down in a nearby alley was our simplest option. Our light layering of clothes was all that's needed as the weather nears summer. We've been traveling the city in a grid pattern, starting out as close to DemGen as we dared, assuming the halfling will be skulking around there. Owen and I have called up some of our sources but warned them to just notify us if they see or hear something and not to spread the word around.

      Soon, I'll have to rouse Owen and start moving again, but I'll let him rest until the sun is higher for his sake. We've been so focused on finding Dylan, that I've been using the current rest to consider everything the boy confessed to that day. I've been analyzing everything Dylan did and said while he stayed with us, hating myself for overlooking his pain.

     When I first met him, he was a drowned rat, standing up, and losing, to three supernaturals more powerful than him. What had he said to me? "I want to help you, chosen one." Ugh, I thought it was just youthful exuberance, the kind that comes without the experience of the reality of life. I didn't think it was an oath of fealty.

     I blame myself, I should have sent him to my parents weeks ago, but he seemed to handle everything so well and was working so hard. Now, he's grown attached to a demon freshly released from a cursed bracelet while trying to fight a large group with frightening resources. I don't know what would be worse for Dylan, to run into Bowden or DemGen first. I'm afraid that either would use the young halfling to get to me.

     Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my new phone. To avoid being traced, we'd ditched out old ones and had to get new, pre-paid ones. I only have a few contacts in this one, the first one being Alex's new number. I called him when we reached the city, but it was brief and lacked anything personal. I miss my doctor.

     Before I could consider it being too early, I hit the call button. After only a couple of rings the call was connected.

Gin?