528

chapter two

After calming myself down, I grabbed the backpack and walked outside. The cashier was staring at me. He could probably tell I was crying by the redness of my cheeks and the swelling of my eyes. I walked over to him and put my items on the counter.

"Doritos and a twix. That it?" he asked.

"Yep," I nodded.

"Ok, that'll be $5.50."

I put ten dollars on the counter and told him to keep the change. I walked out of the store with my head down low trying not to be seen. I unlocked my bike, got on, and began to make my way to the storage room on Route 331.

Somewhere along the way, I got a bit lost; but eventually, I found the storage room that I was supposed to go to. I grabbed my backpack and didn't even bother to lock my bike. I just wanted to get this over with. The storage room on the far right. I spotted the one that I was supposed to meet this person at. It was only starting to get dark now. I pulled out my phone from my back pocket and checked the time. 6:30. Bernard is going to kill me. I'm gonna be the one that ends up in the next locker. The thoughts left my head as I knocked on the door of the storage room to the far right. Nobody answered, but the door was unlocked. Slowly, I turned the handle and pushed it open.

"Hello?" I asked as I stepped inside.

"Anybody the--"

I didn't finish my sentence. I was dragged inside and I felt my backpack being removed from my shoulders. I jabbed my elbow into the person's rib cage and they fell backwards groaning. That was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. I looked down to see who it was and almost collapsed from the sight.

"Jeremy?" I asked appalled.

"The one and only," he gasped clutching his ribs to stop it from hurting.

I reached out my hand to pull him up when three other shadows walked out from the dark. I jumped back, surprised and almost dropped Jeremy.

"Who are you guys and how do you know who I am?"

"Are you 528?" the guy with lazy, brunette hair asked me. He looked very familiar.

"I said, how do you know me?" I demanded.

"Um, someone named 511," he responded frightened.

511. I haven't heard that number in years. Five years to be exact. It's been that long since I left the compound. Five years since I saw my family. Or what's left of it.

"Where is he?" I asked, trying to keep myself calm.

The last time he reached out to me was when he tried to force me to go back to the compound with him. I managed to escape, but the chaos left a scar on my left thigh that continues to remind me of what happened that night. He didn't try again after that. Why now? Was this another trap?

"H-he's gone, but he left a m-message for you," the girl stuttered.

The girl. She looked so familiar. She had the scent of cherry perfume on. Cherries. Jessica Drew.

"Jessica?"

"Y-yes?"

Why the hell was Jessica Drew with these guys. How did she know about me? I looked around the room and realized that I knew them. All four of them.