The silence was deafening.
After being helped inside, I had to explain what exactly had happened to Isla at the grocery store. Omitting the parts that I couldn’t explain to Sophia, of course, but Mom, who eyed me from the kitchen table, knew that something was up. When she gave me a meaningful look, I nodded my head slightly side to side- not now. I ended up having to blame the whole Levi situation on the pain from my leg wound, which I revealed to be from a gunshot.
After the room had fallen silent for a while, processing the dire situation, Mom glared at me. “...A slash wound, huh?”
I looked away. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Well, clearly it was!” Ramona yelled. “All your dumb ass had to do was keep her here or keep her safe, and you couldn’t manage either.”
“Oh really? Was that all I had to do? Sorry, I totally didn’t realize,” I responded sarcastically. “I’ll do better next time.”
Ramona opened her mouth to retort, but Mom shut her down. “Enough, Ramona. Take Ken upstairs, okay?”
Ramona turned to look behind her at Ken, who was anxiously peeking out from the entrance of the kitchen, watching us closely. She gritted her teeth, shot me one last glare, then stomped off, taking Ken’s hand and leading him towards the stairs.
I’d been refraining from looking at Sophia, who was sitting on the other couch. As I examined the floorboards, I heard the tap! of Sophia’s fingernail on her phone screen. “My mother and the station appear to be ignoring my calls.”
“Goddammit, Rachel,” Mom muttered under her breath. “Why now?”
Sophia exhaled shakily. “It may be my own fault. I was contacting her frequently for updates.” She stood up. “I’m sorry to impose, but could you please drive me to the nearest police station, Dr. Collins?”
“Of course,” she agreed.
I heard the sound of approaching footsteps, but I didn’t look up.
“As for you…” I heard Sophia take a quiet but shaky breath. “As much as I despise you, I would… greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter. You’re intelligent and capable. I’m certain you could help narrow down the possible places in the city Isla could have been taken by her father. At the very least, you could help us search.”
“...”
“Michael?” Mom prompted, her eyes narrowed.
I matched Sophia’s stern expression with an apathetic one. “I’ll pass.”
She crossed her arms. “Need I remind you that this entire situation is a result of your own lapse in judgement?”
“Lapse in judgement… huh.” I laughed bitterly. “You’re one to talk.”
“Pardon me?”
“Look, I have zero reason to help you. None. Maybe you’re used to everyone bowing down and doing whatever you want at a moment’s notice, but I’m not one of your slaves.” I tapped my injured leg. “I already stuck out my neck yesterday to save Isla. Not again. I don’t care. And you’re not going with her either, Ramona.” I raised my voice, looking towards the entrance of the kitchen.
I hadn’t been certain that she’d been listening in without my sixth sense, but I had only heard one set of steps heading upstairs. A few seconds later, my sister stuck her head into the kitchen, a foul expression on her face.
“You don’t care?” Ramona retorted. “After spending all night together in your room? I couldn’t sleep because of how loud you two were.”
Mom blinked, then stifled a laugh as Sophia whipped her head away from Ramona to face me, looking appalled. “Y-you two were-”
“We were just talking,” I clarified with a sigh. “It was nothing like what you’re thinking of, you weirdo.”
Sophia reddened. “Good! Because there’s no freaking way I’d ever let someone like you…” She paused, regaining her composure, then cleared her throat, speaking with a formal tone once more. “You are absolutely not suited to be her partner, in any shape or form.”
“Cool,” I said plainly. “Since that’s the case, I’m sure you’ll get along just fine without my help. So get going. She doesn’t have much time- assuming her dad hasn’t already thrown her body in a roadside ditch.”
The possibility made Sophia flinch, her eyes turning watery.
“Michael!” Mom snapped. “What the hell?! Apologize to her!”
I looked away. “Don’t think I said anything wrong.”
Ramona stomped forwards and took Sophia’s arm. “Forget my dumbass brother. We’ll find Isla together.”
“Did you think I was kidding earlier?” I narrowed my eyes. “You’re not going, Ramona, no matter what. It’s too dangerous. These are the Demons we’re talking about.”
Ramona looked to Mom for support, but she just sighed. “...Your brother’s right, sweetie. You’re not involving yourself with this, and honestly, neither should you, Sophia.” She walked up and placed a hand on Sophia’s trembling shoulder. “You need to consider your own safety and position, as well. Once you’ve informed them of the situation, please leave it to your mom and the police. They’ll find her.”
“...Very well.” The Commissioner’s daughter took a deep breath, straightening her posture. “Let’s get going.”
