Alone?

Chapter 4

There is a sharp tug on the other end of the string and the wire begins sliding from my grasp. It is almost as if someone is pulling it.

"What the hell?!" I exclaim. The wire continues to be pulled and I scramble to get a firm grasp on it.

After struggling for a while I finally think to use the clasp on my belt to hold it. I wrap the wire around my left hand and quickly tie it to the clasp on my belt.

The wire continues to be pulled but is now stuck in place. There is much tension, but it doesn't seem likely to break.

Now that my hands are free, I grab my backpack and dig out my phone. I send a quick text to Logan updating him on my current predicament.

"Found freaky bones and am now playing tug-of-war with something. Wish me luck" I say out loud as I type.

Moments after I hit send he responds. "I'll be betting on you. Keep me updated, babe." Ugh.

I'm sure he was waiting for an update. This thought of course makes me picture him hunched over his phone, staring at it intently hoping that my number pops up. I chuckle at how desperate he seems.

Really, he's not desperate enough to be tied down just to me. He'll hit on any girl that he finds attractive. And because he's him, they immediately respond with heated flirting and sometimes extremely suggestive comments.

Of course he just helps it build from there and on those nights I have to block out the squeals that come from his side of our shared wall.

I swear I'm the only person I know that has any self control. Why can't they learn to keep it in their pants? I ask myself.

I've known Logan for over eight years and I don't think I've ever seen him as anything other than a ladies' man. And that both disgusts me and amazes me.

I mean, I see the constant stream of girls. We live in the same apartment complex so the walks of shame are kind of hard to miss. It's awful and gross that he sleeps with all those women and then never speaks to them again but it is also slightly mad.

He's developed this routine and that shocks me. How could anyone want their life to be like that? Is the highlight of his day making some poor girl fall in love with him? What would have happened if I gave into my urges that first time we met?

A buzz in my hand jolts me back into reality. I look down at my phone and see another text from Logan.

"Two hrs until Macy gets here. Investigate that wire and then get out of there. We'll come back if needed." The text reads.

I type back a quick response and then consider where the hell my mind wandered during my little "time-out".

Do I really pay that much attention to Logan's schedule? Why do I watch for the girls that leave his apartment? Ugh I can't afford to be thinking about this now.

I'll think about all of this stuff later. Right now, I've got a wire to follow.

I know that if I untie the wire from the clasp on my belt then it will continue to be pulled through the vents. But stopping this and still being able to follow the wire shouldn't be a problem.

I first verify that the tension isn't in danger of breaking the wire. Luckily, it seems to be able to withstand even more tension. Actually, now that I look at it, the wire seems to have relaxed a bit.

Moving slowly, I kneel onto and then slowly dismount from the gurney. This movement makes the wire taut again but it stays strong.

Then, after getting a firm grip on the wire with my left hand, I use my right to untie it from my belt. From now on I have to move quickly.

Whoever is on the other end of this wire must have noticed the change that occurred when I untied it. And once they know that I'm holding it again, it's only a matter of time until they begin to pull.

I swiftly kneel down to the legs of the gurney and begin knotting the wire tightly. This will keep the tension but allow me to go explore.

Once the wire is secured, I take a step back. Looking at the wire now, I see that every few seconds it relaxes slightly and then immediately tightens again.

They're pulling. I think to myself. I better start moving. That knot won't hold forever.