The engine roars as I slam on the gas, my mind running through a thousand different scenarios as I drive the few blocks to Atlas’s warehouse. If Kortez found him at all last night, it would have been here – I think. I mean, hell, I have Atlas’s car.
Sure enough, when I slide into the parking lot, Kortez’s cherry red Mustang sits in the corner, windows down and completely empty. A quick look around confirms there’s no other vehicles around, so I pull off to the side of the building and park where the shadows are starting to darken from the fading sun.
As soon as I kill the engine, I’m turning around and digging my hand underneath the backseat. Atlas always has hidden guns wherever he is and last I checked there we’re four in this car.
Sure enough, my hand glides against the smooth metal of a gun barrel just seconds later. Careful about where I grab it, I slowly pull it out from under the seat and weigh it in my hand.
Not too heavy.I wrap my hand around the grip, making sure to keep my finger straight instead of letting it linger by the trigger – just like Atlas taught me.Fits in my hand a little too well, much better than the larger pistol’s Atlas usually carries around.
One more thing…a quick check of the magazine has me sliding it back into place with a satisfying click.Fully loaded, with one in the chamber.
I don’t want to shoot anyone but when it comes to Kortez, I will. And if it comes between Atlas and Kortez…I think I’d be better off turning the gun on myself.
Shaking my head, I slide out of the car and keep my grip tight on the pistol as I make my way toward the warehouse. The exciting, bright energy I felt walking through its doors last night is completely gone now, replaced with something dark and ominous. My hands start to shake again as tears form in my eyes, my mind somehow already convinced I’m not going to be happy with what I find on the other side of the door.
Suck it up and open thefuckingdoor, Evangeline.
The small pep talk does the trick, and I wrench the side door open with enough force to have it swinging backwards and hitting the wall. The loud smack is barely noticeable to me, though, because the setting sun is hitting the concrete floor with just enough light to show me the puddles of blood scattered across Atlas’s warehouse.
The tears start falling as I take another step forward, my hand going slack on the gun as my head shakes from side to side, refusing to acknowledge the bloodbath in front of me.
Kortez came to look for Atlas and…did he kill him?
My head shoots up and somehow tears continue to fall even though I feel the fire burning in my veins. “Atlas Valente!”
There’s no answer. The darkness continues to close in and the blood on the floor begins to lose its shine.
I need answers.
“Atlas!”
I take off, sliding a little on the floor before righting myself and running up the spiral staircase. “Atlas, you better fucking answer me!”
I check his bedroom first, throwing open his closet to check behind clothes and dropping to the floor to look under his bed. I’m getting lost in the mania and the worry.
“Where is my best friend?” My shouts echo through the warehouse as I run out of his room, checking his bathroom and kitchen with just as much frantic energy as before – if not more.
No one is here, though. The warehouse is empty.
I run back downstairs, my eyes searching the dark for a hint of anything that looks slightly human, but I can’t even see my feet in front of me.
I slide again, this time falling straight on my backand knocking the gun across the floor as I land in what I’m guessing is the larger pool of blood I saw earlier. It’s so thick that it’s still wet. No doubt my blonde hair is turning red as my clothes begin to stick to my body, but I can’t bring myself to move.
“Atlas, where is Kortez?” My voice breaks as tears run down my face and mix into the blood on the floor, the blood I’m almost sure belongs to my best friend. “Where are you?”
The sobs take over my body and I swear I can feel the blood seeping into my very bones. I’ll never be the same after this. What do I even do? Where do I go?
My entire future was planned with Kortez. I…I don’t know who I am without him in my life.
I lose track of how long I lay on the bloody floor, but it’s long enough for the tears to dry up and my body to grow numb from the mixture of the cold air around me and the texture of the drying blood.
I think…I think I may stay here forever.
A loud crash has my head shooting off the floor and I groan when pieces of my hair get ripped out from being dried to the ground.What the hell…
Another crash comes, followed by a loud boom that sounds like it’s coming from right outside the warehouse. Scrambling across the floor, I manage to find my gun in the dark and crawl over to the wall. My ankle twists as I put my weight on it too early and I bite into my bottom lip to mute the shout of pain, I can’t have anyone knowing I’m here.
Feeling my way down the wall, I find the door and peek outside, seeing a fire burning where Kortez’s car was parked when I first got here.
