Blame: Book 2- Tick Tock (The Sequel to Book 1)

To the Sky

     Once the movement stopped, I peeked out from the door, staring around the corner. I couldn't see the guys, but I knew where they were hiding; Charlie was under the coffee table, head in his knees, and Dan was sitting on the bed, presumably facing the wall, with the covers over his head. 'Ridiculous hiding spots,' I shook my head in disappointment, having second thoughts about the intelligence of the two detectives. I took my backpack from the doorway, carrying it into the bathroom, shouting to my colleagues that it was safe to come out.

     I slipped on my under garments, adjusting the straps of my sport bra before digging out my tank top from the bottom of the backpack. It was much warmer in Seattle compared to London, but it was just about the same temperature as Vancouver. However, I liked hot weather, and I didn't mind wearing clothing that showed off a little skin. So, I put on my jean shorts, pulling down the fabric slightly to make sure that my bottom wasn't exposed. And last but not least, I made sure that I had my socks on, since I didn't have anything else other than runners.

     "Alicia! Hurry the fuck up! Charlie and I need to shower too!" Dan complained through the door. 'For fuck's sake, Dan...can you have a little patience?!' I opened the door, seeing an impatient Dan standing over me, with a tired scowl on his face.

     "Thank you," he thanked with no emotion, tugging his bag into the bathroom, shutting the door.

     "Someone's cranky," I muttered as I slumped onto my bed, ignoring Charlie's presence on the other bed.

     "He's probably just frustrated about the riddle," Dan's partner said.

     "Then why don't we try to solve it?" I suggested, unplugging my phone from its charger. "The only thing we have to figure out is the location."

     "Yeah." Charlie agreed. "That's the only barrier between us and Hannah."

     So, the two of us got off to Google searching for places that involved needles, including drug injection sites, since it was possible to die from a drug overdose. I also told Charlie to research any tailors shop or textiles store, basically any shop that involved needles that had the capacity to kill a human being. However, the only thing that bothered me was the fact that the riddle said someone about the needle impaling someone, which made me wonder if it was even a real needle that The Nightmare was going to use. But what kind of needle could possibly be large enough to impale a person?

     Unfortunately, Charlie had to swap spots with Dan, who appeared to be in a better mood after showering, with a towel also wrapped around his head. I explained to my colleague what we were doing, and he caught on almost instantly, continuing the search from where Charlie had left off, being as quiet as a mouse. There were loads of places in Seattle with needles, and it became tougher to decide which place wasn't suitable for killing in plain daylight. And I was focused on solving the riddle, that I never felt a pair of hands unwrapping the towel from my head, until I winced at a strand of hair accidentally being tugged too hard. Then I realized that Dan was no longer on his bed, but on mine, braiding my hair, much to my surprise.

     "Since when did you know how to braid hair?" I laughed, sensing the detective flush with embarrassment.

     "Ever since I let my hair stay this long," I looked behind me, to see the white cloth gone from his head, revealing hair that didn't defy gravity. Woah.

     "Oh my gosh! I didn't think your hair was that long!" I giggled at his strange appearance. "Put it back up!" I begged, weirded out by Dan's undone locks. That earned me a hard nudge in the back.

     "Fuck you!" he laughed. "How am I supposed to do that without a mirror?"

     "Your phone, stupid," my finger pointed to the "Gameboy" sitting on the nightstand.