40

Grey held her breath as Mia let the door roll in. She half expected them to be jumped at by a person who decided to make this place their home. Instead they entered a stuffy room with a busted table. It was once someone’s office. The girls shined their lights around the room, hoping to find something that would help their cause.

“There’s nothing here. We have to go higher.” Mia shined her light up at the ceiling.

Her light went through a hole in the wooden ceiling.

“You’ll never believe who owned this building.” Ela said, her voice small and stunned.

A crash and a piece of metal fell above them causing them to all gasp and duck.

“What the hell?” Grey asked.

It sounded like someone was banging on the floor up there.

“Oh my gosh, I can’t do this.” Ela rushed out and the girls followed.

“Sky?” Ela yelled.

“Sky?” Grey called.

There was no answer.

“Where the hell did he go?” Mia’s voice trembled.

The commotion came from above.

“What if he’s up there. Someone grabbed him and he needs help.” Grey said. “Time to call the police.”

Grey dialed the local police station. They answered on the second ring. The noise upstairs got louder the girls screamed.

“We have to find him.” Mia darted up the staircase.

Ela and Grey followed.

“Hello, is anyone there.” The police person on the other said.

Grey was trying to speak to him and at the same time was trying to get up the dark staircase without losing anyone else. “We need help.” She managed.

“Can you… location…” he was breaking up she could barely hear him with the girls yelling and the network breaking. The phone went dead before she couldn’t get another jumbled up sentence out. The appeared at an open space with scattered furniture and stacks of soggy boxes everywhere.

“Ela, who did you say owed this place?” Grey whispered.

“Porsha’s family.” She whispered back.

Banging and muffled cries came from the corner of the room. They were feminine so it couldn’t be Sky. In the corner of the room was a small figure kicking her legs out with her hands bound in front of her.

“Oh my gosh…” Ela whispered.

The girls moved forward. Grey tilted her head to the side with a shaky hand she brought the light to shine over the small figure at the same time the scent of fast food and grease eased up her nose.

“Porsha?” Grey said.

The girl bound start hopping and screaming through the fabric shoved in her mouth. Grey was the first rush over.

“Careful Grey.” Mia was close behind.

Grey stumbled but managed to grab the gag out of her mouth and stumble back. Wet hair was matted against her face. Though without a doubt it was Porsha.

“I’m Porsha!” She yelled as soon as the gag was off.

“Yeah, but how did you get here? Who did this to you?” Grey asked.

“She did! She’s here.” Porsha shook violently.

It looked like she had been down here for months. She smelled like sweat and week old meals.

“We have to find Sky?” Mia said, she turned to dart out the room.

“Come on Ela, we have to help her out of here.” Grey said.

Ela moved closer despite her trembling body. Mia called out for Sky, but there was no response.

“Who is she? Who did this to you?” Grey asked as Porsha wrapped her arms around Ela’s and Grey’s shoulders.

“Patricia.” Porsha mumbled.

Mia stopped shouting and Grey and Ela froze.

“Patty’s dead… remember Porsha?” Ela said softly.

“That’s what she wanted you to believe.”

Mia walked back into the room and stared at Porsha. “No, we saw her body. We waited until help came. She was dead.”

“That was me! Patricia’s smarter than what any of us gave her credit for. She was always watching, always listening. She gave me something to stop my vital signs and dragged me into the tub. She was the one that found the body and played it like she found me under.”

Grey shook her head. Her body ran cold. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Why would she do that! You’re her twin sister. No this is insane. Let’s get out of here.”

Mia nodded, “Yeah gladly.”

The girls started to drag Porsha forward, but she shook herself and halted them.

“We have to get out of here!” Ela cried.

“She’s out there! She heard you guys outside. She’s planning something she probably did something to Sky. I’m not crazy. I’m Porsha and Patricia is alive.”

“I still don’t understand. That means she’s been trying to hurt us, why?” Grey asked.

“Jealousy. She could never come out of her shell. She wanted to be someone she wasn’t. That’s me. She hated Mia for being the effortless queen B and Lewis and Sky for rejecting her over and over. I guess she hated Harley the most because she’s the one who ended up dead.”

“No, no I can’t… why would she kill Harley? We were friends?” Mia stepped forward her face stained red with emotions.

“She said they fought and she pushed Harley against a rock. Harley just wanted to see her baby and Patricia took it as an opportunity to get rid of her.”

“She’s the one who told everyone my secret isn’t she?” Grey asked in a low unbelieving voice.

Porsha nodded. “She stalked you when you first came. She told me everything while she had me locked up here! We have to get out of here but I know she’s planning something.”

The girls nodded. “Grey, how are we on calling the police?” Mia asked.

“I lost the connection.” Grey said, she felt everything all at once that she felt numb.

“On it.”

Betrayed wasn’t the right word to express how she felt. Stunned didn’t cut it either. She didn’t think she would believe it until she saw a person who looked exactly like the girl hanging on to her for support.

They managed to get down the first flight of stairs. Mia ventured off when they got to the first place they looked to search for Sky in the rooms. Ela and Grey got Porsha down to the basement which was pitch dark. The door they came in through was shut.

“Sky isn’t up there. Where could he be?” She was getting nervous now. He wouldn’t just leave them.

“I can’t get a hold of the police the signal’s too bad.” Ela shook her head.

“That means we can’t try Sky either.” Grey said.

“Let’s just get out of here.” Mia shook her head and marched to the door. She yanked and pulled, but the door wouldn’t budge. “Shit no!” Mia pulled the door, but it wouldn’t move and inch.

“She’s locked us in.” Porsha whispered.

“What’s that smell?” Grey asked, but she would know the familiar scent of smoke anywhere. Her heart rated spiked.

“Fire.”