𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐎, the gifted [1]

chapter two

Winona closed the door behind her and looked around the dark area. She turned on the flashlight in her hand and shone the light around the room.

There were old tarps hanging from some parts of the ceiling. Sheets covered different objects in the room. The place looked abandoned and Winona was happy about that.

She couldn't figure out what this building used to be but she didn't really care. She walked over to one of the objects covered by a dirty sheet. Once she pulled the sheet off, she could see that there was a small wooden table underneath it. Two chairs sat on either side of the table.

Winona placed her backpack down on top of the table and walked to another sheet. She pulled it off and it was a sofa. A small smile came across her face and she looked around the room. She then began looking for a light switch.

She shone her light along the walls. After a few minutes, she found a switch and flipped it up. No light turned on and she sighed in annoyance. Winona began to look around the room. She found a fridge, though it didn't seem to work. She found a bathroom, that looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in years.

She then found an LED table lamp and went to turn it on. Light flooded out of the lamp, which shocked her. "Thank God," she whispered. Winona picked up the lamp and walked back to the main area and took a seat on one of the chairs around the table.

She unzipped the smallest pocket of her backpack and pulled out a burner phone. There was a message from Renee's burner phone and Winona opened it.

296-554-6598: You idiot! What the hell were you thinking? Call me now!

Winona bit her lip and began dialing Renee's phone number. A faint noise caused the girl to pause. She looked around the room, shining her flashlight, as well as the lamp, in every direction. The lamp on its own didn't give off that much light. She took a deep breath and turned back around in her seat.

"Calm down Winnie. There's nothing there," she mumbled. She pressed the talk button on the phone and pressed the phone to her ear. She listened to the phone ring and turned back to where she though she heard a noise. She saw nothing.

Right when she was about to turn back around, she saw a bright light. Winona's eyes widened and she quickly ended the call. She grabbed her backpack and scurried toward the mini kitchen area. She looked around for some sort of weapon but could only find a bottle of wine.

She grew confused for a brief moment before grabbing the bottle. Suddenly, the overhead lights turned on. Winona's eyes widened further and she slid down to the floor, her back resting against the cabinets. Her breathing picked up and she desperately tried to keep quiet.

She pressed the back of her hand against her lips. "Are you sure she's here?" A male voice asked. Winona closed her eyes briefly as she listened. "Yeah, this is where her trail ends," another male voice said. "But how do you know for sure? I mean you said it yourself, you were having trouble tracking her." That was a woman.

Winona opened her eyes and gripped the wine bottle tighter. "That was before. But she got sloppier, more desperate. That made it easier to track her," the second male voice answered. "Whatever you say," the female muttered. "We should spread out and look for her," the first male said.

She heard nothing else and remained frozen in her spot. She heard footsteps walking in different directions. Winona didn't move for a moment. She then peered around the counter. Seeing no one, she quickly ran toward the way she came in. "Hey!" Someone called.

Winona quickly turned around and saw a man. She gripped the bottle tighter and examined him. He had short dark hair and tanned skin. He wore regular clothes and this confused the girl. Winona lifted the bottle up and he lifted his hands in surrender. "I'm not gonna hurt you, all right? Just put the bottle down," he said.