Finding Maisie

Finding Maisie: Chapter 14

Finding Maisie

Chapter 14

Two days had past; two days without any contact from the abductor or any idea what he was going to do. I was growing more and more anxious and Callum had to keep telling me to relax. I couldn't help it though, I was expecting something bad to happen. I couldn't help but constantly ring my mum, checking if she was alright. I couldn't help but look for Callum and Joshua the second I came home from work early in the mornings. I couldn't help but sometimes look at phone, expecting a text from the abductor saying that we had gone too far and Maisie had been killed. Thankfully that hadn't happened.

It had been a long tedious day of waiting and anxiety. I couldn't relax, I couldn't much concentrate on anything other than the treasure hunt. This waiting was killing. When the day was finally over I climbed into bed, hoping for a dreamless sleep, when my phone started ringing. It didn't recognise the number.

'Hello?' I said a little nervously, as I answered it.

'Poppy?' Spoke a female voice on the other side of the phone. They sounded distressed and worried.

'Yeah. Who's this?' I asked. Something about their voice made me trust them and I didn't know what.

'It's Heather, your cousin,' she said.

I was a little shocked. I hadn't spoken to her or any of my cousins in around ten years so what brought her to ring me now. The answer came immediately to my mind. The abductor. Had he got her? Was he threatening her?

'Heather, what's wrong? You sound worried,' I evaluated.

'I am. Poppy, I don't know what's happening but you need to come here,' she said.

'Go where, Heather?'

'To the hospital, please you have to come quickly.'

'What? Why are you at the hospital?'

'It's Adam,' she said. When Heather said his name her voice broke, 'He's been hurt.'

Adam wasn't Adam to me anymore. Adam was my cousin who was my friend and played games with me when I was younger. Adam was someone who wouldn't betray me and would always stand by me. But Max; Max was someone who wanted me dead. Max was someone who would help bring my downfall. Max was someone I would never consider to possibly be my friend. They were completely different people to me.

'Do you know what happened?' I asked.

'Kind of. He was beaten, badly beaten. Poppy, he was close to death,' she said. I could hear the heartbreak in her voice.

'Why are you calling me? Out of all your family, why ring me?' I asked. Did she know about the treasure hunt? Surely not but otherwise how did she know to call me?

'It was something Adam said to me,' Heather said, 'As he was being taken into hospital he was wavering in and out of consciousness. He was muttering random things but then I heard him say your name. He repeated it again and again until he was saying "Get Poppy". I didn't know why but he wanted you. I got your mothers number from my parents phonebook and rang up asking for your number. Please Poppy, you have to come. I need to know why this has all happened.'

'Okay, where are you?' I asked, yawning from needing sleep.

'Um, Farrings Hospital,' she said. The worry and sadness were still evident in her voice.

'I'll be there in forty minutes,' I said as I ended the call.

I ran to the kitchen and boiled the kettle. If I was going out, I needed my energy up. Whilst it boiled I ran upstairs to Callum's room. I swung the door open and ran to his bed.