Missing

Chapter 55

We run down until we find a door. It has the letters 'EX' on it so I'm assuming it used to say exit. We turn but it just leads towards another set of doors. Those doors lead to a room with shelves and warning signs.

"Which way now?" Riley asks.

"I don't know. We need to find Eldon. He knows this place." Riley makes a face.

"Emily." Riley looks up at me. Her eyes are fearful.

"Yeah?"

"I got you into this mess. I pulled Chloe and Eldon and Amanda in too. Even Daniel. He doesn't deserve me. But I was young, and I wanted to have fun. I know you're going to hate me but, you're in my journal. You were 1." Riley looks at her feet.

I'm 1? All this time, Riley has known something about me. I was her test subject. I don't know whether to be angry or relieved.

"I never thought it would come down to this. Everything Chloe said was true. Her life is miserable and I didn't do anything to help. She broke Eldon out of the mental hospital and I did take Daniel away from her. I threatened to tell the police about Eldon too. But, I thought I was just playing a game. I was dead wrong. I'm so sorry." Riley says.

I don't know how to respond.

"You were 1. Daniel was 10 and Chloe was 14." Riley starts explaining her journal numbers, "Amanda did guess her's. Once she found out, she wanted nothing to do with me. Eldon was 23. Everyone in there had a miserable life because of me. And the sad thing is, I knew what I was doing to them. I just didn't want to stop." Riley finishes her apology.

Suddenly, flames burst out in front of the thin windows inside of the room we are in. I know for a fact that the windows over look the inside of the warehouse. Chloe has set the place on fire.

"Emily!" Riley cries when she sees the bright colours of the flaming fire, "You don't happen to still have that fire distingusher do you?"

"No!"

Riley and I don't look at each other. We just step into the middle of the room and look for a possible way for us to get out without getting horribly burned.

"Riley!" I scream as the fire has made it's way into the room, "I forgive you!"

"That's good." Riley says then starts to look around the room for something that we can fend ourselves with from the blazing fire.

There isn't much that will help. There are wooden planks that have fallen from who knows where and a canvas bag that I don't assume will do any good - plus, the label says it used to hold flour so I'm not even going to test the bag.

The fire crawls towards us. Riley screams and throws something into it; whatever it was, it didn't help. A big puff of fire shot right up and sparks fly everywhere. A few land on my shirt and I smack them to put them out.

Suddenly, there is a sound other than hungry fire. It sounds like pounding.

"Help!" A muffled voice calls from behind the fire.

I look around to see who it may be.

"Help!" The voice says again.

"I'm coming." I start to run around the fire infested room to see where the voice is coming from.

Outside a window on the West wall, there is someone standing there. The person is covered in ashes and is pounding helplessly on the six feet high window. I get a long wooden plank and break the glass. The person covers their face to shield themselves from the spray of glass.

"Come over there!" I shout over the roaring fire as I point towards the nearest door.

I don't want to touch the metal doorknob, afraid there is fire behind it that can burn me. Instead, I take the long wooden plank and aim at the knob. It breaks open and I kick the door open. The door is meant to go in so my kicking it the opposite way makes the hinges fly off and the door falls into a pool of fire. Someone runs in through the door. The person collapse to the ground and has a coughing fit. I kneel down next to them and start to dust off some of the ashes.

"Em-il-y." The person says.

"Eldon?" I can hardly tell it's him underneath all of the charred clothes. His blonde hair still shines, though.

"Emily. Are you okay? Please tell me you are." Eldon is already getting to his feet.

"I'm alright Eldon, what's wrong? Where's Amanda and Chloe? Are they okay?" I help him to his feet.

Eldon looks at me. His eyes filled with sorrow and regret. They aren't the same loving eyes I've gotten used to. Now, they are filled with fear.

"They're dead." He answers solomely, "I killed them."