Family Night (4 page)

Chapter 10

     Julie had dozed off on the couch. She had no idea how long she had fallen asleep, but when she woke up, Sarah had already left for work. It was almost 2 a.m. so Sarah would be getting off pretty soon. She opened the door and stepped out onto the catwalk. The night air was cool, but m
uggy. Julie stretched out. She could hear music coming from some of the other apartments. Not unusual for a Friday night.

     Looking across the parking lot, she saw Sarah’s car. It was parked
in the same spot it had been earlier. So where was Sarah? She ran to the stairwell, and down to Sarah’s car. She felt the hood, and the engine was cold, so she hadn’t gotten back anytime recently. The driver’s door was unlocked, and Sarah’s purse sat in the passenger seat. In that moment, Julie felt the life drain out of her.

     She thought back to the strip club, the missing girl, Carla and her corpse they found under the highway. Her knees began to tremble as her breathing quickened. She ran back to the apartment, trying to catch her breath. As she got inside, her phone started to ring. It was a private number. Maybe it was Sarah. Maybe someone from work picked her up. Maybe she was just fine.

     “Hello?” She said.

     “Hello Detective,” A man’
s voice said on the other end though it had obviously been distorted. “By now you’ve probably figured out your precious Sarah is missing.”

     So much for her maybes;
her worst possible nightmare was happening and there was nothing she could do about it.

     “Who is this? Where is she?”

     “Who I am isn’t important. Sarah is just fine, for now. Whether or not she stays that way is entirely up to you.”

    
“You better let her go! If you hurt her, I will find you! I will—“

     “Detective, you’re not helping. I need you to listen closely. First I want you to know she is unharmed.” The voice said. She he
ard what sounded like footsteps then screaming.

     “Jules! Don’t listen to him! He wants to kill us both! Jules!” She heard Sarah screaming. At least she knew she was still alive.

     “Now, you know she’s alive, so I need you to follow these instructions exactly.”

     Julie stood with the phone to her ear, trying to hold back tears.
She tried to keep herself composed, taking some deep breaths.

     “Julie?” He said. “I need to know you’re listening. Sarah’s life depends on it.”

     “Ok,” she sighed. “I’m listening.”

“T
here is an abandoned gas station a few miles south of the city. You need to be there…alone in one hour. If anyone comes with you, or follows you, if you tell anyone else, there will be consequences. Do you understand?”

     “Yes. I understand.” She said.

     “Good. Once you are there. You will be given your next instructions. This part is very important. When you get these instructions, you must follow them to the letter. Do not ask any questions, do not hesitate. It will not be good for either of you if you do. Do you understand?”

     “Yes. I understand.”

     “Last thing…do not bring any weapons with you. No guns, pepper spray, or whatever else you cops might use. If I discover any weapons, there will be consequences.”

     “Ok,” she said, her voice now shaking. “I understand.”

     “Good. I wouldn’t waste any time if I were you.” He said and hung up.

     Once the call was disconnected, she began shaking and crying. She had to save her. Sarah was the love of her life. She’d been in several relationships, but none as long as with Sarah. No one got her the way Sarah did. Now she might be gone, and it was because of her, it had to be. Was this the same guy who killed Carla? It had to be. The only thing she could think to do was call Ben. As she ran to her car, she dialed his number. He finally answered after three tries.

     “Ben! It’s Julie.”

     “Julie? What the fuck? It’s like 3 a.m.”

     “He’s got Sarah!” she said.

     “Who?”

     “Sarah, my g—um, roommate.”

     “I didn’t know you had a roommate and who has her?”

     She explained everything to him over the phone. She was worried if this guy had her phone number and knew where she lived, could he be listening to her calls too? Did she just doom Sarah by calling Ben?

     “Ok, I’ll head that way. I’ll stay out of the way so I won’t be seen. You do what you need to do, ok?”

     “Ok, I’m so scared, Ben.”

     “I’m sure you are. If this is the guy who did that work we found the other day, we have our work cut out.”

     “You think we should call the captain? Bring him on this?”

     “I wouldn’t risk it. If we spook the guy, Sarah will be dead, and he’s in the wind.”

     “Right.”

     “Take some breaths, and get there safe, and be careful. I’ll keep an eye out.”

     “Ok, thanks Ben.”

     She hung up and started the car, driving into the unknown.

Chapter 11

     Ben hung up the phone and got dressed. He still wasn’t fully awake as he pulled on his jeans, shirt and grabbed his gun. He’d never heard Julie sound so frantic. She was usually very in control.
On the phone, she sounded like anything but in control. He doubted it was their supposed killer that had taken her roommate.

     He got in his car and headed to the gas station she had told him about. It was several mi
les south of the city. There were hardly any cars out at all. There was an old junkyard further down. He pulled in there and shut the car off. From there, he wasn’t visible from the road, but had a decent view of the gas station. There was an empty field behind the gas station covered in tall grass.

     The gas station had been abandoned for a long time, but it remained boarded up. After a few minutes his phone rang, it was Julie.

     “Hey,” he said.

     “Where are you?” She asked.

     “I’m here. I found a hiding place. I’ll lie low in case something goes wrong.”

     “Ok, thank you Ben.”

     “No problem. Hey, this wasn’t some ploy to get me alone at night was it?” He said, trying to lighten the mood. Though once he said it, she immediately hung up. He shook his head and sat the phone down.

     Finally he saw her car pull up and pull into the gas station. He watched as she shut the car off and killed her lights. She remained in the car for a minute, when there was a knock on his window. He turned and saw a face wearing the Guy Fawkes mask in the window. He jumped and screamed as it startled him.

