A rough wail from across the hall had my heart pounding so hard I was struggling to hear over the sound of my own heartbeat. The door to my room opened, slowly, excruciatingly slowly, until at last a tall figure cloaked in shadows and dark clothing was revealed. They were in my face before I could even think about screaming. A hand roughly shoved me face-first into my pillow.
A barely recognized the pinch in my shoulder before it dawned on me that the man must have just put a needle in my arm. The dampness of my hot breath trapped between my face and pillow had my heart stuttering with the realization that I was suffocating. My back muscles seized with pain as I struggled against the hand in my hair holding me down.
August 21, Friday
Enoch
I sharp shove to my shoulder had me sitting upright from the arm of the sofa.
“What? What?!” I asked frantically, scrubbing my eyes to get them to focus on the looming figures in front of me.
I blinked several times and realized in the dim light of the living room that it was Big Bird and Bradley standing over the couch.
“What happened?” I asked, searching their faces for an answer.
“We’ve got a problem,” Big Bird said, taking a step back to lean against the armchair.
Bradley took a seat on the couch beside me with a frown.
My stomach dropped to the floor.
“Spit it out already,” I demanded impatiently.
“We’re still getting the details, but there was a fire on the compound.”
“Fire?!”
Bradley patted my shoulder, “Just let him finish.”
Big Bird nodded at Bradley before continuing, “Two properties on the compound burned, along with a good chunk of their land. So far, only one male body has been found, deceased. Based on the chatter we intercepted it seems like the two buildings were the homes of Kit Walsh and Theo Walsh.”
“Then where is she?” My hands dug into the arm of the sofa.
“We don’t know.”
My jaw dropped and I looked over at Bradley for more answers.
“The FBI was there,” he added.
“The FBI?” I parroted, trying to make sense of that statement.
“Yes,” Bradley nodded with a grave expression. “They…they actually contacted us.”
“How? When?”
“About forty minutes ago,” Big Bird said. “They spotted one of our drones trying to get some info on the fire, gave us a phonenumber to call. And we did. Turns out, there’s another force at play here.”
My stomach dropped.
“No. No way,” I said, shaking my head.
Big Bird nodded softly, “It’s not what we wanted, but it sounds like there’s still a chance she’s alive. There was only one body found, which means they’ve taken the rest of the family alive, including your girl.”
My stomach churned noxiously and sweat broke out on the back of my neck.
“So, you think she’s alive?”
Big Bird sighed, “That’s what the FBI believes anyway.”
