In Foster Chains

Chapter 3 _The missing friend

The next morning.
We each slept in our own room.

I remember we went to bed pretty late that night, but I didn't mind it.

The alarm clock rang at ten in the morning, but I kept putting it off until Kaden got fed up with ringing every five minutes and told me to turn it off.

So we slept until eleven o'clock, but we couldn't sleep any longer, because we heard a loud, desperate scream from outside our room.

"Aiden is missing!" Amber anxiously said.

We all gathered around her and tried to understand what happened.

"I tried to call him when I realized that he wasn't at home, but his phone is here in our room! And there are drops of blood near us!"

We looked at each other and realized that we had to go look for our missing friend.

To find it faster, we split up and went in groups. Zoe with Nikolas and Amber, Claire with Oliver, and I with Kaden.

We searched and tried to call all day, but nothing. Amber was nervous but tried not to show it.

"I don't understand how such a guy could disappear. What could have happened and where he could be?" Kaden sighed.

I just shrugged because I didn't know what to say.

It started to get cool and dark. I tried to warm myself by crossing and rubbing my arms.

Kadi noticing this gave me his jacket for which I was extremely grateful.

Now we walked along the empty street. The lanterns weren't on here at all. Maybe they saved electricity or all the lanterns here stopped working.

The houses also looked old and a little collapsed, which I didn't like walking by them around this time in the very scary moment when a friend has gone missing.

Anything could happen to him. The options were many, which made my fur stand up a little.

Good thing I was with Kaden at that moment...

We came home only around half past two in the night.

Everyone was tired and hungry after searching for so long without breaks.

However Amber refused to eat. We could see that the girl was very nervous and couldn't sit still.

"We have to keep looking for him..." Fennec fox sobbed as she stood by the window.

Nikolas looked at his friend and sighed: "It's already late and we're all tired. Maybe let's catch our breath a little and then continue our search."

I was eating spaghetti with ketchup that Zoe had quickly made. At that moment I was sitting next to the red marble fox.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Oliver and Claire were busy looking at something on the phone until both of their eyes widened in horror.

"Guys..." Oliver swallowed nervously, "in the city we're in right now..."

He got silent as he couldn't find the right words.

I didn't like that. I settled more comfortably, closer to Kaden, being ready for unpleasant news.

Claire finished the sentence: "most animals were killed and so many suicides were committed here."

I had spaghetti in my mouth at that moment and I almost choked on it.
I completely lost my words.

Amber ran over to the two cats with eyes full of fear and shock, checking the news they found.

We were all speechless at that moment.
Couldn't find the right words to say or do.

Why did we go here? Why do animals still live here peacefully without stress? I had so many questions!

At that moment, I just put the bowl of spaghetti on the coffee table, because my appetite disappeared in one set.

"Y'all don't think that..." After hearing this news, the fennec fox fearfully said.

That Aiden would be kidnapped and murdered?
What can be crazier than that! We would lose a close friend we have known since childhood!

"No Ami," Zoe replied, "we all know Aiden and he's probably fine, but we can't wait any longer..."

"We have to keep looking for him... but carefully." Niko finished the golden wolf's thought.

[...]

Four o'clock in the morning.

We have neither slept nor rested normally.

This time to be safer, we are more on the team. Now I was with Amber and Kaden.
The other four walked through another part of the city.

I couldn't concentrate at all. The mind was caught on only one thing - to fall into a comfortable bed and fall asleep. Just like the day when both Kaden's parents took me to their home for the first time.

We tried to check every building, every basement but nothing.

The birds started chirping in the trees, which gave me a little ringing in the ears.

"Hey Kia, are you okay?" Kaden came closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Yes, I'm just tired."

Amber didn't listen to us at all and continued to drag her feet along the asphalt until she looked into one of the narrow streets, where there was a dead end or a wall.

Someone was standing there.

She nudged us and told us to pay attention to the person standing on the street.

"Maybe a homeless person?" Kadi whispered.

Amber looked closely and shouted: "It's not a homeless person, Kaden, it's Aiden!"

The red marble fox froze at that moment as Amber ran towards her friend and hugged him tightly.

I also encouraged Kaden to follow me while I came closer to our friends.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Aiden's shoulder, which was bleeding a little, but it didn't seem to bother him at all...

"Adi! I'm so glad we found you! Where have you been? Why didn't you give any clue? We were so worried!"

But... the fox didn't answer.

"Dude... Are you okay?" Approaching his friend, Kadi asked.

The fennec boy looked so pale into nowhere and didn't say a word until his eyes slowly drifted to mine.

It looked scary, I'll admit.

Just like in a horror movie, when an evil spirit spots its next victim.

However... on the other hand, there was...

Third person's pov

Aiden looked at Kiara and instantly attacked her, biting her shoulder but not that madly.

His goal was to injure the gray marble fox so that she couldn't escape.

The girl screamed in shock and pain while the other members tried to get him away from the victim.

It didn't seem so easy, because the guy shot them both away against the wall with his Lightning.

Kiara stood up with shaky legs and limped back away from the boy.

"Aiden, what are you doing..! What have I done to you?" The fox sobbed, with tears in her eyes.

"I was given an order and I must carry it." The boy said coming over.

Kadi and Amber had already recovered from the sudden impact and already wanted to stop Adi again, but this time the fennec fox had a plan and acted differently.

He created electrical ropes and let them immediately wrap around Kiara's body so she cannot escape and, spreading wings and grabbing the girl, he flew far away from Kaden and Amber.

Friends screaming for Kiara was the last thing the girl heard before Aiden knocked her unconscious with a small Lightning bolt to her neck.