ADOLESCENCE - The Unfortunate Disappearance of Autumn Usher

Chapter Fifteen

"Try using the edge of the book!" Benji said.

"Dude! Do you really think that's gonna pop screws right off?" Tate responded. "And besides, the air vent is too small for us to fit in. It's stupid anyway."

"Well give me some hope here," Benji huffed.

The two of them were still being held captive in that small room in the back of the Nest, and at this point, had tried every option to find a way out.

"The air vent is a no. The only way out is the door, and that's not opening," Tate replied bluntly.

"Way to keep it optimistic," Benji sighed.

An otherworldly shriek-like noise was heard from outside, and Benji scrambled over to Tate.

"What was THAT?!" he squealed.

"I, I have no idea," she stuttered with huge eyes.

"OH, let me have a guess," Benji said. "We've already died and those are the sounds of us descending into hell! Gosh, I thought I had been good all my life. I mean sure I've told my mom that I'm sick when I didn't feel like waking up early for church on Sunday, but that was only that one—no, two times!"

Suddenly, the previously locked door flew open, and a windy-haired Amelia stood there with the ring of keys in her hand. She pushed her wispy, black bangs away from her face, and smiled when she saw the two of them.

"Hi my name is Amelia and I'm here to rescue you!" she said quickly.

Benji gasped.

"Tate! It's an angel! An actual angel!" he exclaimed. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Benji, that's not an angel," Tate tried to explain.

"Tate, yes she is! Oh my goodness, look at her," he insisted. "Wait, where's your wings?"

"Guys!" Amelia said. "Come with me if you want to live!"

"Ah, live," Benji said. "What a beautiful word."

"Come on!" Amelia yelled.

Tate grabbed Benji by the arm and ran after Amelia out the door. They ran down the winding hallway into the now empty main garage. They stopped and looked around.

"Where'd everyone go?" Tate asked.

"I don't know," Amelia answered. "Something is going on outside. Ohhh gosh I hope Ash and Rory didn't get spotted."

"Who are they?" Tate asked.

"I didn't come alone," Amelia said.

"Are they fellow angels?" Benji squeaked.

"No, they're not," Amelia giggled. "We drove here to maybe find a lead on what might have happened to Autumn Usher," she explained.

"WHAT?" Tate said in complete disbelief. "That's what we were trying to do, too!"

"Yeah!" Benji agreed. "And we got locked in a van and taken here!"

"Wait, what?! It seems that anytime someone mentions him, they get silenced by the Nesters somehow," Amelia observed.

"But why? Tate questioned.

"I have no idea," Amelia said. "But we found a girl that knew him really—"

An echoey squawk began fill the garage. Benji covered his ears, and Amelia screamed in fright.

"What was that?!" Benji asked.

"I don't know—"

"SQUAWK"

"Above us!" Tate yelled.

They looked up into the rafters of the garage and saw a small, black bird perched along one of the metal bars.

"That's it? That little bird?" Tate asked.

"Yeah," Benji agreed.

"How could something so small make a noise that deafening?" Amelia wondered.

"Maybe it's the echo from the metal walls," Tate suggested.

"Hey pal!" Benji called to the bird. "Can you keep it down?! We're trying not to die here."

"Great tactic, Benji," Tate said. "Talking to a bird, that'll help us out."

"No need to be sarcastic..." Amelia said quietly.

"Me? Sarcastic?" Tate asked. "Ha. This is Benji we're talking about, I can sass him if I want."

Amelia looked to Benji.

"It's alright," he laughed.

"Oh," she said.

Suddenly, the bird flew down from its perch and speedily exited the building from a small indented hole in the metal roof from the rusting.

"Let's follow it!" Benji said, before running to the front door.

"Benji, wait!" Tate yelled. But it was too late. Benji had already thrown open the front door to the Nest, exposing the events which were occurring outside, and exposing their now not so secretive escape.

Ash and Sashah were fighting to what seemed to be the death, and at the current moment Ash had the upper hand, holding her down and trying to scrape her shoulder against the pavement.

"Give it up!" he yelled. "This wont get us anywhere! I didn't want to have to hurt you!"

"More lies!" Sashah accused.

Poppy and Abel watched from the sidelines, and Poppy screamed and cheered Sashah on. She danced around them and taunted Ash. Of course Abel stayed quiet.

"Yes, it will get us somewhere," Sashah screamed. "I just called your daughter here so you can apologize for what you've done to her.

"What?!" Ash stressed.

She threw Ash off of her, and he tumbled to the ground. Sashah stood to her feet. She stumbled at first from exhaustion, but quickly gained her composure. Her bird flew from the inside of the Nest and perched itself on her left shoulder.

    Ash stuttered and looked to his feet.

    "Hi, Azrael," he said quietly, still avoiding eye contact.

    "Continue," Sashah said.

    "Wait, wait?!" Amelia whispered to Tate. "Ash has a child— who's a bird?" She was so confused.

"Maybe it's a pet? But don't worry, I'm lost too," Tate said.

"Same here," Benji agreed.

    Abel looked over to Amelia, Tate, and Benji and saw that the prisoners had escaped. He walked over to Poppy and shook her arm to get her attention.

    "Could you leave me alone pal?" she said. "I'm trying to watch here," she said, plopping down on the pavement to watch the entertainment.

    "It's been a while," Ash said, still looking at his feet.

    The bird squawked and ruffled it's feathers.

    Amelia, Tate, and Benji watched the confusing event unfold in front of them.

    "Wait, where's Rory?" Amelia whispered, while frantically looking around. "She was supposed to be with Ash!"

    "Uhm," Ash stuttered. "He lifted his head up to finally look at Sashah, and saw Amelia, Tate, and Benji standing in the doorway of the Nest behind her.

    "What are you looking at?" Sashah yelled, whirling around to see the three scared teenagers trying to escape.

    "Hey! You! What are you doing?!" she exclaimed, now seeing Amelia's affiliation with the prisoners. "Abel, get them!" she demanded.

    "Wherever she is," Tate said, "I hope she's doing a lot better than we are."