I stared at the black box inside the trunk of the Escalade, weighing my options for everything that I could do.

“Come on, let’s get inside the car,” Percy said as he stood with the door open, waiting for me.

My pause probably wasn’t the best look for me. I couldn’t let him know I was second-guessing the whole process.

I got inside the car in the backseat, and Percy sat next to me.

Sheila sat to my right, Amber was behind the wheel, and Leonard was the passenger.

“We’re all good to go, Amber,” Percy said.

“Where am I heading?” She asked.

“We are going to Lockweed, Michigan.”

“Shit, that’s like a four-hour drive from here,” Amber said.

“Yes, if you’re feeling tired, we can swap drivers. We can get some sleep on the way,” Percy said.

“It’s not that I’m complaining about it -it’s just- that’s a long drive to spontaneously do in the middle of the night.”

“Let’s face it, we have nothing else happening. This is important. We can help unlock the truth for our friend. How would you feel if your best friend disappeared and you had no idea who took him? And then finally after all those long years of searching you finally have a tool that can––”

“All right, I’m sorry. I get it.” Amber put the car in drive and sped out of the parking lot.

“Relax, it’s not a race,” Percy said. “We’ve got plenty of time, right, Eddie?”

I hesitated for a moment, still wrapped up in a mental chokehold. “Sure. I’ve got all the time in the world.”

“See? There’s nothing to worry about. Whatever it takes to help our friend.” Percy put his arm around me and patted my shoulder.

The car hit the road, and there wasn’t any conversation. Leonard had put on slow-moving jazz music that made me tired. Lazy drums swept across the snare, a piano played lonely notes, and occasionally a muted trumpet would hum. I closed my eyes, trying to imagine what another date would be like with Vicky. I also wondered what Vicky was up to.

She was probably asleep right about now.

Sleep. That sounds delightful.

But I couldn’t close my eyes with my heart still racing. I felt lingering adrenaline. I still had no idea what their intentions were. Was I going to get murdered like those other young folks?

“Hey, Percy, I don’t mean to alarm you, but there’s this car that’s been following us. I’m wondering what I should do?” Amber asked.

“It’s probably just another person out on the road,” Percy said.

“I don’t know. It looks like one of those cop cars, to be honest.”

“Maybe you’re just being paranoid,” Leonard said.

“Could one of you give me my phone? Someone knew I was in the club this evening. She has probably been trying to contact me,” I said.

“You had the police waiting for you?” Percy asked.

“I’m afraid I did, but that’s before any of you showed me hospitality and willingness to help find my friend. So I didn’t have a chance to tell her I was okay,” I said.

“Here, if I could have my phone back, I can call her and let her know that––”

“Aw dammit!” Amber yelled.

The rapid flickering of red and blue lights filled the interior of the Escalade.

“What should I do?” Amber asked.

“Pullover,” I said.

“Why? So you can just trap us?”

Percy held his hand up. “That’s enough, Amber. Just pull over. I trust that Eddie will diffuse the situation properly.”

Amber took a deep breath. “Fine.”

Sheila reached into her bag. “Should I give his phone back?”

“I think that would be wise, yes,” I said. “It would have been better for everyone involved if I had my phone, say, 20 minutes ago to tell them everything was all right. But we’ll handle this now.”

Amber stopped the car and rolled down the front two windows. A symphony of cricket chirps filled the cabin. The smell of grass hung in the humid air.

The police car behind us kept its lights on, and then I heard the prompt footsteps of the officer. They waved a flashlight into the backseat, but the windows were tinted.

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I felt tired earlier but I didn’t any more. My heart raced. I had no idea how this would play out.

What should I say?

What is Amber or Percy going to say?

What are the police going to do?

“Hello, I’m looking for someone that was in the club this car came from,” Martha said, shining a light into the backseat. “And there he is. All right, everyone out of the car. How you doin’, Eddie?”

“Actually, Martha, everything is under control. We’re all good here. No need for everyone to get out of the car,” I said.

“What? You can’t be serious? Did these freaks brainwash you or something?”

Sheila discreetly put my gun against my leg.

I held the piece up. “Martha, seriously, we’re all good here. See? I have my gun.”

“Yeah, but you haven’t been answering your texts or any of my calls.”

“We’ve actually been talking all night. So much, I haven’t even had a chance to really look at my phone.”

“Bullshit. Something weird is happening here. I’m going to call for backup. All of you need to stay inside the car. Do not turn this car back on,” Martha said.

“No, seriously, it’s okay. I had my phone on silent, and I forgot that you were watching me for backup in case anything went down.”

“I don’t care. These creeps are under arrest for drugging people in their club through some laced fog shit. They got to you, Eddie. They’re going to kill you, drain your blood for whatever sadistic, satanic reason, and then they’re going to drop your body off somewhere.”

“That wouldn’t happen. They know that I’m an FBI agent. They’re not going to hurt me. They’re smarter than that.”

“Then where are they taking you?”

“They’re taking me back to my hometown. I know it sounds crazy, but I need to go with them. This could help save someone’s life.”

“What do they have to do with your hometown?”

