Finding Bat Country

Outside it rained as a police car pulled into the school parking lot. I watched from my homeroom, looking out at them wondering exactly why they were here. Maybe it was another drug test or something, but there was also a feeling that it was something more.

“Mitch Lanning.” A deep voice spoke.

I turned and looked at the door. Two police men stood at the door holding my sister Veronica’s messenger bag. My mouth went dry, looking at the bag that I had just seen my sister with this morning before she left for school. I grabbed my bag and got up, feeling the eyes of my peers on me the whole time. Once we were outside of the class room I was led into the counselor’s office.

“When did you last see your sister?” The officer whose badge said ‘Officer Adams’ asked.

“This morning at seven. She left the house to walk to school.” I answered.

“By herself?” Officer Adams questioned.

I nodded.

He sighed and handed me the bag, “We found her bag near the woods.”

“Where is she?” I asked remembering that whoever went into the woods, never returned.

“We have detectives on the case. We have come to the conclusion that she has run away.” The other officer spoke.

“No! You don’t know her like I do! She would never do that!” I stood up and screamed at him through the tears.

Officer Adams glared at the other officer then stood up and tried to calm me down, “Mitch, your parents are here.”

I turned away from them and slammed the door to the counselor’s office shut on my way out. Tears fell down my cheeks as thoughts of my sister ran through my head. Veronica was only fourteen, she would never run away. Why would she even go into the woods? Why wouldn’t she tell me?

“Oh Honey.” My mom cried when she saw me.

I tossed my stuff down and ran into her arms. She wrapped her arms around me and began to cry. My step dad, Tim stood off to the side not interfering with our embrace. Mom checked me out then we all piled into the car. My mom and Tim were going to the police station while Alex and I were going home. On the way home we passed the woods where I could have sworn I saw a man who was covered in blood with my sister’s shirt wrapped around his wrist, and he was wearing a fedora, smirking at me. But as soon as I blinked he wasn’t there.

“You okay?” Alex asked when we got to the house.

I nodded and headed up to the stairs, with mine and Veronica’s bags. Alex wouldn’t cry in front of me even if he was extremely hurt, so I knew he would go to his room before letting the tears fall. Wiping the tears away I looked into Veronica’s bag. Inside was her Algebra 1 book, binder, and her diary. It seemed so wrong to read it but if it had a clue in it to why she went in or who that man was, I was willing to invade her privacy.

*Dear Diary,
I‘ve seen him again. The man in a fedora. He scares, yet fascinates me. Who is he? What does he want? I‘ve been asking myself these questions for weeks. Never would I tell my family about this even if Mitch is the one I trust the most. Tomorrow I will go into the woods before school, there is a gate somewhere in there and I want to know what it holds. Other students from my school have gone missing when they enter, hopefully I‘ll make it out. But if I don‘t, whoever is reading this please tell Mitch that I love her.
5/27/11*

I read the entry over and over again. My mind had already spoken for me, I didn’t care about the stories that I had heard I was going into the woods. Maybe I’d find the fedora man, maybe he would know where my sister is. Or maybe he killed her….no don’t think about that. I took a deep breath then quickly packed a small duffle bag of clothes, personal hygiene products, and some snacks. Tomorrow I would set out to find her, the sooner the better. Nothing would stop me from finding Veronica.