As the three of them left the kitchen, Ramona gave me a look of disdain, which I easily shrugged off. I was used to seeing that expression every once in a while, given her personality But Sophia… the look she gave me as she left the kitchen was only visible for a second at most, yet it left a lasting impact. I felt my stomach twist into knots as I recognized that look from last year- that mixed look of betrayal and disgust after the incident.
I flopped back against the backrest of the sofa as I heard the front door slam shut.
“Fuck…” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose.
So much for getting my head out of the past.
----------------------------------------
“You’re sure this is the one?” Quinn whispered.
The two kids stood in the pitch black darkness of the mall, illuminating the front of the fox store with their cell phone flashlights. It was 10 pm, well past the mall’s closing time, and the silence of the abandoned shopping complex was both eerie and worrying to Jacob. If they made any sort of noise, security guards were sure to come running.
“I’m sure, but…” Jacob shone the light through the display window. “The display fox is gone for some reason. It was right here earlier.”
Quinn bit her lip. “Oh, so we might end up with multiple charges of attempted theft instead of just one, amazing. Assuming we don’t get killed by these people for stealing their drugs.”
“I said I was sorry, okay?” Jacob grumbled. “And you didn’t have to come along.”
“Sorry isn’t good enough this time. And, God… what if it’s them, Jacob?”
“Everything will be fine,” he reassured her, sticking his lockpicks into the store’s front door. “No matter who it is, if we leave it where I got it from, it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“That’s assuming that tracker chip didn’t tag my house!” After digging around the plushie some more, they had found a small circuit board with an antenna attached to it, which Quinn had immediately covered in aluminum foil to block it from transmitting or receiving any sort of signal from its owner.
“You wanna quiet down?” Jacob hissed. “I think I hear footsteps.”
“What?” Quinn focused, frowning. “I don’t…” Her eyes widened as the footsteps became audible to her, as well. “Oh god, hurry up!”
“I’m trying…” Jacob gritted his teeth. “Shit, I lost the pin!”
“There’s no time!” Quinn grabbed his shirt and yanked him aside, with Jacob falling to the floor from the incredible force. With a grip on the metal frame of the display window, Quinn pushed against the area where the door’s locking mechanism was with tremendous force. The lock broke with a snap!
The footsteps became faster and louder. Whoever they were wouldn’t be a mystery in a few seconds. Jacob leaped to his feet and yanked Quinn inside the store, then closed the door behind him. He then wrapped an arm around Quinn’s waist and brought them both into a sitting position, directly under the door.
Don’t look at the lock, Jacob thought pleadingly.
A bright white light swept through the store from outside. Then, a grunt and a click as the flashlight was switched off, and the footsteps of the person, likely a security guard, faded away.
“Way too close,” Jacob breathed.
Leaning back into his chest, Quinn let out a sigh of relief as she examined the shelves of the store. “There’s a lot of weird stuff here, huh?”
“Want me to pick out a new present?” he offered, hoping she couldn’t feel his heartbeat.
“With your track record?” She gently removed his arm from her waist and rose. “Definitely doesn’t look like a drug den, but…” The discomfort on her face was apparent.
Jacob to his feet as well. “What is it?”
“Nothing. Let’s just get out of here as soon as possible.”
Once Jacob picked open the storage room’s lock, he took a quick glance inside, then opened the door for Quinn to enter while looking back towards the storefront. He kept looking back as he stepped through the doorway, and ended up bumping into his crush. “What is it?”
“You said you got it from a wooden crate, right?”
“Yeah, why?… Oh, fuck.”
Unlike before, where there been a plethora of cardboard boxes and plastic wrapped objects on the shelves, the storage room was stockpiled with a gazillion wooden crates, all carelessly placed around the storage room and on shelves. It was as if the fox crate had duplicated itself a million times over.
“Okay, w-well…” Jacob tried to stay calm. “It’s fine. The original crate was somewhere over here in the corner.”
They navigated through the maze of crates carefully, making their way towards the original corner where the fox crate was. Quinn glanced around as Jacob reached into his bag and took out the fox, examining it for a few seconds.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
“Bye, buddy.” He removed the lid of the wooden crate- and his jaw dropped. “Holy...”
The crate wasn’t full of foxes like it had been before. Instead, it was full of an absolute arsenal of weapons: assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, and some beige packages with wires that looked like plastic explosives. There were also pairs of gas masks and what Jacob guessed were night vision goggles. He checked the next crate over and discovered boxes upon boxes of ammunition of various calibers.
Despite the sickening feeling growing in his stomach, the itch in his hands was growing. He wanted to take it all, despite not knowing what he was going to do with the weapons. He just knew that these people couldn’t have it.
