In Times of War

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

David

“Firecracker? Maria?”

   I walk out the diner door with a bag of sandwiches in my hand. Maria wasn’t anywhere in sight. I automatically got worried with everything that had happened this week, but I push that thought to the back of my mind. Surely I would’ve seen or heard something if they had come after her like they had threatened. Let’s just say that I wasn’t really sick.

    She probably got tired of waiting and just went home, or at least that’s what I tell myself. I start walking towards my house with the bag of food. I think about going to her house to check on her, but then I remember that her mother will probably cut my head off and mount it on the outside of her house as a warning to other males if I do that. Call me selfish, vain, whatever but I like my head on my shoulders, not on a wall, so I decide not to go. It’s about nine-thirty or ten o’ clock by the time I get home. I go up to my cluttered room and write a note to Maria.

Why’d you take off like that? You scared me. I still have the food if you want it.

   I make it into a paper airplane and land it in her full flowerbox outside her window. I look in her window to see if I see her inside, but I don’t. She’ll check her flowerbox when she gets to her room like we both do. I flop down on my bed and just rest there for a while. Apparently, I doze off because I’m awoken by a banging on the front door.

“Tony, dear, will you get the door, please.” My mom calls up to me. I groan, but pull myself out of bed and down the stairs. The banging continues, but more persistent this time. I yank open the door.

“Keep your skirt o-“ I stop myself short when I see Mrs. O’Leary standing on my doorstep.

“Is Maria here?” She asks shortly like she hates the idea of being this close to me.

“No, why would she be here? Wait! You mean she never came home last night?” I suddenly come to the realization.

   “No, she was supposed to, though. Alice doesn’t know where she is and the concert ended last night. Where is my daughter?” She demands, but I hardly hear her. I’m grabbing my keys and running down the front steps. I jump in my truck and pull out of my driveway.

“Call the police, tell them she’s missing.” I shout out my window to Mrs. O’Leary.

“Where’re you goin’?” She asks.

   “To look for my girl.” It’s not exactly a lie, but I already know where she is. My mom appears in the doorway, dressed in her nightgown, and seems to be asking what’s going on, but I’m already on my way to the place of my nightmares. I drive so fast that I’m surprised no one pulls me over. I make the thirty mile drive in fifteen minutes.

   By the time I get to the house that functions as a headquarters, the sun is starting to peek over the horizon. It scares and angers me that Maria’s been trapped with them for a whole night. Zacharias and his men aren’t exactly known for their morality. I go up and pound on the door.

   “Zacharias! You get your fat butt down here now!” I roar. I might’ve added a few choice words in there too, but I don’t even care. The door opens and Zacharias’s large body comes out the door, smirking the whole time. He slicks back his greasy black hair, crosses his muscled, tattooed arms and laughs.

“Wow, the boys really weren’t lying when they said that you were head over heels for that girl.” His black eyes taunt me.

“Where is she, Zacharias? She didn’t do anything, just let her go.” I speak through gritted teeth. He just laughs even more.