Sixteen (ON HOLD)

1.4 Awake

David Sellers was a sworn officer of the law, a post he took great pride in. His own father, a man who was much loved and respected in his family, was also a police officer. When he died on the job, victim of a quick shoot out during a gas station robbery call, Sellers had vowed then and there that he would also become a cop and pick up his father's legacy. He had been only ten years old at the time. So, as much as he wanted to abandon his current mission and run back to the station to be reunited with his daughter, he had a job to finish here first.

Elsewhere in town, he knew Troy's parents were probably still in bed, tossing and muttering in their restless sleep just as he had done for weeks. The Harrison's were good people. They worked hard, supported the community and went to every single one of their son's football games, cheering louder than anyone. He was going to bring their boy in safe and sound, and when he did he would receive the biggest reward imaginable - his own daughter.

Due to the size and the unusual strength the boy had exhibited, Sellers decided the easiest thing to do was to follow him. Sellers was starting to wonder if he had imagined the boy picking him up like a rag doll, surely it was a result of being up all night and drinking too much coffee. The kid was strong, but not that strong. It should have at least taken effort, some sign of strain, to pick up a full grown man. He found himself wishing desperately for another cigarette, as the minutes stretched into half an hour or better.

The police cruiser slowly inched by alongside Troy as he walked purposefully down the road. He was wearing jeans and a red hooded sweatshirt with the high school emblem on it. Sellers noted that the clothes seemed to be his own and not worn or dirty, certainly they didn't look as if he had been wearing them the whole time he was gone. His eyes were vacant and always staring straight ahead. If the last few months were full of torture or neglect, you wouldn't know by his appearance. There wasn't a mark on him. The only odd thing was the complete silence and lack of emotion. If something was in the way, a tree branch or rock or the like, Troy stepped right over it without even looking down.

At first it wasn't clear where he was going or why but when he turned down the third street past the park Sellers finally understood where he was heading. Troy Harrison was going home. 

 ***********************************

Back at the station, all hell was breaking loose. Excited, but cautiously concerned parents were arriving in a steady stream. Following in tow were wide-eyed silent kids who all had a matching snap shot on the station wall under the word "Missing."

Chief Tanner observed the room while half-listening to the on-site psychologist give her brief report. The kids, except for being clean and unharmed, looked like released war prisoners. For the most part they were still; no one was fidgeting about or drawing any sort of attention to themselves on purpose. When imagining finding any one of the missing kids, which he had done plenty of times; there was always hysterical crying and enthusiastic hugging. In the reality playing out before him, there wasn't a sound. Not a single parent and child were hugging, clinging together or talking excitedly about the events or catching up. It was the children who were being unresponsive; the parents just didn't seem to know what to do about it.

"They seem to be in shock, or it's possible that they've been drugged. They don't look malnourished or injured but I think we need to get them to the hospital to get checked out," the psychologist said. She was bent over the desk, feverishly writing notes in her note pad. "What ever they've been through, sixteen weeks is a long time to endure it."

Something in that last statement caught Tanner's attention. He tore his attention away from the scene in the room and looked at her. "I'm sorry, what was that?"