“Jacob?” Quinn’s voice was small. “Can… can you come here?”
Worried by her intonation, he instantly moved towards the sound of her voice, and found her hovering over another crate that she’d opened, labeled SUITS. Inside the crate were neatly folded, plastic wrapped suits stacked on top of each other, paired with a blood red shirt and a black tie inside, ready to go.
Oh. Jacob thought. That’s great.
“It’s them,” Quinn whispered, trembling. “We walked right into Demon territory.”
“Let’s go,” Jacob urged. “We’ll call the police on the way out.”
“Are you crazy?!” She whipped around, looked freaked out. “No! We’re leaving the fox, and we’re going home. That’s it!”
“You wanna just leave these guys to have all of this stuff?” he hissed back. “Think about all the crazy shit they could do-”
“That has nothing to do with us,” she retorted. “Leave the fox… somewhere, and then we are going home, okay?”
“We’re talking about possibly saving hundreds of people here.”
“At the risk of getting stabbed in our sleep!”
“Not sure I’ll be able to sleep well knowing all this shit-” Jacob gestured to the crates around them. “...is going out there because we were too scared to give an anonymous tip. That’s exactly what they want, Quinn. They want us to be too afraid to call them out on whatever shit they’re up to.”
“You are just…” Quinn pulled on her hair. “Ugh! I can’t believe I-”
The sound of creaking metal from the other side of the storage room caused both kids to jump. Moonlight began illuminating the room, and Jacob instantly turned off his cell phone flashlight, with Quinn following soon after. The silhouettes of three people- two men and a woman- became visible on the wall, pistols in hand.
“You’re sure it’s not a false alarm again?” one of the men asked.
“False alarm?” the woman asked.
The third person, whom Jacob recognized as the shopkeeper by his voice, sighed. “Look, brother, I ain’t sayin’ it’s not a false alarm. I’m just sayin’ that the silent alarm went off, so search the place first, then grab the goods Mad Dog wanted. Jus’in case some dumbass actually did bust in here.”
Jacob could tell by the look in her eyes that Quinn was panicking. He brought a finger to his lips and mouthed, Follow exactly what I do. She nodded slowly.
Listening carefully for the positions of the Demons, he sneaked up to a set of shelves and waited. On the opposite side of the shelves, the shopkeeper was approaching fast, likely headed towards the corner where he’d heard Jacob earlier in the day. Just as the shopkeeper pushed past them, the two kids pressed on forward.
Straight up ahead of them, though, was the footsteps of the second man. Jacob ducked into an aisle of shelves before the Demon’s flashlight could expose them. On the bottom shelf, a small gap was available between the crates.
Jacob waited patiently as the Demon shone the flashlight through each aisle. After he had finished checking the aisle ahead of them, Jacob pushed Quinn through the gap, then followed after her immediately, narrowly avoiding the beam of white that illuminated the spot he’d just been in.
The moonlight was just ahead. He’d been planning to sneak them out through the receiving door- a much easier and inconspicuous exit then trying to leave through the storefront door. After all, no one ever double checks the place they came from.
But a sinking feeling grew in his stomach as he realized the moonlight was growing dimmer. Then, a slam! as the receiving door hit the concrete.
“Why the hell didn’t you dunces just turn on the light?” the woman’s voice called out.
Flick!
Suddenly, the entire storage room was illuminated. While it wasn’t that bright in actuality, Jacob blinked furiously to try and get his eyes to adjust after being in darkness.
There goes the advantage, he thought, gritting his teeth. He began scanning the shelves, looking for an easy way up; while Jacob could scale to the top shelf easily, Quinn wasn’t as experienced of a climber.
He spotted a way up and pointed a finger up, signaling to they should get ready to climb. Then, at that exact moment, a loud growling sound rang out near him, and he froze in place. Quinn froze as well, and from how the footsteps of the Demons went silent, he could tell they had stopped in place, too. Because they’d heard it as well- the sound of Quinn’s stomach growling like a feral beast.
No fucking way.
“Was that one of you?” the woman asked.
“It wasn’t me,” the shopkeeper confirmed.
“Not me either,” the third Demon added.
There was no longer any time to scale the shelf without being seen. They only had seconds before they were surrounded on all sides by the three Demons, and while Jacob could likely escape by himself, he’d have to leave Quinn behind- but like hell he’d do that.
“What do we do?” Quinn whispered fearfully, shaking him by the shoulder.
That only left fighting or making a break for it… but the odds of them getting shot… maybe they could talk their way out of it? Work out some sort of deal…
“Jacob!”
