Escape Route (Decode Sequel)

Chapter Twenty Five - Okay? Okay.

Everyone moved on from the hot topic of conversation and settled into different ones around the room. I sat by myself going through everything in my head. Whoever the 'scientists' were they had some sort of vendetta against whoever was going to use that kettle - that's if the paper was of course accurate.

Just as I was about to leave the room, a face I hadn't seen in a while came charging through the door, panic and fear spread across her face.

"Cherry?" Paul shot up of his chair to greet her. "Don't you have class this morning?"

"It's urgent," she coughed out.

"What's going on?"

"This." She slammed several bits of paper on the table, all with this same photograph on. By this point everyone had gathered round to see what the commotion was about. "I went back to my room last night and it was just there."

"It could just be one of your flat mates playing a prank."

"It wasn't, we all went to the pub last night and came home together, no one was there."

"Do you think this could mean something?" Liam asked, turning to face Zayn, he shrugged his shoulders and picked one of the pictures up. I took one too and scanned over it.

"It's her handwriting." I spoke without registering my words.

"I heard what happened in the science lab," Cherry added. She wasn't kept in the dark about much, Paul told her most things for her own safety. She had no interest in gang work and concentrated hard on her education. "I don't know if it means anything but it might link the two incidents." She mumbled nervously over her words.

"Anything will help," Zayn urged. My ears perked up too in anticipation.

"I know someone took Lennon and did all this crazy shit to her, like you said dad. And I don't know but there was this kid last year he wouldn't quit bothering me until I downright told him to back off."

"How exactly does this help?" Louis queried.

"Well a couple months later he was kicked out of uni for attempting to conduct illegal experiments in the science lab. The professor had him kicked out straight away without warning and told him he'd never be a successful scienctist.

"Do you think it could be him?" Niall asked.

"It's the only lead we've got, thanks Cherry."

"I don't want you going back there until this is all sorted." Paul informed his daughter.

"What about classes?"

"You're telling me you never skip class?" She didn't respond and held her head down avoiding his stern glare.

"Did he have any close friends or anything?"

"No, he was pretty much a loner from what I saw. He didn't live on campus though, I think he lived with his brother or something."

"What's his name?" The speed Zayn was firing of questions made it seem like he was having a brainwave.

"Donnie Taff."

"I bet the idiot has Facebook," Zayn added, pulling up Facebook on his laptop. After a quick two second search and with the help of mutal friends and the location setting, he was on his page in seconds. "Idiot," Zayn muttered again. "I'll track his IP address and see what else he's been up to. It'll give us a location and hopefully I can hack into his system and see if he's controlling Lennon through it."

"You think she's being controlled through a computer?" I asked, slightly shocked.

"I would put my best bets on it." He replied not even looking up from the screen as his fingers tackled the keys furiously.