FIRE & BLOOD • EVAN 'BUCK' BUCKLEY / 9-1-1

15.

BUCK

All you need is me to take care of you. I will make sure you are always happy and satisfied for the rest of your life Evan Buckley. She could never and would never love you the way I do. Me and you have something so special and I knew it from the day you saved me.

The paper rips in half and I crumble it up in my hand. I let out a frustrated sigh as I toss it into the trash can in my kitchen. My fingers run through my hair. I can feel myself becoming nervous. These notes have been appearing everywhere for weeks now. When I found the first note in my locker I laughed thinking it was a prank. I went up to everyone asking if it was them and they all looked at me like I was crazy when they read the note. They all denied leaving it inside my locker. Then the notes kept coming. The more I got the weirder they were. Everyone at work laughs it up when I tell them it's been getting out of hand. They shrug it off and say it's a secret admirer. I've had them before but this is extreme. Whoever is sending me these notes is crazy. I try to think of something to distract myself. I don't want to spend another second thinking about these notes and who has been watching me in hiding.

My mind wanders off to Stella. It's been a few days since I've seen her. She's become my favorite person to hang out with other than my crew. Everything flows so smoothly between us, nothing is forced and I love the relationship that has grown out of us since we became friends. It's something precious to me and I wouldn't do anything to ruin it. I grab my phone and search for her contact before pressing the small phone icon. Maybe she'd be down for a movie tonight?

After the third ring I hear a voice that doesn't belong to Stella, but still I respond asking if it's her.

"Uh Stella?"

"It's Gigi..." her best friend whispers. She sounds different. Scared. Why does she have Stella's phone?

"Oh Gigi! Hey is Stella around?"

Silence. The only sound being her heavy breathing. It's as if she's thinking of what to say. A moment passes and still no answer.

"Hello?" I say. The other line remains dead silent. This is making me feel uneasy. What the hell is going on? Something feels off.

"Gigi is everything cool? Where's Stella?" My voice comes out harsher than I meant for it but she's stressing me out with having not said a word in minutes. But when she does finally answer my question the whole world falls silent. I can hear the pounding of my heart in my ears.

"She's missing."

STELLA

Whatever drug my attacker used on me was strong as a motherfucker. My head is foggy as I lift myself up on my elbows. I examine my surroundings. Darkness surrounds me. Beneath me is a pile of sheets and a pillow. A makeshift bed. The ground is rough and my lower back feels sore. I look straight ahead to see a mere reflection of myself. Then realization hits me. I'm inside a glass cage. Slowly bringing myself to my feet I manage to walk up to the glass. I use my hands to search for some kind of knob or button, anything that will let me out. I start to panic when I find nothing. The glass is cold against my palms. Fear takes over. I start banging on the glass though it might be useless. I open my mouth to scream but quickly close it. Who would possibly be able to hear my cries for help? I have no idea where I'm at. I could be inside some building in the middle of nowhere or underground. The space outside is pitch black making it impossible to make out anything. My throat starts to tighten.

Then a light shines up ahead and I make out a staircase. Someone is opening a door and I can hear their footsteps, each wooden step creaking beneath their feet. I stand my ground not showing any fear. It's best I remain calm, maybe I can talk my way out of this. Sounds silly but if I don't act out there's a possibility I can make it out alive. A small silhouette emerges from the dark and speaks in a mellow voice.