     It took him a second to collect his thoughts when he reached for his gun. Before he could reach it, the masked figure swung a sledge hammer into the window, shattering it. Glass fragments stung and peppered Ben’s face as he tried to reach his gun. The car door swung open, and Ben tried to kick, but the masked man grabbed his leg, shoved a cattle prod into his crotch and set it off.

     Pain shot through Ben’s groin like he had never known. The shock went through his whole body, laying him out flat as he urinated and defecated all over himself. He could smell his own shit and piss as the masked man dragged him out of the car by his legs. Once out of the car, a black hood was placed over his head and he felt himself being duct taped by his hands and feet.

     His mind had gone fuzzy for a few moments, but his head was beginning to clear. Julie! Julie was still at the gas station. If this guy was the same as their killer, what did he have in store for them, or Julie? He became angry at himself for picking such an obvious spot to hide. Though at the time, it didn’t seem as obvious, but he hadn’t taken her seriously. Now here he was.

     He felt himself being dragged by the feet. Rocks and dirt cut into his back as he was dragged for what seemed like forever. After several minutes, he was lifted into some kind of vehicle and heard a door slide shut. It was a van.

     “Who are you? I’m a cop! What do you think you’re—“ before he could finish, someone pressed the cattle prod against his throat and gave him another jolt. The shock was so hard and unexpected; he bit half his tongue off mid-sentence. Blood sprayed all over his face as his severed tongue lay pressed against his face and the hood. The pain was at least as bad as the jolt to the groin. His tongue and half his face throbbed with pain as the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. The van started to move as his mind faded until he lost consciousness.

Chapter 12

     Julie pulled into the empty station’s parking lot. The place was all boarded up, and tall weeds grew all around it through the cracks in the pavement. She parked her car to the side, but there was no one in sight. After a minute of sitting in the car, letting the car run, she turned the car off and climbed out. She walked around the front of the building, still no one.

     As she came around the back, a small
boy wearing a Guy Fawkes mask appeared from the field. She looked around, but saw no one else in sight. My God! This guy has kids helping him? The boy walked up to her slowly. He was wearing a black hoodie and black gloves. Once he was a few feet from her, he held out a small bottle.

     She looked at him and he shook it slightly until she took it. There was a little note on the side with one word.

DRINK

     She looked at the boy and was about to ask him what it was, but remembered the man on the phone told her not to
ask any questions. That bottle could have anything in it. Would he poison her? Why would he call her all the way out here just to do that? This was her only chance to find Sarah. Slowly she removed the cap and drank the contents of the tiny bottle. The liquid was sweet, but not familiar. Once she drank it, the boy put his hand out and she handed it to him.

     He took the bottle and stood there looking her up and down.

     “What? What do you want me to do? Where is—“ She began to feel light headed. Everything started to spin, and as she looked around, she no longer saw one boy with a mask in front of her, but several. Finally the drowsiness set in, she tried to fight it off, but it came on fast and strong, until she was out.

     When she awoke, her head felt like she had the worst hangover ever. As her head cleared, she saw someone in front of her. She blinked her eyes to clear her vision. It was a woman, Sarah. She was alive, but tied to some kind of long pipe, with her arms spread out over her head crucifixion style. Sarah was also naked.

     “Sarah!” Julie screamed. She tried to move but her arms were tied also. Looking down at herself, she too was naked. Her hands bound to a pipe in the same manner as Sarah’s. Sarah was crying and looking off into space, as if she didn’t know Julie was there. Julie looked around and to her left, there was a man tied to a pipe the same way they were. The man was naked and covered in blood. He looked unconscious.

     “Sarah!” Julie screamed again. “Sarah! Can you hear me?”

     “Meh!” The man to her left said. He was trying to say something but it came out as gibberish. He was looking right at Julie.

     “Ben? What the hell? What is going on?” Julie asked, but all Ben would do was mumble as blood ran out of his mouth. She looked around when a door from the right slid open. In walked a man wearing the same mask as the boy at the station. The boy was with him and also a girl. All were wearing the same masks and hoodies.

     “Who are you? Let us go please! What do you want?” Julie cried. The man stood before her looking at her.

     “I’m afraid I can’t do that Detective Castillo. I planned this all for you.” He said.

     “Why?”

     “Because you’re special. I knew it the first time I saw you. No one else has had this special ritual. Only you.”

     “What ritual you sick fuck! You’ve got kids here helping you. Me and Ben are cops, you have any idea how many will be looking for us?”

     “Yes, I’m sure. Your pal Ben said the same thing right before he bit his own tongue off.” The man held out his gloved hand exposing a folded tissue. He slowly unfolded the tissue to reveal Ben’s severed tongue. Julie screamed at the sight. He walked up to her with the tongue.

     “You’ve had a long night,” he said. “You must be hungry.” And he tried to shove the tongue into her mouth. She fought him trying to bite and struggle against him, pinching her mouth closed. He tried prying her mouth open with both hands when the girl took out a knife and slashed down Julie’s side. She screamed allowing the man to shove the severed tongue into her mouth.

     He held her mouth closed by the bottom of her jaw and pushing down on the top of her head. She made muffled, sounds trying to spit it out.

     “You can either chew and swallow it, or choke on it. It’s up to you.” The man said. They stood there that way for over a minute in a sort of standoff. The tongue was slick and salty in her mouth. It was too large for her to swallow it whole. She tried but felt herself gagging. Finally she began to chew.

     It was tough
and bloody as her teeth sank into it. It took her dozens of bites through it before she was able to get some of it down. She still felt like gagging at the sickening taste. Bile rose into her throat and mixed with the rest of it. She was able to keep it down before finally swallowing the rest. The man let her go and stepped back.

     “There, that wasn’t so bad,” he said. “Now we can get started.”