As the footsteps closed in on their positions, Jacob made his choice.
----------------------------------------
I hadn’t been to the treehouse since the incident in spring.
Despite being pretty large for a treehouse, it was well hidden in Bronwynn Forest, in an area populated by dense foliage. It was close to the main road but far from any of the popular trails, making it the perfect place to run away from whatever I wanted to. It had a serene, soothing presence, just like its former owner had.
As fast as my leg would allow me, I scurried up the wooden planks nailed into the trunk of the tree, reaching the trapdoor leading into the treehouse. Carefully, I hooked my arm through the handle of the trapdoor to steady myself while I fished a key out of my pocket, jamming it into the old heavy-duty padlock. A click informed me to take off the padlock and stick it in my pocket.
I pushed up against the trapdoor with one hand and climbed into it. It was untouched, with a light layer of dust present on the twin size bed and nightstand tucked in a corner. A small desk and chair sat not too far away from it.
I’d considered moving Isla here instead of giving her to Sophia, but that wouldn’t be a permanent solution, unless I planned on dropping food and water here daily for the rest of my life. Plus, it would get too cold to stay here once winter set in.
I brushed some desk off the chair and took a seat. Opening the top drawer of the desk, I reached inside and ran my fingers along the top until I felt cool metal. I removed the object and tore off the tape, examining it- a necklace that consisted of a chain connected to a silver pair of angel’s wings. Rubbing the wings with my thumb was an old habit of mine- no, mine wasn’t really correct. I’d learned it a long time ago…
I was under the lingering effects of the antipsychotic, which is why I didn’t feel uneasy until it was way too late. I dropped the necklace onto the desk and stood up in my chair, but a voice behind me cautioned, “City Police. Slowly raise your hands in the air and turn around. You’re under arrest.”
Following his instructions, I took a deep breath. “On what charges, officer?”
“Do as I say!” His accent was thick- Indian. “Where’s the girl?”
I frowned. “You’re looking for Isla here?” From the creaking floorboards, I knew he was advancing forwards. “Her father has her. Didn’t Soph-”
An audible click! from the officer’s gun informed me that he’d pulled back the hammer of his pistol, and I reacted off instinct. Slamming my body onto my desk, I kicked my chair backwards towards the officer. A bullet whizzed above my head as the chair slammed into him, and I pushed off the desk and lunged towards the officer, who had knocked the chair away.
He was fairly strong, but I’d handled way worse. I grabbed the barrel of the pistol and pressed the magazine eject button with my ring finger. The magazine slammed into the floor as we wrestled for control of the gun. He raised his leg to kick, but I sidestepped, kicked him in the crotch, then slammed my fist into his throat.
Underhanded, but a devastating combo. As he fell on one knee, gasping, I yanked the gun out of his grip and circled behind him, wrapping an arm around his neck. Down below us, I heard the stomping of boots on the tree’s ladder.
“H-hold on a sec,” the officer gasped. He wore a turban on his head and a scruffy beard on his face. “You’re not one of-”
Pushing the pistol into his spine, I yanked him to his feet and spun him around to use as a body shield against my next opponent. She recognized me instantly, and so did I- she was the spitting image of her daughter, minus the scar on her face and the stern expression.
“...Michael.” Commissioner Prentice gawked at the situation, her gun aimed at me.
The officer in my arm was bewildered. “Michael?”
“Michael!” I joined in with an affirmative tone. “Wanna explain why you guys are apparently here to kill me?”
She frowned. “This is a misunderstanding. Please release Lieutenant Singh and allow me to explain. I’d rather not have to explain to your mom why I had to shoot you.”
“Would be the second one this week.” I removed my arm from Singh’s neck, flicked on the safety, then offered back his pistol. “Sorry that I kicked you in the balls.”
“Not forgiven,” he groaned, slowly taking the gun. “Madarchod, I can’t feel anything down there.”
The Commissioner holstered her pistol. “Walk it off, Lieutenant.” She turned to me. “How are you even here? Did Sara tell you about this place?”
“No.” I leaned against the desk and crossed my arms. “The previous owner did. Speaking of her, I hope you have a warrant, because I’m pretty sure this is all mine through inheritance.”
“It’s his? What’s going on here, Commissioner?” Lieutenant Singh interrupted through gritted teeth. He raised up the chair I’d kicked into him and eased himself into it. As he did, a look of realization appeared on his face. “Don’t tell me you thought-”
“I did. I’m sorry.” Sophia’s mother sighed deeply. “I was paranoid, needed to know who I could trust. If you were a mole…”
“How much do you know?” I queried.
“How much do you know?” Singh returned.
