Finding the Unknown

Chapter 1- How It All Started

I finally reached the parking lot and walked to my car. I reached out to pull the door open, but it wouldn’t budge. It was stuck yet again. I tried and tried to open it, but my tears were making it hard to see and I had no patience. I kicked the car and let out an angry scream, sliding down the car's door and lying on the ground. Tremors took over my body and I sobbed. It happened again. I lost another person. I couldn’t take it anymore!A woman came up to me and knelt down. I looked up and realized that it was Zoe, my childhood best friend. “I told you not to come. My Uncle’s friends are monsters” I said, wiping my face with my hands.

“I was worried about you. I know what happened with your-” She stopped, as if rethinking her words. “I know this is hard on you. I knew you’d go off on someone.”

“Yeah, I guess I kind of did.” I said, laughing lightly. “I’ve never been that good at handling my anger.”

Zoe rolled her eyes. “You aren’t kidding.”

I glanced at the backyard of my Uncle Aaron’s house where the funeral was still going on and I sighed. “I should really find out what craziness Uncle Aaron’s planned. Said something about a hunt.” I shook my head. “Only Uncle Aaron would do that.”

I walked up with Zoe to the area in the back of the yard, just close enough to hear what the attorney was saying. “In this hunt you will travel from place to place all over the state. You will be given clues that you must figure out. They will be discreet and simple, so be careful to make sure you’ve figured it out correctly. You may bring a friend with you to help you. I’d advise you to bring a friend you trust and are willing to share the money with. The hunt will start tomorrow, so I’d start planning today. Meet here at four in the afternoon. From here you will leave.”

He went on a little bit longer, saying things about my Uncle Aaron and what a great man he was. Uncle Aaron’s friends left soon after the hunt was finished being explained, so only the family remained. I can’t remember it all. I was too busy thinking. I had to admit, I was tempted to join in on the hunt. I needed that money.

When the funeral was over Zoe and I said our goodbyes and headed to our cars. As I was struggling to force my door open, I heard someone clear their throat. I turned around to see the attorney standing there.

“Hello Ms. Cyr.” He said. My eye twitched. He pronounced my last name wrong! He gave me his name but I didn’t really catch it.

Zeek Kekkins or something. I was too annoyed that he didn’t pronounce mine and Uncle Aaron’s last name right to really listen. What kind of attorney was he if he couldn’t even pronounce the clients last name right?

“It’s Cyr, like a searing pan.” I said irritably.

“Oh, of course!” He said, his smile widening unnaturally. “Ms. Cyr. But as I was saying, feel free to come tomorrow. We’d love to have you join in.” He handed me some kind of flyer that I frowned at. I grabbed it and looked at the bold words on the front. “The Hunt. Aaron Cyr’s final masterpiece.”

“Thanks.” I muttered, forcing a tight smile and throwing the flyer in my purse. “I should really get going, Kevin. Bye now.” With one hard tug I pulled my door open and got in.

“Well actually my name isn’t-” I heard as I was shutting the door, but I just said, “Sorry, in a hurry!” And with that I drove off.

The next morning is clear in my memory. Maybe it was because that was the day it all happened.

I woke up on my broken mattress. The right side had no springs so it was hard getting up. From a distance, it would almost look like an air mattress that was slowly losing air from only one side. My apartment was dark since whoever built it didn’t know what windows were, so as I got up I had to painstakingly feel along the wall for the light switch. Finding it, I flicked it on and inspected my now grimy hand. I knew I shouldn’t have touched that wall. The worst part about the place’s filth was that it wasn’t even mine, and I could never fully clean it up. It was forever filthy and disgusting. Stupid, cheap apartment!