𝖳he Horde (On Hold...)

For Kevin || part two

The clock in the Olsons' kitchen read 3:10 p.m. The upstairs had been inspected by the forensic scientists who had come in the morning, as had the rest of their house.

The children stayed beside Ike on the sofa while a devoted mother paced her living room.

"Bonnie." Ike sighed, as he looked at his panicked wife in silence. "Honey, you have to sit down and manage to get some rest..." he adds although he is just as desperate as she is.

"We cant stay here with our arms crossed !" She gets angry by bringing her hand to her forehead.

"We have notified the police of her disappearance, what more do you want us to do ?" He asks as he looks up at her with dark circles under his eyes, while she continued to make her steps back and forth.

"I dont know..." She finally stopped, turning to her husband, tears threatening to flow. She pursed her lips to hold back her sobs as she turned her face limply from side to side. "I refuse to believe that we are useless. That we just have to wait and do nothing."

All the couple knew was that Casey was all alone outside, as protests turned to chaos and The Horde was back again.

"Come here..." Her husband whispered softly, pained to see his wife so frustrated.

Bonnie huffed in turn and then sat down next to Ike as the two girls to her right moved to let their mother sit. Immediately, Bonnie put her protective arm around them to calm them down despite her own worries that overwhelmed her.

"I hope she's okay" Young Ryan said next to his father, as he stared at his knees in annoyance.

"Don't worry." Ike retorts gently, keeping his son close to him. "Casey is strong" He adds with conviction, although he is just as scared as his son. "She'll be fine. I'm sure she will."

With that, he kissed the top of Ryan's head, as his two daughters hugged their mother.

Her foster family were helpless and impatiently awaiting news from Casey. But in the meantime, the couple reassured their children and tried as best they could to reassure themselves too, snuggled up against each other on their sofa, their minds full of 'what if'.

Bonnie couldn't stop the tears from pouring out now. Adopted or not, regardless of age, it was her step daughter's life...

Meanwhile, Lieutenant O'Connor made his way to his car as he left the university in which Joseph was studying.

"Since when did the kid disappear ?" Lance asked over the phone, standing in a different location for another investigation.

"Since yesterday at the end of the afternoon." Roman replied, approaching his car. "Apparently the father was able to call her around five forty, a few minutes after they noticed her disappearance."

Roman still had his conversation with these students in mind, all insisting that Joseph had left without giving them a specific reason. He had left the party in a hurry and he looked anxious. But the lieutenant still remains focused on his explanations.

"Casey seemed in a rush and nervous on the phone. She quickly hung up and her parents haven't heard from her since." He explains the facts to his supervisor before opening the door of his vehicle. "Casey Cooke and Joseph Dunn would also have developed a friendship. The parents called him several times to see if he would hear from their stepdaughter but he did not respond either. The father spent the night at drive through the streets to find Casey but nada." He continues before sitting in the driver's seat.

Lance began to breathe deeply worriedly, as he gazed at the scenery around him, the wind blowing through a few strands of his salt and pepper hair.