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JWalker2406

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Suddenly I wake up from someone violently shaking my shoulders. Telling me to wake up, we are back at the station. Sweat dripping from my forehead, which is now on fire. I nod, releasing their grip from me. Sighing I hold my head, wishing I had my pills. I hear the reporters talking amongst themselves until they notice me walking in. Great, that’s all I need. I hold my hand up, waving it slightly letting them know I am in no mood to talk. I hear questions being asked, but I never answer. I push my way through heading to the bathroom locking it behind me. Leaning against it I hear the groans and moans of the upset reporters. I crack a small smile as I head to the sink. Washing my face a couple of times until I remember why we are back at the station. The key! Shit, one hour! I peer down at my watch and notice that 15 minutes had already flown by. Wiping my hands along my grey slacks I unlock the door, my head popping out to see the hyenas backs to me. Taking that opportunity I glide past them telling Wallace to follow me. We head down the hall, back to the laboratory room to use one of the many different microscopes. The air cold, and unwelcoming. I take the key out of the plastic bag, without my gloves on, my skin noticing a greasy texture to it. Taking a swab of it with a q-tip I rub it on the slide, focusing in on it. I let her take a look at it, smelling my fingers.

"Oil." I say slowly, almost to myself. Wallace looks up at me, confusion on her face.

"Why haven’t you noticed it before sir?" She asks, looking down at the key.

"I never felt it with out gloves on, or it’s either been in that baggy." I pick the key up once more, placing it under the microscope. Twisting the different knobs I focus in on the section where the letters have been carved off. Tiny bubbles of oil resting inside the deep scratches. "Alright, well I know where he is. We gotta move!" I say rushing out the door and heading to the captains’ office, Wallace behind me.

"Josh, what a pleasant surprise. Uh, where is Rick?" He asks, his scruffy eyebrow perking up at Wallace.

"I’m not sure sir. He disappeared at the hotel. I think the killer might have gotten him. But sir..." Before I could finish he cuts me off.

"The killer got him?! Well, shit son you need to go find him! What if he is hurt, or dying somewhere?!" He yells, standing up out of his chair. I hate when he cuts me off.

"Sir, I know that!" I yell back at him, my hand slamming onto the desk, the pencils that rest in the pencil holder rattle from being disturbed. Catching his attention I proceed, "Now, I think I know where he is keeping them. But I ask to go in alone, and only when I call for the others to come in, they come in. You got it?" I say, my eyes fixing on his, not blinking. He takes his seat, reconstructing himself.

"You got it Conners. But...Don’t you do nothing stupid, like getting yourself killed." He says, his eyes lowering to the sheets of paper that cover his desk. Acting like he is so focused on them. I nod and head out the door, my finger rapidly pointing to the random guys from the hotel as I speed walk out the door. "I’ll brief you when we get there." I tell them as I hop in the drivers seat. Staring down at the wheel, the feeling of me driving again instead of Rick taking over until I hear Wallace’s gentle voice. "What are doing Wallace?" I ask as she takes her seat in the passenger side.

"I’m coming with you sir." She says smiling, clipping in her seatbelt. Telling me that I will not change her mind. Nodding I focus back to driving. Clearing my throat, my fingers gently turn the key starting the truck. I turn on the infamous red and blue lights, traffic immediately coming to a halt. Almost as if time has stopped. Wishing it were true, my foot flexes down on the gas pedal with more force, taking our speed up to 60 mph. My heartbeat beginning its marathon race like it did one year ago. The butterflies dizzy from bumping into each other at the hotel begin to flutter about in my stomach, bringing the nauseated feeling back. I get on the radio, "Alright guys, listen up. When we get there, I am going in alone. No if, ands, or buts about it. You only come in when I say you can. Ya’ll got it?" I release the button on the side waiting for the response, crackling voices come on one at the time saying "roger", "got it", or "sure thing boss." Breathing in deeply I look over at Wallace. Her crystal blue eyes focusing on the road ahead of us, something I should be doing. I see the odd color of white on her red lips, her teeth are biting down on her bottom lip. A sign of nervousness. Her slender, muscular thigh shakes rapidly, but very steadily. Another sign of nervousness.

"So, Wallace." I clear my throat, paying attention to the bleak horizon. "How long have you been with us?" trying to get her mind off of the future that is coming towards us at 65 mph.

"Um, two weeks from now it will be a year." She smiles proudly, her hand rubbing along her thigh. I give her a quick smile. "And my first name is Brandy, Josh." She says, her voice lingering on my name. I swallow hard and quirk a smile.

"Okay...Brandy it is." I say after the awkward 15 seconds of silence. I can see her silently giggling as she peers out the window. I notice that her leg is no longer shaking, so I end the conversation there. Looking at the green numbers above the radio dial I see that in five more minutes I will only have thirty minutes to get his attention away from killing the family. In remembering that, the butterflies start playing hop scotch in my stomach, and my heart begins pounding against my chest. My head is no longer on fire, but is replaced by a stabbing headache.

"Sir?" A crackling voice comes on the radio. I tell him to go ahead. "The captain called saying that the killer sent them a cassette tape. They haven’t listened to it yet cause he wants to play it with you listening in." Looking up at Brandy, her stunning eyes showing a bit of fear.

"Okay, tell him to call me and we can listen then, over." I say as my other hand reaches for my cell phone. A few minutes after, the phone comes to life, playing a gloomy tune. I pick it up, "Hello? Yeah, let me just put it on speaker." I say taking the phone away from my ear, pressing the speaker button. "Captain? You hear me?"

"Yeah, loud and clear. Alright well I’m pressing play now." Silence taking over once more, suspense filling the air. Just then horrific screams blast its way through my phone, ringing in our ears. Crying can also be heard. A woman’s voice quietly says "please let us go." over and over. A sound of flesh hitting flesh echos as the screams of the children cry out "mom!" My skin starts crawling as little bumps start pushing their way to the surface, chills fly down my spine as the voices are silenced. A few seconds of hearing nothing, then a sound of someone breathing. Deep and heavy. Then the voice asks, "Can you save them Josh?" My heart stops racing and ducks, hiding. I hold my breath, his voice sounding so familiar. Brandy, wipes away the few stranded tears that fell during the whole thing. I hang up the phone without saying goodbye. Letting that voice chime over and over in my head. An image then pops into my head of the guy that shared the same cab as me. His scruffy voice when he talked to me. Shit! He was right there, and I could have got him. Damn bastard. Anger boiling within me, wanting to get revenge for my family. Wanting to just rip his limbs apart, so he can suffer like I did.

Snapping back to reality I see the building not too far up ahead, the sun lowering behind the hills, as if ducking for cover. I flip the switches, turning off all the lights, driving up a couple of more yards, pulling off into the fields that surround it. The old Oil Refinery casting a ghostly shadow over us. As if telling us that we are not welcomed here, to turn around. Only death awaits us here.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like I said before, not as good as the first one I was writing up before my computer ate it, but I think it is pretty good. I hope ya'll enjoy it! Any critics or advice please don't hesitate to say them! Thank you!!