“More than I want to. It’s a pain in the ass.” I gestured with my head towards the Commissioner’s pocket. “If you had picked up any of those calls from Sophia you’d probably know a decent chunk of it.”
She yanked her cell phone out of her pocket and checked it, and by the expression on her face, I could tell she was equal parts frustrated and concerned.
“She’s fine,” I reassured her. “Mom took her to a nearby station to get in touch with you.”
The Commissioner closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again, staring at me sternly. “Tell me everything. Fast and precise. I do not have time to waste here, do you understand?”
I sighed, scratching the back of head. “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.”
----------------------------------------
The van screeched to a halt, and the sliding side door opened up. A rough hand grabbed her by the back of her shirt and shoved Isla out onto hard pavement.
The cold breeze told her she was outside, and the passage of time and lack of sunlight on her skin told her that it was night. She brought herself up to her knees, taking a deep breath. Maybe she still had a chance to escape.
Then a familiar voice spoke in front of her, and her hopes turned to ash.
“Take that shit off her head.”
The bag was taken off, and suddenly she could see who stood before her- her father, Jin Ikari, the Mad Dog of the Demons, looking down at her with a disdainful, icy stare. She straightened and glared up at him, trying to look strong, but her whole body began to shake, nausea and fear welling up in her. She barely registered the two other Demons behind him, neither of whom she recognized.
They looked at each other for a few seconds, then her father behind her. “What took you so long?”
“She wasn’t alone. Had some freak kid with her.” A bearded man stepped forwards and spat on the ground. “Broke my boy’s arm, clean in two, so I had to deal with that first. Then… heh. Did a little research.” He grabbed Isla by the root of her hair and she yanked her head away to break free. “Feisty bitch is your daughter, huh? The one the news has been talking all about. Personally, for all our trouble, I think we deserve a raise.”
Jin lifted an eyebrow. “A raise? Really? What were you thinking?”
“Hm…” The bearded man grinned. “I want-”
Faster then Isla could register it, her father pulled out his .44 and pulled the trigger. The sound made her recoil so badly she fell onto her side. The man’s body hit the ground hard, and the scent of blood and gunsmoke hung in the air as Jin pointed his gun at presumably another man positioned behind Isla.
“What about you there?” Jin pulled back the hammer on his revolver. “Did you also want a raise?”
The coldly spoken words had the target silent. Maybe he was carefully considering his next words. But Isla knew from experience that was the wrong move. Her father didn’t like to be ignored. The moment the man began to enunciate a word, a bullet was fired through his skull, and his body hit the floor.
The last man struggled to get the words out clearly as Jin turned the gun to him. “L-l-look, it’s fine, j-j-just give t-the 100k and we can… we can leave it at t-that.”
“Hm…” Jin pulled back the hammer again. “Or I could shoot you, keep my money, and call it a day.”
“O-okay, keep the money then, man!” he shrieked. “Just lemme go!”
“How about this…” Jin lowered his gun. “Tell me about this freak kid you met, and you can go, money in hand, all for yourself.”
Isla’s blood ran cold. She had to derail this conversation somehow, someway. Glancing over the bearded man’s body, she spotted a long unnatural bulge around the man’s ankle. She pushed herself off the ground towards it, pulled up the man’s ankle, and yanked a knife out of its ankle sheath.
Her father reacted, kicking the knife out of her bound hands. At the same time, the last man decided to make a break for the van behind him. He almost made it, too, but one of the other Demons drew their gun and fired multiple shots. The kidnapper cried out as he slammed face first into the pavement, then began screaming from the pain.
Jin sighed. “Shut him up and clean up this mess.” He grabbed the knife from the floor and knelt down in front of his daughter, addressing her in Japanese. “I’m genuinely surprised. I didn’t think you had any friends other than the Prentice girl.”
“I don’t,” Isla snapped in reply. “You made sure of that.”
“Mm.” Her father brought the tip of the knife under her chin. “This time, I’ll make sure to empty that list completely. Then perhaps you’ll finally learn. But first…” He slowly began to dig the point into her chin. “You’re going to tell me, everything you told them.”
Isla lifted her chin and slammed her head down, but Jin yanked the knife away and chuckled. Then, he slammed the back of the knife’s handle into the side of her head. She slumped over immediately, and was vaguely aware of her father lifting her with one arm, like a rag doll.
As he carried her off, a gunshot rang out, and the man’s screams were silenced. She turned her head slightly and caught a glimpse of her reflection in a window. Blood streamed down her face from where she’d been hit in the head, and her eyes were glassy, cold, and empty.
Just like a very caught, and very dead, fish.