Vertigo

Chapter Fourteen - Unmasked

"Where is she?" I spoke in a low growl as I pushed through the door of Big Boy's gym, letting the rain drip off me. I saw Arti stumbling back through the curtain of wet hair plastered to my forehead. I stepped forward.

"Dude, you're going to get mud in. I just cleaned this place," She protested, grabbing her bag off the shelf before rushing to me. "My brother left his car behind. We can take that."

"Arti," I spoke as she rushed past me. "Where the hell is she?"

"The arcade, okay? Let's go before it's too late."

"The arcade? What the hell did you tell her, you idiot?" I spoke, grabbing hold of her shoulder. My rage, now palpable, set my blood to a simmering boil as it burnt a hole through my chest. Arti tugged loose before grabbing hold of my wrist, dragging me out into the rain again before running towards her brother's car – an old beat up Volkswagen with a nonaligned chassis that no mechanic could pull straight. Get into the death trap! she signalled. I rolled my eyes before getting in, slamming the door shut behind me.

I glared at her as she started up the car with great effort before she responded. "You have to believe me, Dawn. I didn't tell her anything."

"Then how the hell did she know to head to the arcade?" I was yelling now. My hands clenching tightly onto my clothes, I stared at her.

"Oh, I don't know, rich girl!" She bellowed back, keeping her eyes on the road as the storm picked up, hammering against the steel frame of the VW that made no effort to keep the cold out. "Maybe she figured it out, huh? Maybe she heard the rumours about you!"

"Rumours," I stated as my heart sunk into my chest.

When I was a child, I hated stories in which the author would tie a storm to the loss of a loved one. It seemed predictable. Cliché, even. But, what if that happened now? What if I were to lose Haylee? It would be my fault...

Arti sighed, seeing the vivid shade of red flee from my cheeks, only to be replaced with a sickly shade of blue as if I were suffocating in my own thoughts, and placed her hand onto my shoulder. "Look, I'm sorry."

"What rumours, Emma?" I asked, turning to look out the passenger side window as the curtain of water washed across it.

She sighed again. "Someone tipped the entire underground off that Alli and Dawn were the same person."

"Delta," I muttered, making a mental note to force the entire story out of my father. "I'm sorry for accusing you."

"Save the apologies for later. We're here," She spoke as we pulled up to the entrance of the arcade. The buildings brick walls raised tall into the heavy night sky, providing a perch for the limestone angel statues that stared downwards with a certain pernicious glare.

The rain clashed against my face as I stepped out of the car, walking towards the bouncer who simply stepped aside, opening the door. Arti trailed behind me after cutting the engine of the car. The room was a sprawling mess – that much I expected. Yet, the energy that flooded through the crowd held something I hadn't expected. It held a feeling of familiarity that sunk into me. My fist tightened as my eyes flowed to the centre of the room. A fight.

I shook my head before continuing further into the room. Arti half walked, half jogged to catch up to me before speaking. "How are we going to find her in this place?"

"We talk to Dr Facilier," I responded, taking the slightest amount of pleasure in the confusion that spread across her face. I walked further to the centre, allowing my thoughts to drown into the pounding bass of the music and the cadence in the lyrics that accompanied it. The fight was between a girl who seemed my age, who danced about the ring, skipping back and forth to each bar of the music, and a shirtless guy about twice her size in sheer muscle. He stormed forward, his face focused on her as she sidestepped like some sort of bullfighter.

She smiled, flicking her thick locks of black hair to the side before stepping in quickly, driving her knee into his side. He gasped for air before composing himself. This kind of thing was common. Some guy rushes into a fight, thinking his muscle would cover up for lack of skill, only to be beaten by someone they completely underestimated.

She ducked under a punch before slipping left, driving her elbow into his liver. Pain ripped through his being as he dropped to his knees, sweating. Goodnight, her lips said before she swung a kick upwards, catching his temple with the top of her foot. I shook off my daze before continuing towards the ring.

"Hey," I spoke as we walked up to the man who signed me up for the competition. He was dressed in a velvet purple coat along with a solid gold chain, making him appear to look like some sort of pimp in an '80s cop show. He stood up, ordering the girls at his side to leave.

"I see why you called him Dr Facilier," Arti commented, looking at the man. He frowned.

"Really now, kid? Name's Valerio," He scolded, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Anyway, why are you hear? Come to ditch this competition, I hope."

"If only it were that simple," I responded. "Look, has anyone come around looking for me?"

"Such a shame," He sighed. "And yeah, now that you mention it, there was a chick in leather looking for you earlier a few moments ago. Blonde, I think."

"Blonde?" I asked, frowning. "Nevermind. Where is she now?"

"I asked the security to see her out." He shrugged.

"You did what?" I held, grabbing hold of his chain before yanking him forward. His eyes narrowed before shoving me away.

"Look, kid. It's protocol. I can't simply give away any information about our clients. You should know that."

"Where the hell is she now?"

"Security sent her out of the exit through the alley-" I ran off, cutting him off before weaving through the crowd to the back door. Arti yelled behind me, trying to catch up. I stormed out of the door and broke into the alleyway. The rain that crashed into my face felt warm now as if it were steaming off from my face. I looked around, yet there was no sign of her.

"Haylee!" I yelled in desperation as heat welled up behind my eyes. I looked around, running down the alleyway before a scream shock my world – a sick ululation of fear that sounded like an out of tune violin. A desperate cry for help.

I gritted my teeth, brushed the rain out of my eyes and broke into a sprint towards the scream, using a gate vault to clear the fence. I slipped on the wet ground when landing, but quickly shifted back to my feet to cut through the next alleyway. The screams were closer now. More desperate. More familiar.

Come on, Haylee, I spoke to myself as I continued running. I'm almost there.

I ran into the road running alongside the building before stopping dead. The girl struggled free from her attackers who tried shoving her into their car. One of the attackers rushed behind her, holding his hand over her mouth to silence her. She bit hard, drawing the slightest amount of blood.

"You bitch!" I bellowed, letting go. My eyes widened as the second of the three goons pulled out a gun, aiming it at the girl. She froze, staring at him. My heart sunk into my chest.

"Dawn, help me!" She yelled out one last time before the woman's gun sounded, staining her white dress a vivid red. I stumbled back, recalling what happened to Cindy as a sudden roar of an engine jerked me back to reality. The shooters' attention darted towards it as well before he ducked out of the way, dropping his gun. It took me a few moments to fully realize what had happened. Arti rammed the car into the heart of the group, creating a distraction.

I rushed forward, past Haylee before grabbing the gun from the floor, aiming it the gunner. I saw his face peek out from under his hood – Tristan. My eyes widened as rage-filled through me again. I pulled the trigger, allowing the bullet to tear through his leg.

"Get out of here before I kill every one of you!" I yelled, aiming the gun at the other goon. He rushed forward, helping Tristan from the ground, dragging him into the car before they stormed off. I dropped the gun, breathing heavily as I turned around to face Haylee. Her eyes locked onto me, wide and shock filled.