35

~ Evan ~

“What are we looking for?” Kaylee said as he hid behind a wall.

“Anything suspicious? If this is not the place, we are screwed, honestly.”

We slowly enter the area, looking around to see if anyone is there. The junkyard did have that rust smell like Aria described. My boss paused her movements and ducked down; she pointed to a lit area and a person.

“The hell? Where did he come from?” I said.

Kaylee quickly moved my mouth to shut me up. I gave her a dirty look, and she removed her hand. We didn’t see him stroll in– so how did he appear like that?? A second later, he is talking to someone, but who?? We wanted to get close, but we kept our distance for now. Brad began to walk towards this large metal container. You wouldn’t notice it at first until you see it from a different angle. “It’s probably where they keep old parts; let’s wait until he returns,” Kaylee mentioned.

Brad exited the container and came out empty-handed. We should take a look because that is where they are hiding. I got up and dusted myself off. “Parts my ass, it’s pitch dark in there. Something has to be in here.” I said.

Kaylee went first while I looked around to see if we were cleared. We went inside and walked through some hallways. Out of nowhere, a light shined through a door. A tap on my back made me stop. We peeked inside to see Brandon and John locked up. Holy shit.

“BRANDON!” I shouted as I pushed Kaylee to get in the room. My boyfriend’s body quickly went to the bars. His eyes were bulging out of his socket. He couldn’t believe it.

“E-Ev-Evan. How-why?” tears welled in his eyes as they flowed down his cheeks. My hands shook as I caressed my boyfriend’s hair. John coughed to get my attention, and Kaylee went to help him out.

“What is going on?” Kaylee asked.

We don’t have time for him to explain. Suppose they are here, then the others are not far behind. We need to get going. “Hurry! He came in not too long ago. We heard screams but didn’t know what he did. You have to help.” John whined. Of course, we will help. This is why we are here. Kaylee stated I should help the girls while she stays here.

I know I should stay, but if I don’t go now, they are done. I dashed out of the room and ran down the halls until I saw stairs. Cautiously I walked down. I was stunned to see a dungeon-like room. Who knew this was here the whole time?? The girls called out when they noticed something was different.

“Help! Help!” They said in unison.

“Holy shit!!! Jennie!” I shouted. She was covered in bruises, cuts, and marks. I could tell she was in pain. I tugged on the doors to see if they would open. Nothing. You need keys. Searching around the place, I found tools on a table. These could be helpful. I snatched one and went back to the cells.

The others watched in fright as I freed Bailey. She had never been so grateful in her life. I repeated the process until every girl was released from their nightmare. The girls helped each other to their feet.

I searched around for my sister and Aria. “Brad... took them away... don’t know where... he mentioned that he was coming for us next.” Jennie struggled to say. Putting my hands through my hair, I went into a mini panic mode. Where the fuck did he put them? Taking a deep breath, I turned to the girls and told them the way out. They stared at each other, concerned about Ellie and Aria’s safety. I know, but we have no choice but to evacuate the premises immediately.

That first step was shaky. Not only did the ground shake, but we did too. “What’s going on? An earthquake?” Eunha said.

We don’t get earthquakes here, so why was everythi— BOOM! An explosion went off. The blast knocked everyone off their feet. “WHAT THE HELL!!!” I shouted.

~ Kevin ~

Minho left the room, leaving me chained up. I wiggled around again, hoping to loosen the chains up slightly. All I could manage was to slip my hand through the opening.

Using my free hand, I began to mess with my shirt, trying to find one of my tools. I couldn’t reach it. Huffing, I take the lock and examine it. Without noticing, someone walked in, which made me jump. It was my coworker. “Thank god. Jason, you scared the crap out of me. How did you find me so easily?”

“It wasn’t easy to tell you that much. But I’m grateful that I did in time.” He took a lockpick from his pocket and unbound me from these chains. Once I was free, I fixed my clothes.

“The girls are in the junkyard. We must hurry.” I said while sprinting out of there. We didn’t hesitate to pull out our guns and charge in when arriving at the entrance. We knew who we were looking for; no need to investigate anymore.

Brad and Minho were spotted immediately. “FREEZE! Don’t you dare move!!” I told them. The two held their hands up and followed our orders.

“Well, this is unfortunate. Isn’t it, Brad.” Minho said so nonchalantly.

“This was going to happen sooner or later, but now— hmmm. Very unfortunate.”

We stepped forward slowly while guns were still drawn. I ordered them to put their hands behind their backs and on the ground. They paused their movement in mid-action. Confused, I squeezed the trigger until we were tackled to the ground. Brad knocked my gun out of my hands and grabbed it.

My coworker was unable to help me as he was dealing with Minho. “You son of a bitch. Why are you doing this?” I furiously said.

“Why would I tell you? I’m not slow. Whatever I say will be against me. So, letting you figure it out makes things more interesting— don’t you think.” Brad began to laugh.

Every time we moved closer, Brad gently squeezed the trigger. We are dead if we try anything. I glanced at my coworker, who was on the ground bleeding from the back. Fuck. “Why stalked women?? Why those people specifically?” I asked.

“Stalking is such a strong word; I prefer INTENSE RESEARCH OF AN INDIVIDUAL,” Brad stated as he pulled the trigger. I fell onto my knees— I began to black out.