Can't Find My Way Home, but It's Through You
Darkness Surrounds Us
”I need to get those cell lines back. Now.”
“No one has them. Except, of course, Frank Burnet.”
“Then let’s get Burnet.”
“Unfortunately, Mr. Burnet seems to have vanished, too. We can’t seem to locate him.”
“Great,” Rick said. “Just great.” He turned and yelled to his assistant, “Get the fucking lawyers, get fucking UCLA here, and get everybody here by eight o’clock tonight!”
“I don’t know if—”
“Do it!”
Zach sighed and finally took his eyes off the book. The darkness of night fell upon the street and the lampposts were lit, shining a dull yellow onto the street below it and reflecting off dark, hazy windows of cars that sped by.
“Shit!” he cursed to himself. He checked the time. 7:42. He glanced at the book’s page number. Page 224; CH044 in grey, bold letters stood out on the next page.
“I can’t believe I spent so long reading!” He quickly stood up, knocking down his chair in the process, catching the cashier’s and the other customer’s attentions. He stuffed the book in his bag, mumbling, “Damn you Michael Crichton and your interesting novels.” He brought his bag over his shoulder, picked up his chair and rushed out of the shop and onto the streets.
He sprinted down the sidewalk, his footsteps clacking on the shadowed ground. He continuously slowed down, eventually stopping at a streetlight. He grabbed hold of the pole, bending over to catch his breath. Between breaths, he heard soft footsteps coming toward him. He stood back up and sighed, his breathing back to normal. The footsteps stopped and Zach felt a presence behind him. He shifted uncomfortably, waiting for the light to change. A sleek black car stopped next to the streetlight. Zach glanced at the person inside, seeing nothing but the light shining off a pair of blue eyes. He hesitantly turned his head back forward and saw the familiar white man on the streetlight. Again, Zach sprinted across the street and turned around to see the man still standing, watching him slow down and fully turn to face him once he got to the other sidewalk.
The man did nothing but stand there, watching Zach slowly face forward. He turned his head again to see the man on a cell phone. He ignored the man and continued down the sidewalk. He passed an alley, where he heard a garbage lid fall onto the hard floor. He stopped momentarily to listen more but was suddenly pulled into the alley by two pairs of hands.
His arms were brought back behind him and held by one hand, as the other covered his mouth. Zach struggled against them to no avail. They were too strong.
“Stop…struggling you son-of-a,” the man said, holding Zach down. He bit the man’s hand, hoping for him to let go, but, despite the pain in his hand, the man held on. Zach continued to squirm and bite until a whack to the head with a steel pipe stopped him cold and left him limp. He felt his body hit the floor with a ‘thump’ as the men continued on with their business. The voices continued to speak; fuzzy as they were, he listened.
“Fucking little bastard,” the first one said with a thick Brooklyn accent. He examined his hand in the little light he had from the lamppost on the sidewalk. “Almost made me bleed.”
“Just leave him for now,” the other said, in a slight British accent. “He’ll make sure he bleeds for what he did.” There was an opening of a briefcase and the twist of a bottle. “Now help me drug the bloody boy.”
The first man held Zach’s head up, opening his mouth to let the other man slip a pill between his lips.
No… Zach thought. You…you bastards…leave me alone… But despite his thoughts, he was unable to move any part of his body. The second man poured some water into his mouth and the first one lifted his head, making sure Zach swallowed.
“That’s a good little boy.” The first man lifted Zach’s limp body and carried him on his shoulder.
“So, you suppose we should call him now?” The second man asked.
“Sure. He’ll be happy to know we’ve captured him.”
He? Captured? …Oh no. No, no no, not him… Zach thought. He suddenly became dizzy and it was difficult to keep his eyes open. He strained to stay awake but his eyelids were heavy. He shut them and listened once more.
“Hey, boss,” the second man greeted. “We’ve got him…Yeah, okay. We’ll get right to it. See you.” He flipped his phone down and walked out onto the street. He waved his arm to attract the sleek black car down the road. The man across the street also came sprinting up.
“Ha, look at the little idiot. Thought he could get away from us,” the man from across the street taunted. “You can never get away. Not as long as he’s got us.” He opened the car door and let the man holding Zach into the backseat. He shoved Zach to the other door, letting his head hit against the window. The other two men got in and they drove away.
Shit…I… It hurt Zach to think. His head was pounding but he was able to open his eyes once again. He stared out the window, watching the dim lampposts he had paid almost no attention to before rush past the car in a blur. His only source of light and it came and went so fast. He watched the light until his eyes became heavy again. He shut his eyes and let darkness surround him.
