Dollhouse ➳ five sauce a.u.

thirty-four

LUKE'S POV

When we got the news that Brent killed himself, we were surprised. I was actually a bit sad. Ashton's mum was going to marry him and now he is dead. Why would he kill himself though? Maybe he was framed?

We were even more surprised when we got the news that Ashton went missing. The police began searching for him, for they feared that Brent may have killed Ashton. Michael and I were both scared and worried.

When Michael and I saw Alex, Ashton's boyfriend, in town while we were looking around for Ashton, I decided it'd be the right thing to do to approach him and tell him about Ashton.

"You're Alex, right?" I said, walking up to him. He looked up at me and nodded.

"Why?" He asked, looking at Michael, then at me. "You're Ashton's friends, right?"

I nodded. "We have some news," I began to say, looking over at Michael. "It's about Ashton. He's missing."

"What?" He exclaimed.

"His step-dad committed suicide today and now Ashton is missing. They think Brent took Ashton somewhere." Michael said. "He might be hurt, or..."

He didn't need to finish his sentence for us to know what he meant. He meant that Ashton could be dead somewhere.

"Brent, he's the one in the video who wanted to kill your friend Calum, right?" Alex asked.

"How'd you know?" I asked. Ashton must've shown him the video.

"Ashton showed me the video." He explained. "Did he tell you about the guy in the video who you guys didn't recognize? He's my cousin."

"Your cousin?" Michael asked.

"Yeah," Alex nodded. "He went missing five years ago and ended up at Frances Mental Institution. A year ago, he got let out but we never saw him after that. He's been missing."

****

ASHTON'S POV

It's dark outside now and there is now light at all inside the room where I am. It's pitch black. I've been tied up here for hours. I haven't eaten or drank anything since this morning. I'm starving.

I wonder if Brent will come back. Maybe he's already arrested. Maybe even the police are searching for me... Or maybe not. Does anyone notice that I'm gone?

****

In the middle of the night, I wake up when I hear somebody in the house. My heart beats fast and my hands get sweaty. Someone is in the house and I have a strong feeling it's not Brent.

I nearly start to have a panic attack when I hear footsteps as somebody approaches the room I'm stuck in. They get closer and closer. A light shines into the room from a flashlight.

The stranger walks in and shines the flashlight on me, with a surprised expression plastered on their face.

"Ashton?" The stranger asks. The second they spoke, I recognized the accent in their voice. It's Calum.

Calum is wearing black skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, and a gray hoodie. He looks tired and scared. He walks over to me and begins to rip the duct tape off of my mouth. It makes my face sting.

"You're okay?" I ask him quietly.

"There's a lot you don't know, Ash," Calum answers.

"This is just a dream, isn't it?" I mumbled, looking up at Calum. He didn't look hurt. He looked real.

"How's my mum? My sister? Is she still dating that jerk?" Cal asked, ignoring my previous question.

"They're fine, and yes, she is still dating him." I answered, looking down at the ground. He didn't say anything. "Everyone misses you. I wish you could come home."

"It's not safe there. C is looking for me." Calum said, walking over to the window and staring out of it.

"Who is C?" I asked, hoping Calum knew who they were.

He shook his head and looked over at me. "I don't know."

MICHAEL'S POV

It's been two days since Ashton went missing. Nobody has found him yet. The police think that Brent knows where he is, but since Brent is dead we don't have any way of finding out where Ash is.

That terrifies me. He could be somewhere, all alone in the dark with no food or water. He could be dead for all we know. Ashton's mum and Lauren have been scared too.

As I was about to call Luke to see if he has heard any news about Ashton, my phone vibrated signaling that I got a new text message.

This is just like what happened with Calum! Before you know it, Ash will be missing for years and then one day you'll find his body. -C