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12:30 am

 12:30 am, September 10th, present year.

            “What’s taking them so long?” Hunter had stood up and was pacing in front of me. Every few seconds he would check his phone and glance at the road for any sign of headlights.

            I was getting worried too. Maybe Unknown had done something to stop the escort. Maybe he had blown up that car as well! Or killed the driver before they could get in the car. Maybe he…

            There was light to our left. Headlights. A car.

            Hunter and I both took out our phones and shone the light towards the car.

            The vehicle responded, slowing down and then stopping next to us. The front window closest to us rolled down and a face popped out.

            “You Chase Mitchels and Damian Hunter?” 

            “Yes,” Hunter responded.

            The person’s head disappeared back into the car and while the window was winding up, he said, “Climb in.”

            Hunter and I scrambled into the backseats, and I immediately felt safer.

            The fellow in the passenger seat turned his torso and looked at us.

            "Hey guys. I'm Trevor Cain. Your driver is Stephen Paulson."

            Stephen glanced at us through the rearview mirror, and waved with his hand.

            Trevor continued talking. "Chief told us you were in trouble and needed a ride back to the station. Are you guys alright? We brought a first aid kit."

            Hunter waved him off. "We're fine. Just get us back to the station quickly."

            Trevor smiled and sat normally in his seat again. "That's what we're here for. It'll be about a half hour to get back."

            I spoke up. "What took you so long to get here? We waited forever!"

            Stephen answered this time. "There was a massive accident that had us stuck for about 20 minutes."

            "And you couldn't sound your sirens or anything?"

            “Possibly, but it wouldn't have helped any. There was no place for anybody to move in order to let us by. It was a small one way road. All of the cars were packed together."

            I sighed. Whatever. The important thing was that I was on my way to safety. Maybe I would see Daniels and he would have a lead on my case. That's were he was now. Hopefully he had found something. Maybe he had even found out who Unknown is.

            I didn't dare try and fall asleep again. I had no desire to be woken up again by gunshots and explosions. If they were going to happen again, I wanted to be awake this time.

            Hunter started talking to Trevor and Stephen about what had happened. He was using cop lingo, and I had no desire to hear what happened again, so I zoned out. Just staring at whatever was directly in front of me and not thinking about anything.

            My thoughts kept on coming back. I pictured my family, and how I would soon see them. Maybe I could call them quickly before they left for the station.

            I tapped Hunter on the shoulder. He stopped talking and looked at me.

            “Um, do you think it would be all right if I called my parents before they leave for the station?”

            “Sure, you can try. They might already be on the way over.”

            I pulled out my phone and Hunter resumed his conversation.

            Punching in the number, I leaned back and waiting for an answer.

            It rang, rang, rang, and rang. No answer. After half a dozen rings, the machine picked up. My dad’s voice stated a quick message, and then came the beep.

            “Hey Mom and Dad, it’s Chase. I’m in a cop car heading to the station. So I’ll actually see you before you get this message. So um…bye I guess.”

            I flipped the phone shut and returned it to my pocket.

            The three cops had finished their discussion and silence filled the car again.

            Trevor remembered something. “Oh yeah, chief wanted me to radio her when we got you.” He gripped the dashboard radio and proceeded to speak into it. While he was doing that, I asked Hunter, “Your chief is a woman?”

            He nodded. “Yes, Mrs. Kristen Myrene. She’s been chief for a few years now. Believe it or not, but she does a great job. She has good judgment and can be pretty tough when she needs to be.”

            “I’ve never heard of a woman police chief before. Except for on the show Psych, but that’s TV.”

            “Well, treat her with respect, okay? She’s still our boss.”

            “I will.”

            Everybody fell silent and time drifted by.

            20 minutes trudged by.

            Stephen abruptly broke the silence, “Only a few more minutes.”

            Finally.