To Live Forever

Chapter 15

"Aria Turner. Nineteen. Dropped out of St. John's University in her first year. She had taken a loan for her first year of university, but she had to use that money for...something that is not known. So she could not attend the university. Works at a supermarket down at Queens. Her shifts are six to eleven. She works as a babysitter in the morning to her neighbors. All in all, she doesn't live the ideal life, but manages. She is 5'8, weighs 130 pounds. Has light brown hair, green eyes and...a tattoo of a moon on her back."

Hayden read out from the blue paper and then clicked on a button, making the huge screen in front of them get filled by a picture of a girl, walking on a street. The picture was blurry yet fine, looking as the person  took the photo from maybe twenty feet away. Like Hayden had described, the girl had long brown hair pulled up in a ponytail, the lightest colour Jason had seen and was wearing huge sunglasses, most of her facial features and eyes hidden from the camera. She was dressed simply, jeans and a button down shirt under a sweater and had a bag with her, as if she was on her way to her shift at the supermarket. Nothing fishy about her appearance.

"Well, now what?"

Jason breathed deeply and thought about the girl, who was about to be dragged into the gang world, because a very dangerous gang was looking for her, for an unknown reason.

Jason shook his head, life isn't fair.

"Tomorrow." Logan said, "Max, Tyler and Jason bring the girl. Hayden, forward all the information about the girl on their phones. Her apartment, her workplace, the neighbors she helps out and her shift timings. Get this over with."

Hayden nodded and then all of them left for their rooms, hoping to get some sleep.

Jason lay on his bed and sighed. He knew sleep would not come that easily, especially after everything he had heard at the meeting.

He kept thinking about the gang which had terrorised the people all around America. He could not think of what the victims must have been enduring the pain, what the families of the victims had been suffering.

He felt like it was his duty to get them all to safety, as if Emma, herself, was telling Jason to help the poor kids.

He inhaled and chewed on his lip as he thought of tomorrow. They were supposed to bring the girl to the warehouse, and he hoped that whatever they did, the girl didn't suffer because of them.

***

The news was displayed on the huge TV that belonged to the gang.

All of them had woken up at around ten, had eaten and then gathered in the living room, as they heard the news.

The woman on the screen was saying, her words scripted yet true, "Bodies of five females and four males, around the age of ten to eighteen have been found near the Hudson River. Please ask children to refrain from watching this broadcast." The sudden warning buzzed and then the woman resumed talking as beside her, on the screen, Jason saw mutilated bodies of the teenagers and children. "As seen from the injuries inflicted upon these bodies, some of them have been raped mercilessly to the point of internal bleeding and breakage of bones and some bodies show injuries that indicate that the culprits might have taken important organs such as livers, heart, eyes, bone marrows and so on. Over to Micheal Avery, who is standing near the scene of crime. Micheal?"

The screen changed to show the gathering near the Hudson River, the bodies on display, some lacking clothings, others having bruises and cuts on their bodies and faces.

Jason clenched his jaw as a picture of a ten year old boy without his eyes and clothes came on and then the broadcast shifted to the woman abruptly, who looked like she was about to hurl.

Nathan whimpered and Logan and Noah put their arms around his shoulders, glaring at the screen.

"This is pure barbaric." Max spat and Hayden shook his head as he ran a hand through his hair, breathing hard.

"There must be some kind of cameras or security near the crime scene." Tyler said and Logan nodded, "Call our informer from the police."

"We have an informer inside the police?" Jason asked and Noah nodded, "He was a former member of Ink High, very loyal. He acts as a spy or an undercover agent in the police for us. Helps us get information that only the police records have."

Jason nodded and then Nathan took out his phone, disappearing in the other room as the informer answered.

The pictures of the children still swam inside Jason's mind and he swallowed, not trusting his feet to stay on the ground. He sat down on the black sofa and shook his head.

How could anyone do this to children? No, scratch that, how could anyone do this to any human being?

His thoughts were dominated by the gruesome images and he groaned lowly as he gripped his hair.

They had to do something. Anything to stop this inhumane acts.

"Ink High has dispatched some of their members to scan all the security cameras near the Hudson River. Bulletproof is currently interrogating some men and women who matched the DNA samples from the places the children were kidnapped in New York and Chicago. Other gangs are helping SM in looking for other leads." Nathan's voice informed before he came inside the room.

He looked a little shaken but otherwise fine. He looked at his brother and then said, "We have to stop this."

Jason had never heard this much hatred and pure anger in Nathan's normally pleasant voice. Even though it made him a little uneasy, this was a push for them to finish this monstrosity.

Logan looked at his younger brother, and kept staring at him. His eyes had this kind of reverence and admiration for the younger that made Jason think of his own sister.

How she was always the first one to be with him after any mishap. How she always told him how proud she was after every little thing Jason did. How she was always, always, there for him whenever he needed a family, a friend, a person.

Logan put his hand on Nathan's shoulder, his plump lips opening in a small smile as he assured his brother, "We will, Nathan. We will."

***

Jason stood alongside Max and Tyler, frowning at the surroundings.

It was true that it had been a long time since he had come to this part of town. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation as Max stared at his phone, and then looked at the supermarket ahead of him.

The night was ripe as they waited for a sign of the girl they had to capture. It was half past ten, almost time for the end of her shift at the grubby supermarket.

Jason looked at his watch, adjusting the mask on his face and blinked as the dark green contacts started to itch. His hoodie was low over his head as he stared at the shops over the street, which showed that the shopkeepers were cleaning up their day's work and leaving.

Vaguely, Jason wondered why they were closing shops so soon.

"They must be closing because of the threat. The new gang kidnapped five females from here as well. So this whole neighborhood must be wary." Tyler murmured and Max nodded.

Jason looked at the end of the street, all of them waiting for the girl to show.

Somehow, deep down, Jason was hoping that she wouldn't.

***

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Alexandria 💚