“They have information on a missing person’s case. Look, I can’t explain the connection. It would take too long. But please, let us go.”

“Sorry, G-man. I can’t let that fly. I need to put some people in handcuffs.”

“But please, I need to go to my hometown with them.”

“How about this? I’m going to handcuff everyone that’s not driving the car and take them to the holding cell in Wilton until you come right back with the driver,” Martha said.

“What if you arrested all of us but Percy in the backseat? It’s more important if Percy goes with Eddie,” Amber said.

Leonard and Sheila both took a deep inhale, but neither of them said anything.

“Fine. I’ll take all of them to the station and put them in a holding cell until you get back,” Martha said. “I think that’s a pretty fair deal.”

“Yes, I agree,” I said.

“Fine by me,” Percy said.

“All right. Step out of the car and don’t try anything silly. There’s more than just me here,” Martha said.

Everyone got out of the car. Martha and her backup police officers put handcuffs on Sheila, Amber, and Leonard. They were escorted to a patrol vehicle while Martha stared at Percy and me.

“Something still doesn’t feel right to me about this. Are you sure I can’t come with you?” Martha asked.

“Yes, I’m sure,” I said as I got in the passenger seat, and Percy sat in the driver’s seat.

“You have your phone on you, right? You should see how many times I called you.” Martha said.

I checked my phone, Martha had called me five times, but I had a new message from her.

Blink a bunch of times if you need help.

“How many times did I call you?” Martha asked.

“You called me five times,” I said to her with my eyes open, feeling dry and wanting to blink. I kept the staring contest going.

“All right. Don’t try anything funny now, Percy. I got your license, your car, and the fact you’re going to Lockweed, Michigan. If anything funny happens, expect a manhunt, Percy.”

“All right, thank you, Sheriff Martha. I’ll bring the boy back in time for supper.” Percy smirked.

Martha glared at him. “I really don’t care for that joke, Percy.”

Percy’s lips fell. “Sorry, you’re right. This isn’t the place or time for humor. Thank you, though, for caring for our friend here.”

Martha shook her head. “I don’t care what you say. You still give me the creeps. Good luck, Eddie.”

Martha walked back to her patrol car as Percy started up the Escalade and drove off. We still had a lot of ground to cover, and it was already 1:30 a.m.

I checked my phone. I had a message from Vicky.

Hey, give me a call when you have a chance. No rush.

I didn’t respond. I slid my phone back in my pocket and focused on the road.

Don’t worry Michael, I never forgot about you. We are closer to the truth now than we will ever be. I’m not going to give up on you.

Our car ride was silent most of the way, except for the slow-moving jazz music coming out of the car stereo. Percy didn’t look tired in the slightest. I wanted to ask him questions, but I felt like they would go nowhere, and it would distract me from the mission. There was nothing more for me to say to him.

Driving through the empty lands between Indiana and Michigan, the stars glittered in the sky, and the moon shined as bright as I’d ever seen it. It was entirely full. I hadn’t been paying attention to the moon cycles since I was in Wilton, but it sure looked mesmerizing floating up in the sky.

Arriving in Lockweed, goosebumps coated my body, and memories came rushing back to me like a raging river. Both the pleasant and not so pleasant.

I sniffled. I could feel my eyes brim with tears.

It’s okay, Michael, everything is going to be all right. We’re going to find you.

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to need a little guidance on this,” Percy said. “We’re here in the downtown strip of Lockweed, but where’s the train depot?”

“Keep going straight. You’re going to reach a path with woods on the left and right sides. Once you reach a bump, it’s an old train track. Can’t miss it. Drive with your brights on, and turn right as soon as we reach the area,” I said.

Traveling along the dark road, we drove over a railroad bump.

“Was that the one?” Percy asked.

“Yep. Pull off the road. You should be able to drive through the path.”

Percy steered to the right until we were on the bumpy grass. The car was going at a snail’s pace, and we were immediately stopped by a chain-linked fence with a NO TRESPASSING sign hanging in front of it.

“Damn. It’s about time they put up that fence. Can’t believe it took this long. Do you think there’s a way we can get the camera over the fence?”

“No, but I have an idea,” Percy said as he slammed on the gas pedal. The engine roared, the tires reached thousands of rotations per second, and we launched into the fence like a raging bull. We obliterated past the chain-linked barrier, a horrible scraping sound probably traveled for miles, but Percy slowed down and turned off his car lights.

“You can’t be serious! Are you trying to get us caught?” I yelled.

“I don’t think there was going to be another way,” Percy said.

“Well, if you wanted to do this discreetly, you threw that option out the window.”

“Even you have to admit it, the town right now is as dead as a doornail. Everyone is sleeping. Lockweed isn’t a lot different than Wilton.”

“Believe me, I’ve noticed.” I scoffed.

“Sorry, but let’s regroup. Where am I going now?”

“Keep going slow for a little while. We’ll be coming up to the depot shortly,” I said.

Percy kept the car at a crawl until a shadowy structure became prominent.

“Turn your lights on,” I said.

Percy turned a knob, and then there was light over the old train depot.