Streets of Gleam Canyon
21:21 pm
•••
“He's not picking up, ” Melanie stated. Panic began to gnaw at her insides, twisting and turning like a knife had penetrated through her flesh.
“Maybe, he went back to the motel?” Bethany questioned rather than stated. She honestly didn't want to think of the worst case scenario.
“Maybe.” Melanie reluctantly agreed.
Walking past the stalls they had come across hours ago, they made their way back to their motel room. Emily had sent them a rather vague text letting them know that she wouldn't be showing up back to their room.
The girls had a clue as to why Emily had ditched them; sending each other knowing looks: Bethany and Melanie swore to fish out the details when she came back.
The loud banging of the traditional japanese drums got closer, and louder with each step they took forward. The event had been what they needed to loosen up, and temporarily forget that a serial murderer was out to get them.
Oliver and Bethany walked in front, hands interlinked. Sending each other sappy looks, Melanie couldn't help but roll her eyes at the gestures; from the funny faces, to the kissy ones.
Leading them to what he believed to be a short cut back to the motel, Oliver wandered a secluded pathway. The soft crunching of broken glasses, and fallen, dried leaves underneath their boots echoed through the silence.
Melanie’s eyes drifted to something discarded by the wall. Taking hurried steps towards the item, she bended at her knees to retrieve a broken cell. The screen had cracked, the battery as well as the back cover were a few feet away from her. Cautiously inspecting it, a sickening feeling laid rest at the pit of her stomach.
The cell belonged to Calvin.
A lump formed in her throat as she tried to fight off the tears threatening to fall.
Something she hadn't noticed before caught her blurry sight. Clearing her eyes from the waterworks, a syringe sat next to the phone pieces mocking her presence.
A hand to her shoulder startled her, causing a loud shriek to escape her mouth.
“Sis, what's wrong?” Bethany mimicked her, bending at the knees as well, she saw the shattered pieces laid to waste, as well as the syringe.
Before she could ask the question looming, her sister spoke seeming to read through her mind, “it’s Calvin's. I think he was drugged and taken hostage. It's all my fault, ” she cried out the last words. “It’s all my fault, I shouldn't have insisted on him calling the cops, now they've taken him,” she continued to sob.
Engulfing her in a tight hug, Bethany offered the only consolation she could. “shhh, ” she whispered into her twins’ ear, “it’ll be okay. We'll find him.”
“We need to get moving. It's not safe anymore,” Oliver declared. Lifting a sobbing Melanie, and a worried girlfriend to their feet, he held on to their hands. Casting a sympathetic look towards Melanie, he gestured to the front then mumbled, “are you good to walk?”
“Yeah, let's go.” she croaked out in a hoarse voice. Her attempt at smiling up at Oliver failed as she frowned instead.
Fifteen minutes of walking in complete silence— the only sound being their footsteps and their faint breathing— they arrived back at their motel.
“Calvin! Cal!” Melanie called out. Her voice echoed through the thin walls before returning to it's serene state.
Him not being back in the room intensified her dread. Where are you? She thought to herself as she slid down the door, tears spilled out of her eyes as she thought of the possibility of her boyfriend being dead already.
“Mel...” Oliver soothingly called out as he slid next to her.
Not knowing what to do, he awkwardly patted her shoulder. Why did he let Bethany persuade him into doing this?
“I don't know what you're going through right now, but I just want you to know that you have us. Whatever you need– if you need to talk, we'll be here for you,” he genuinely offered.
“Thank you, Oli. That means a lot to me,” she muttered. Wiping off the stray tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, she offered a reassuring smile then whispered, “I better get to bed, thank you again.”
“No worries. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, I'll let Bethany know I'm off to bed.”
“Okay, you do that.”
➖➖☯➖➖
Designated Location
23:01 pm
•••
Several footsteps echoed throughout the area. Light chatter bounced off the iron walls as the figures waited for Calvin to wake up.
In eagerness; one of the figures picked up the bucket fully filled with iceblocks and water, and angrily splashed him.
Waking up with a jolt, Calvin's wild eyes surveyed his surrounding. Trying to wipe off the cold water from his face, chains restricted his movements keeping them in place.
His eyesight was blurry, the flickering light bulb hanging above him intensified his throbbing headache. Hastily, he screwed shut his eyes returning to the familiar darkness he had been wrapped in.
His legs as well had been chained to a rusty, metallic table. Yanking vigorously at both his hands and feet, the chains stayed in position not loosening one bit.
“I wouldn't do that if I were you, Vinny,” the figure that had woken him up taunted.
“Get me out of here!” Calvin stressed as he continued to yank the chains.
His hands started to have searing pain where the chains were securely locked. Letting out a sharp hiss at the discomfort, he continued shaking about as if the table he laid on was on fire.
“You know...” the figure that had drugged him hours before spoke for he first time. Inching closer to where he laid he uttered, “Boss had faith in you. He thought you had the same ideals as him, but, you obviously proved him wrong,” he spoke deliberately, each syllable leaving his mouth like melted butter.
“I– I do have the same ideals, ” his eyes opened as wide as saucers as he fought to stress his point, “ they don't deserve what the Boss has planned for them. They are innocent in all this. Why should they pay for sins they didn't commit?” he questioned as he returned to his lethargic state.
“Do you hear this?” water splashing dude ridiculed. “You weren't singing the same song when you lurred them to that cabin, ” he accused.
Anger flared in his system, he knew the accusation had some truth in it, but he didn't want to come to terms with the truth. Yes, it had been his idea to go to the cabin. He understood the whole plan, but along the way his concious— something he never paid attention to— bothered him, he couldn't follow through with the plan.
“Fuck you!” he screamed out, blinded by rage he spit on water splashing dude.
Big mistake.
Disgusted, he retracted his hand to the back before swinging it to Calvins’ face with a considerable amount of pressure.
Repeating the same task, he continued to brutalize his face. One punch after the other he went on. A sickening crack resonated after the final blow to the nose, blood oozed out like an endless waterfall spilling to the concrete floor creating a puddle.
“Would you stop being a fucking nenderthal, and call the Boss, ” syringe guy chided. He'd had enough of the bullshit.
“You are such a buzz kill, Cole.”
“Well, someone has to be mature between the both of us, Mase,” he mumbled through gritted teeth.
“Fine!” Mase remarked. Nursing his bruised hand, he sent Calvin a triumphant smirk as he disappeared into another room.
“You don't have to do this,” Calvin uttered painfully, his words stringed together incoherently, “please help me, ” he pleaded as tears mingled with his blood.
“Look, kid. You had your chance, and you blew it. The Boss will let us know what to do with you. So, save your breath and energy,” Cole explained.
Heading towards the room Mase went into, Cole followed after leaving Calvin to mull over his decisions, and dwell one his pain.
———————
What happened? 🙆♀️
Did you see this coming? 😏
So Calvin was involved in the whole plot? Well that's gotta suck for Melanie. 🥺
Let me know your thoughts on this chapter. What did you like? What didn't you like?
What do you think is going to happen to Calvin? Will he live or will he be the next to meet his fate?
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