When All is Lost

Chapter 20

"Ka-"

I snapped to focus, realizing a little late what they were asking of me. "No. It's fine. I'm good."

I definitely wasn't good. A small part of my mind refused to devolve completely into madness and it was keeping me going, but I was holding on for dear life.

My right eye twitched aggressively as I turned back to Paula and Carlos and gave them my most reassuring smile. "We're almost there. It's fine. Hopefully, we'll just get lucky and this will be the right place."

"Right," Carlos gave me what looked like a measured, blank expression. "Hopefully."

Are some bricks better for vegetation than others?

That thought kept me busy the whole rest of the way to the church. It was small and rundown, with slightly chipped white paint on its old wooden sidings. I had a strong urge to examine the wood more closely, but I forced myself to head for its front doors. I could hear the couple talking quietly behind me as I yanked on the door handle to no avail.

Maybe someone's home?

I knocked, then pressed the side of my face to the door, listening for any sounds of movement from the other side. "Hello?" I called out quietly after getting no response.

I heard Carlos make some sort of objection, but I was sure that the fastest way in would be for someone to just open the door for us. My head hurt too much to care about things as trivial as patience. The sooner we were inside, the better.

"Hello?" I called again, listening to my own voice and wishing it was as smooth as Paula's.

Voice acting would have been fun.

"Hell-" A hand clapped down on my shoulder cutting me off.

"Maybe not the best idea," Paula said, looking nervous.

It took me a second, but I eventually got why.

Right. Bad people.

We needed to find a different way in – probably one where we would have the upper hand while breaking in.

Could really use a brick.

I took my backpack off and pulled it to my front. Rummaging around it, I retrieved Abby's hanger. My fingers were completely numb which made the process of using the thin wire in the old lock an agonizingly slow process. Eventually, the sound of a small click told me that I'd found success. Paula said something to her husband that sounded like she was intrigued, but she may have also just been asking a question.

Trying the door again, it swung open. Disappointment flooded me at the sight of empty space. The church, as poor as it looked on the outside, was nothing compared to what it held on the inside. The place had to have been condemned with its hole in its roof and graffitied walls. It almost wasn't worth further examination.

Almost.

"Ian?" I called for him as I entered the place, dodging a cobweb. "Ray?"

There was nothing. No signs of life other than the spiders. The wooden pews had begun to rot, looking darker and a little soft in places. I couldn't imagine that Ian would have picked such a place for us to meet up.

Maybe Ian likes spiders?

"I don't think they are here." I stated the obvious. Turning around, I saw that both Carlos and Paula looked more than a little skeeved out by the church's innards. Even as I eyed a nice, slightly cleaner-looking area of the floor, wondering how nice it would feel to sit, I completely understood where they were coming from.