Ch. 13- Haunted

*ATTENTION* After you've read this chapter, please go to the end that says Chapter 14. It's out of order because it didn't upload correctly so now it's out of order. Sorry for the confusion.

Days Missing: 9      2:46:09 PM                   

 

Zane

Eneko bursts through the door, panting. Everyone looks at him. His eyes are wild. Everyone looks up at him, eyes wide from his sudden entrance.

“I know who took Alexandria.” He gasps, his voice risen an octave.

I’d been lying splayed out on the couch, Saxon at my feet, staring off into the distance. I’d been lost in a memory. A good memory. Eneko’s words snap me out of it. “Iris get in here!” Saxon yelled, eyes never leaving Eneko as he walks toward us. I jolt to my feet suddenly, causing Saxon to jump. I rush over to Eneko, nearly catching my heel on the carpet.

“Who?” I ask frantically. I feel myself about to unravel.

Iris bursts into the room, eyeing me and Eneko.

Eneko looks me in the eyes. Something’s haunting him.

“It’s Roan.”

Roan.

That was the man in my dream. That’s why he seemed familiar. He is someone from my past.

My knees go weak, and the room starts swimming.

I begin to hyperventilate, because I know exactly why he’s doing this.

This is the part of my past that I prayed to God that wouldn’t come back and haunt me.

We’ve all clashed with Roan’s gang once in a while in the past, and it’s never ended well. But then I did something I’d never forgive myself for. It lurks above me, stalking me, like a demon, even after all these years. I don’t know what happened to Roan after that. He just disappeared.

Until now.

“S**t.” Lucas hisses through his breath. The atmosphere suddenly becomes cold. We never thought we’d be dealing with Roan again. He’s one of the most dangerous people to cross paths with. And he always gets his way.

Thing is, they don’t know why we’re dealing with him again. But I do. I find Saxon across the room, who’s staring at me, speaking to me through his eyes. He knows too.

S**t.

I feel like someone swooped down on me, pinning me down, making it impossible for me to run away.

Iris strides to my side, her eyes wild. “How did you find out?” she asks, voice just as frantic as mine.

“I went to the Alley. Just to see if I could get lucky. And I did.”

He sits down on a chair, still trying to catch his breath.

“Some low-life told me what I wanted to know, even though it wasn’t much. I was only able to find out who has her. But I still don’t know where.”

“How’d you get them to tell you?” Saxon asks, appearing at my other side like a phantom.

Eneko smirks. “I have my ways.” He says, fingering his pocket knife.

Lucas steps forward. “Ok.” He says, authority in his voice. “This is good, but it’s not enough. We have to find out where he’s keeping her. We’ll have to break off and take turns who goes to the Alley.”

The Alley is an edgy place. It earned its name from all the gangs that go there to deal things like weapons and drugs. It’s like the black market of the ghetto. When you go there, you’re not always guaranteed you’ll come back. We’ve always avoided going there.

“Zane and I will go the day after tomorrow. Eneko will go with us.” Lucas says.

I scowl. “Why then? Why can’t we go tomorrow?”

“Because Eneko was just there today. They’ll get suspicious if he shows up with us tomorrow. We have to go the day after.”

He’s right. I know he’s right. I’m just so tired of waiting.

I need her back in my arms.

Author's Note

*ATTENTION* After you've read this chapter, please go to the end that says Chapter 14. It's out of order because it didn't upload correctly so now it's out of order. Sorry for the confusion.

Reviews

[Alleyway Rover]

Eneko suddenly solves the big mystery. On the upside it’s a much-needed push for a part of the plot that seems to be running in circles, so that’s good.
However it just comes out of nowhere. Zane didn’t use his skills ingenuity or resourcefulness to achieve his goal. Iris wasn’t out dealing with her issues. The whole gang in the house didn’t work through their issues in order to pull together and solve the case. They just kind of sat around the house until Eneko stumbled into an alley.

I think most readers would cry foul at that point.

I've mentioned it before, but the biggest thing that, in my view, needs to be examined is the fact that the whole investigation process is missing. It strikes me as a whole story in and of itself that was just never written and, in my mind, it leaves a hole.

This new setting we are going into, The Alley sounds very cool. It’s the first real glimpse into this world you’ve created and it really has me asking a lot of questions. I want to know more about this house and the city around it and everything else. I don’t need a complete history of the city, but glimpses like this are just about perfect.

One last question. Who’s going to get suspicious if he shows up tomorrow? It sounds like, but the way you referenced a knife in Eneko’s pocket, that he just rolled a hobo for information. Whoever is in the Alley that has the possibility of being suspicious is probably already suspicious.

[JordanIsaacSmith]

Major plot developments here. I expect things to really kick up now that almost all the information is finally revealed. Great writing, you're introducing the major developments exactly when they need to be.

[RainDancer1997]

It's short, and I'm so waiting to see more!!!!