Alex's (POV)
I stare at the TV, watching as Frodo practically gets eaten by a giant spider.
Sighing, I look down at my watch.
12:47 A.M.
It's already been more than twelve hours since the Browns' left for D.C this morning. Me and Mack having just sat around watching movies, and playing video games the whole day.
So exciting.
I glance over at Mack.
He has his elbow propped up on the armrest, his head leaning into his hand. His eyes are halfway closed and his head keeps tilting forward before jerking back again.
I shake my head, a smile forming on my lips.
For someone who was all hyped about staying up late because there's no grown-ups around to tell him when to go to bed, he sure doesn't seem to understand the concept of 'staying up.'
I stand up, stretching my arms out to the side.
Thankfully the swollen area on my shoulder where I hit it on that rock, is almost back to its usual self now.
I yawn, feeling the normal tiredness that comes with staying up late.
Not that it's any stranger to me.
"I'm going to bed. Night." I say over my shoulder as I head towards the stairs.
"Yeah, I think I'm gonna head up too." I hear Mack's tired reply, a yawn following right after.
And he wanted to watch all the Lord Of The Rings movies before bed.
After I've changed into my usual night clothes, I go into my room. Laying down, I look up at the ceiling as I listen to all the noises.
Mack's now in the bathroom, the shower running. Crickets and other night creatures making their usual - yet calming, racket.
I continue to stare up at the ceiling, my eyes tracing all the cracks that decorate it as I wait for myself to relax enough to fall asleep.
But it doesn't happen.
Thoughts race through my mind a mile a minute.
What if Ben is planning something while the Browns are away?
I frown.
No, Ben isn't the bad guy.....He's just Ben.
I turn over.
But what if he is?
That phone call. It can't be a coincidence.
I turn back the other way, my blankets falling off my already warm body.
Frantic thoughts fill my mind, twisting and repeating themselves - like a hive of hornets buzzing wildly inside my head.
I wipe the sweat off my forehead, my eyes wide open. I flip onto my back, drumming my fingers on top of my stomach.
Forget it.
I sit up, swinging my legs down to the floor.
I'm never getting to sleep this way. Although, this is practically what I deal with every night.
But this is more urgent.
I need to find out.
I run a hand through my hair.
I can't believe I'm going to do this.
Reaching over, I grab my shoes. Pulling them onto my feet, I stand up.
I bring my watch up to eye level.
1:49 A.M.
Facing the door, I take a deep breath.
Time to figure this out.
I quietly open the door and step out. Taking extra care to avoid the squeaky floor boards, I head past Mack's shut door, down the stairs.
Unlocking the front door, I step out into the cool night air.
A gust of wind brushes across me, blowing hair into my eyes and drying my sweaty face.
I look up at the full moon that's halfway shielded from the clouds.
Perfect.
It gives me just enough light to see in front of me, but not enough for anyone to see me.
Watching my step, I head up the side of the hill that leads to the farmhands houses.
As I get to the top, I stop. Tilting my head, I listen for any noises.
Nothing.
Continuing on my way, I walk towards the house that's on the far left.
The one I know belongs to Ben.
You could say that while I was depressed up in my room all week, I've been keeping an eye on him through my window.
You know, because that doesn't sound strange at all.
But hey, I figured out which house he lives in. And he also goes to the barn at four o'clock almost each morning for about fifteen minutes before going back to his house.
Now that's strange.
Quietly, I walk right next to the little house. My feet making little to no noise, eyes watching the ground.
I stop at the window that's at the back of the house, its frame height starting at my chest.
Keeping to the side so I don't make a shadow show through the window, I look inside.
The moon illuminates inside just enough for me to make out everything.
From what I can tell, there's one main room, a kitchen over in the corner, a open door that probably leads to a bathroom, and a bed with a body laying on it.
Ben's sleeping form is just to the right, five feet from the window.
I look directly down, a smirk growing on my face.
Just what I was looking for.
Right in front of the window, is a nightstand.
His phone sitting in plain view.
I look the window over, noticing it's an older model. I run my hand down the bottom where the window meets the frame.
Only this one has a crack at the bottom.
I frown.
And that's not going to open quietly.
Nothing I can do about that.
Glancing around, I spot a pile of debris laying over in a corner. Walking over, I look through it. Careful not to make much noise.
My hand lands on a thin metal pole.
Picking it up, I weigh it in my hands. It might just work. I walk back to my position at the window. Looking inside, I see Ben's still in the same position.
