Page 68 of Once Bitten

Chapter Twenty Six

Present day.

“This is it?”

“It’s the address you gave me, bro, $8.50,” the driver answered impatiently, wanting to get to his next customer.

I handed him the money and got out of the cab. “512” I read off the piece of paper.

Riding up the elevator to her apartment, my heart fluttered in my chest. The plane ride home yesterday had been torturous. And I‘d spent the last day trying to get her address. She’d done well covering her tracks, making sure no one would help me find her. But, eventually using the stepfather’s name at the HR office turned out to be the trump card.

I knocked. No answer. I knew she wasn’t at work, Larry had told me that she’d asked for a few days leave.

I knocked again.

“Kara. It’s me. If you’re in there, please open the door.”

I listened, but there wasn’t any movement inside.

I sighed.

I’d come back again tomorrow.

***

The sound of my knuckles rapping on the door echoed down the empty hallway.

“Kara, it’s Finn. I need to talk to you. Five minutes, just give me five minutes, please.”

Three days later, she still hadn’t come to the door, I didn’t know if she was in there ignoring me, or not even home. I’d tried coming at different times of the day, just to catch her.

But there was never an answer to my knocks.

No clue to tell me what to do next.

“I miss you, Kara,” I whispered, pressing my hand against her door for a moment before turning down her hallway.

***

“She’s not there.” A voice spoke up behind me as I pushed on the door of Kara’s apartment building.

It’d been another three days of nothing. I hadn’t slept or eaten a proper meal in days. I didn’t even recognize myself any more.

“What? I’m sorry?” I turned around to see a young woman holding a plastic bag of take out containers.

“Kara. You’re Finn, right? I’m Mai, I own this restaurant,” the woman said, gesturing to the store behind her.

“You know Kara?” My heart leapt with hope.

“Yes. And I know you’re Finn, so I wouldn’t get too excited.”

“Where is she? When will she be home?”

“Doesn’t matter, I’m just telling you, she’s not home now. And that even if she was, she wouldn’t be home for you.”

“Mai…please, I really need to talk to her, I need to…I just need to explain some things.”

“Finn, look, I don’t know what’s really happened, but I can tell you this. Whatever it is you might have to say, Kara isn’t ready to listen. So maybe you should give her some time.”