22

“This is how he knew!! He had to slip it when we were at the job. Oh my god. If he has a camera here, then— SHIT!!” I yelled out. Evan came running into the room in a panic. Wheezing, he asked what had happened. Not wanting him in this any further, I replied with nothing.

Staring at me strangely, he closed the door. I couldn’t believe it. How clever. He must know everything we have discussed since then. This is bad, this is bad. I have to warn Kevin before something else goes wrong. When picking up my phone, I dialed his number. A buzzing sound interrupted the call. I peeked at the screen to see an unknown number pop up.

Unknown: I hope you were calling me Ellie.

Ellie: Who is this?

Unknown: Surprisingly, you can't keep this number on your phone. Tsk, tsk... I feel unwanted.

Ellie: This is a new phone! How did you get this number?

Unknown: In the same way, I knew where Aria was. You guys sure talked a lot last night. Not just in a friendly manner, either.

Ellie: Go to hell!

Unknown: I'm already in heaven. By the way, it's not nice to play with other people like that, Ells. I spend a lot on that thing.

Ellie: Don't give a shit about your toys. You shocked me and numbed my hand. Then you tried to take my best friend away.

Unknown: Little old me, I'm sorry. But she was too good to pass up.

Ellie: I know it's you, Brad, and once we find you. You will pay for your actions and crimes.

Unknown: Congratulations, you want a fucking cookie. But first, you got to catch me, innocent until proven guilty. By the way, you are pretty smart, putting almost everything together. I like that in you, love. See you real soon.

Once the texts ended, the messages began to disappear. Panicking, I managed to take a screenshot of the conversation. I hope this helps. If he got control over this phone, I’m in for a rude awakening. Not knowing what to do next, I went to sleep. I need to clear my mind.

The following day, I got up and went to take a quick shower. I stopped by the hospital before going to work. I wanted to bring Aria new clothes to ensure Kevin is okay. I was going to ask Evan to go with me, but he had to leave early.

I sat on the steps as I waited for my escort. I thought about everything that happened so far and how it connects. Out of nowhere, a horn scared me. I glanced up to see Kevin’s partner waving. As we were driving to the hospital, my mind was scattered everywhere. I couldn’t see what was in front of me. When we got there, I went straight to Aria’s room. “Knock, knock. Aria, are you awake now?” I said as I slowly stepped in.

A smile was on Aria’s face when we connected our eyes. I walked to her with open arms. Tears rolled down my face and onto her chest. “This is my fault. I made you a target.” I sobbed loudly. Aria began to stroke my hair.

“You didn’t know it was coming, Ells. You can’t blame yourself for this. Luckily, Kevin was there to help. I wasn’t alone that day; I should have run inside the pizza place instead of passing it.”

The detective walked in. "Can I ask you a quick question, Aria?" He said nervously. She nodded at the response. “What did the person look like?

“He was tall. He wore a full mask so that I couldn’t see his face. The smell he had was rusty, like oil. He was wearing all black that night. I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do. When I bumped into him, he immediately tried to grab me. I ran, and he followed. The lust and determination in his eyes were—”

I felt tears hit my head. You can sense the fear coming off of her. Knowing that the detective kept asking questions as if other people were around. How did he vanish in thin air like that? Aria shrugged her shoulders in response. The only image that was truly vivid was the pipe coming toward her.

I couldn’t imagine what it had been like for Aria. After the questions, I told her I would be back soon. Hugging her goodbye, I exited the room. I looked at my watch to see if I had time to visit Kevin. He was packing his things for discharge. Without him even knowing, I hugged him from behind.

"Uh? Oh, babe, it's you. Don't scare me like that." He chuckled. He turned around and hugged me tightly. "How are you?" he said with a gentle smile.

“Kev, there is something I need to tell you about the case,” I said as I took out the camera from last night. His eyes widen while he takes it. I mentioned this was the reason why they were in the hospital and the reason for how he found the location. Kevin rubbed his chin; his face went into deep thought.

I couldn’t stay, but I wished the best to end this before something terrible happened. When arriving at work, I saw Ryan. “RYAN!!” I shouted, which scared the other workers to death. He turned around with a concerned look on his face. Then his expression changed when he noticed it was me.

"Hey, Ells, how are you doing? Is your hand okay?"

“A little. Still numb in a way. I'm okay… but I still need to be around people.” I said with a fake smile. We entered the building together. Weird to be going back after what happened. Somehow, my mind was on Brad and his whereabouts. “Has Brad been at work lately?” I asked.

“He is on vacation, I think. Haven’t seen him since the day of the scene.”

"Really..."