Slowly, I take the pole, poking it up into the crack. I tighten my sweaty handhold on it, taking a breath.
Counting to three in my head, I jerk down on the pole.
A crack fills the silent air - like something hit the window.
Quickly, and with my heart beating out of my chest, I duck down underneath the window.
Is he awake?
After a full minute, I still don't hear anything.
Wait. I strain my ears, chest tightening.
Footsteps.
I hear a creak of an old floorboard being stepped on. I squish myself closer to the house, heart roaring in my ears.
Nothing else moves for another four minutes.
But I know he's still there.
Waiting.
Like the way a trained professional would. Trying to fake out the victim.
But I'm not falling for that trick.
After all, I was trained too.
I sit there for four more minutes, sweat literally dripping down my face, heart sounding like it could be heard a mile away.
Finally, I hear more footsteps, heading over to where I assumed the bathroom was.
A door shuts.
Not yet.
After a minute, I suddenly hear a couple more footsteps. A door opens, then shuts again.
I let a breath out.
Another trick.
I peek in.
No one around, the light from the bathroom illuminating from under the door.
Quickly, I stand back up.
With trembling hands, I slide my finger down in the now slightly larger crack. Pulling up, I open it just high enough to fit my hand through.
Reaching in, I grab the phone of the table.
I frantically turn it on. Only to instantly deflate.
A four number password.
I was hoping he wouldn't have any password at all. But I guess that was too much to wish for.
I'm not giving up. I made it this far.
Think Alex.
Ben seems like a simple person. Why else would he choose a number password over a letter password?
Because he likes things to be easy.
Quickly, I try just one through four.
Wrong Password.
Sweat drips down into my eyes.
Think.
I try another combination.
Wrong Password.
I'm all too aware that I've only got maybe three more tries before I'm locked out of the phone for five minutes.
And I don't have five minutes.
I glance over at the bathroom door.
Trying another tactic, I get the same results.
Wrong Password.
I tap the phone in concentration, my eyes just now noticing the picture that's used for the wallpaper.
A car. And not just any car.
I smile.
A 1955 Cadillac.
Like I said, simple.
Quickly, I type in 1955.
It unlocks, opening to the main screen.
Going into contacts, I scroll through as I look for the date one week ago.
I stop.
There.
An unsaved number with the exact date I was looking for.
Quickly, I memorize the number. Then going back, I look through the most recent calls.
My eyes widen.
There's three with that number, all within a day of each other.
All in the same hour frame.
Four o'clock.
If I was going to find anything, then this is it.
I take one more look at the number, making sure I've got it memorized.
Exiting back to the main screen, I double tap the home button, then clear what I'd been doing.
I hear the sound of a faucet turning on.
Pressing the off button, I slide my hand back under the window. Putting the phone right where it had been.
Pushing down on the window, I get it back to its original position.
The door opens.
I squat back down under the window.
It's quiet for a moment, then I hear the footsteps move towards the bed.
The springs in the bed squeak.
Without waiting to see if he actually went to bed. I make my way around to the front of the house.
Avoiding the front porch lights, I take off at a sprint. Heading back to the safety of the farmhouse.
With a trembling hand, I open the front door. Going inside, I lock it behind me.
In the living room, I switch the light on, walking over to the little table in the corner that has the phone on it.
And the phone book.
Reaching under the table, I bring out the big book. Laying it on the table, I open it up.
Flipping through it, I replay the number through my head.
My gasps for air fill the silent room, sweat soaking my clothes.
I run my trembling finger across the paper, following the numbers as they get closer to the one I want.
My heart thumps loudly in my ears, stomach complaining from the sudden sprint I just ran.
My finger stops.
There.
I read the information about the number, my chest tightening.
Washington, DC.
Fountain Industry.
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A/N
Hello!!! Nice to see ya again!!!
Let's get right to the point.
Questions:
1. Who likes Lord Of The Rings?
2. How do you think I did with the scene of where Alex was "Investigating "?
3. Who thinks something major is about to go down?😏
4. Any guesses on what that might be?⬆️
So if you didn't know this, I opened a COVER SHOP! So if your in need of one, then check me out.😁 And pass the word around!! (I won't complain to that😜)
Thanks again everyone!!!!
Next update: Sunday (I already have it more than halfway written!😉)
Oh, did y'all notice the new cover? What'd you think? (Sorry for those of you that wanted a different one😂)
Don't forget those Votes, and COMMENTS!!!!
Until next chapter!👌🏻 (And just between us....It's about to get real here)
Maggy😉
Edited: 6/22/17