Reawoken Flames 《{ CraigxTweek }》

Chapter 19: The Search

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Tweek?"

The concerned look on his face made me wonder that very question. It wasn't like I could afford to back out now, though.

"Kenny, what else am I supposed to do? It's been two weeks. The cops have stopped looking, and Stan won't help me."

Kenny shook his head and slid his fingers into his shaggy blonde hair. "This goes against everything fiber of my being, letting you do this."

"I know, and I hate asking you to do this, but I don't know where else to turn."

He crossed his arms. Even in the dim light of the night-shrouded alley, it was clear how conflicted he was feeling. We both knew I was right, but we also knew how dangerous this was.

Finally giving in, he sighed and reached into his back pocket, lifting the orange hoodie tied around his waist. He pulled out something wrapped in a cloth, quickly handing it to me. I stuck it in the inside pocket of my jacket and zipped it up. 

"And you're sure you know where Cartman has been going?" I asked.

He nodded. "Warehouse district. Section D, building 3."

"Okay." I sighed, my body beginning to shake. "Thank you. How much do I owe you?"

"Come out of this alive. That will be payment enough. Now get out of here before Stan freaks out. I'm sure you don't want him to get suspicious."

I shook my head and wrapped my arms around his neck, and he hugged me tight to his muscular body. "Thank you for everything, Kenny."

"Bring that pain in the ass home alive."

"I will," I whispered. "I'll kill Cartman and save Craig. I promise."

He gave me one last squeeze and then pushed me away. "Now go."

With one last nod, I threw up my hood and hurried out of the alley. I had to get home before Stan noticed how long I'd been gone

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay home with you?" Stan asked as he rubbed my leg.

I sneezed and rubbed my nose. "I'm sure. You have to make money. The house payment is coming up."

He sighed and nodded. "Okay. Maybe our talk from last night stressed out your body or something."

The conversation he was referring to was not a pretty one. We were both stressed, and Craig's disappearance hadn't made it any easier on us. We had thrown insults and accused each other of so many things, and it all finally ground to a halt when I threatened to divorce him. We had sat in silence for a few hours after that before we both finally sighed and apologized. My threat was still hanging in the air. It was hard to love him completely when the other person I loved was either missing or dead. I didn't know how to feel, but I shouldn't have pushed that feeling onto Stan.

"Don't worry about it." I sighed. "We can talk about it later. Just go, okay? We both need space from each other."

Stan finally gave in and planted a kiss on my forehead, adjusting and tucking in the comforter under my body again for the thirtieth. "Okay. Just take it easy, alright?"

"I will."

He finally stopped hovering and left the room. I waited until I heard the front door shut from downstairs before untangling myself from the sheets and pulling off the dog hair I had taped to my chest. I thanked God once the sneezing subsided, but I took an allergy pill just in case it started again.

My plan was going perfectly. Stan would have no idea I was anywhere but home.

I pulled the black jeans and hoodie from under the bed and quickly slipped them on. I dug a little deeper and pulled out the cloth-wrapped object from yesterday. I unwrapped it, revealing the gun. I think Kenny said it was a Colt 1911, but the details weren't important to me anyways. All that was important was that I had to get Craig back, and I was almost sure Cartman had something to do with his disappearance.

I clambered down the stairs and took a peek out the front window. Stan's car was gone, which meant it was time to put my plan into action. I stuffed the gun into the back waistband of my pants and threw my hood up. I did one final check. I had my phone to record evidence, the gun to shoot that fucker in the face, and some form of I.D. if I die, and they had to identify me. Fully prepared for my potential doom, I hurried out the door. 

I left my car behind and ran in the direction of the Warehouse District. It took me about an hour to get there since it was on the other side of town, which had quickly tired out my weak body, but my adrenaline and anxiety kept me moving.

I couldn't stop once I got there. I pulled out the gun and held it tightly as I snuck through the rows of buildings, each with clear markings. I found the row labeled D and quickly ran down it. Building 3 was the third building on my left.

I wrapped my hand around the doorknob, but it wouldn't turn. It must be locked. I didn't have the upper-body strength to force it open, so instead, I scurried over to a collection of trash bins and pushed myself between them. I would have to wait for Cartman to come and unlock the door.

The time seemed to move slowly, and the longer I sat there between the smelly dumpsters, the more tired I got. I eventually nodded off.

The sound of distant talking woke me. I didn't dare poke my head out, but I recognized Cartman's voice pretty quickly.

"Of course, I have it covered. I'm not an idiot." He scoffed. When I heard no reply, I guessed he was on the phone.

"I'll finish it next week. He won't be a problem much longer... Yes, I understand. No problem. See you soon."

His footsteps drew closer to my hiding spot, and he came into view. He pulled a set of keys from his dark pants and slid one of them into the lock of the door as he reached it. It clicked open obnoxiously, and Cartman disappeared inside of the building. I never heard the lock click again, and I knew this was my chance.