“No one has them. Except, of course, Frank Burnet.”
“Then let’s get Burnet.”
“Unfortunately, Mr. Burnet seems to have vanished, too. We can’t seem to locate him.”
“Great,” Rick said. “Just great.” He turned and yelled to his assistant, “Get the fucking lawyers, get fucking UCLA here, and get everybody here by eight o’clock tonight!”
“I don’t know if—”
“Do it!”
Zach sighed and finally took his eyes off the book. The darkness of night fell upon the street and the lampposts were lit, shining a dull yellow onto the street below it and reflecting off dark, hazy windows of cars that sped by.
“Shit!” he cursed to himself. He checked the time. 7:42. He glanced at the book’s page number. Page 224; CH044 in grey, bold letters stood out on the next page.
“I can’t believe I spent so long reading!” He quickly stood up, knocking down his chair in the process, catching the cashier’s and the other customer’s attentions. He stuffed the book in his bag, mumbling, “Damn you Michael Crichton and your interesting novels.” He brought his bag over his shoulder, picked up his chair and rushed out of the shop and onto the streets.
He sprinted down the sidewalk, his footsteps clacking on the shadowed ground. He continuously slowed down, eventually stopping at a streetlight. He grabbed hold of the pole, bending over to catch his breath. Between breaths, he heard soft footsteps coming toward him. He stood back up and sighed, his breathing back to normal. The footsteps stopped and Zach felt a presence behind him. He shifted uncomfortably, waiting for the light to change. A sleek black car stopped next to the streetlight. Zach glanced at the person inside, seeing nothing but the light shining off a pair of blue eyes. He hesitantly turned his head back forward and saw the familiar white man on the streetlight. Again, Zach sprinted across the street and turned around to see the man still standing, watching him slow down and fully turn to face him once he got to the other sidewalk.
The man did nothing but stand there, watching Zach slowly face forward. He turned his head again to see the man on a cell phone. He ignored the man and continued down the sidewalk. He passed an alley, where he heard a garbage lid fall onto the hard floor. He stopped momentarily to listen more but was suddenly pulled into the alley by two pairs of hands.
His arms were brought back behind him and held by one hand, as the other covered his mouth. Zach struggled against them to no avail. They were too strong.
“Stop…struggling you son-of-a,” the man said, holding Zach down. He bit the man’s hand, hoping for him to let go, but, despite the pain in his hand, the man held on. Zach continued to squirm and bite until a whack to the head with a steel pipe stopped him cold and left him limp. He felt his body hit the floor with a ‘thump’ as the men continued on with their business. The voices continued to speak; fuzzy as they were, he listened.
“Fucking little bastard,” the first one said with a thick Brooklyn accent. He examined his hand in the little light he had from the lamppost on the sidewalk. “Almost made me bleed.”
“Just leave him for now,” the other said, in a slight British accent. “He’ll make sure he bleeds for what he did.” There was an opening of a briefcase and the twist of a bottle. “Now help me drug the bloody boy.”
The first man held Zach’s head up, opening his mouth to let the other man slip a pill between his lips.
No… Zach thought. You…you bastards…leave me alone… But despite his thoughts, he was unable to move any part of his body. The second man poured some water into his mouth and the first one lifted his head, making sure Zach swallowed.
“That’s a good little boy.” The first man lifted Zach’s limp body and carried him on his shoulder.
“So, you suppose we should call him now?” The second man asked.
“Sure. He’ll be happy to know we’ve captured him.”
He? Captured? …Oh no. No, no no, not him… Zach thought. He suddenly became dizzy and it was difficult to keep his eyes open. He strained to stay awake but his eyelids were heavy. He shut them and listened once more.
“Hey, boss,” the second man greeted. “We’ve got him…Yeah, okay. We’ll get right to it. See you.” He flipped his phone down and walked out onto the street. He waved his arm to attract the sleek black car down the road. The man across the street also came sprinting up.
“Ha, look at the little idiot. Thought he could get away from us,” the man from across the street taunted. “You can never get away. Not as long as he’s got us.” He opened the car door and let the man holding Zach into the backseat. He shoved Zach to the other door, letting his head hit against the window. The other two men got in and they drove away.
Shit…I… It hurt Zach to think. His head was pounding but he was able to open his eyes once again. He stared out the window, watching the dim lampposts he had paid almost no attention to before rush past the car in a blur. His only source of light and it came and went so fast. He watched the light until his eyes became heavy again. He shut his eyes and let darkness surround him.