Where We Fell

Part Three. Chapter 19.

Dallas

It's been a week since Cash told Tucker, Chase and I everything. It's also been a week since I cried with Chase. We were okay and back to normal.

Chase, Tucker, Cash I plan to start putting the clues together today. I was nervous but also excited.

I heard the door open while I was in the living room, on the couch, reading. I didn't look up.

"Are you always reading?" Chase's voice pulled me out of my book.

I groaned and forced myself to look up. "Yes and you're disturbing me."

He laughed and sat next to me. I returned to my book and tuned out the next few words he said. Tucker and Cash were caught in the rush hour of traffic so we were alone for at least 20 minutes. It almost scared me.

Something surprising happened in my book and I gasped. Chase snapped his head to look at me and widened his eyes.

"Is everything alright?" he asked in an urgent tone. It made me laugh.

"Yes, just my book," I said through laughter. Soon, he was laughing too. We laughed until tears rolled down our faces. I felt light and happy for the first time.

"My stomach hurts!" I smiled and laughed harder.

"Mine too!" Chase said. We finally settled down and caught our breaths.

A few minutes later, Cash and Tucker arrived and we formed a circle. Chase was to my left, Tucker was sitting on the ottomen and Cash was in the loveseat.

"Okay, let's get to the point," Cash spoke up. Everyone flinched at his tone.

"Where should we start?" I asked.

"Well, since Cash was the fourth clue, he has to lead us to the fifth clue." Chase said.

"And where is that?" Tucker chimed in.

We all fell silent. Cash told us everything, he told us that was all he knew. I couldn't help but wonder if he left something out or he knows more. It wouldn't be the first time he didn't tell us something.

"The alley. That's where we need to go," Cash explained. "But we need to do it in the day because we need to be able to see."

"Let's go then," Chase grinned and got up from the couch.

"Quick question. How do we get there?" Tucker wondered with a look of confusion.

"I know how, just trust me," Cash informed us.

Somehow, I did trust him. "Let's go then."

Five minutes later, we were all in Cash's truck and driving to Austin, Texas. Cash was driving with Tucker in the passenger seat and Chase and I were in the back. I brought my book because it was at least a three hour drive.

"Hey, do you want to, uh, play sticks?" Chase nudged my shoulder.

I giggled. "Sticks? Do you know how old that game is?"

"Yeah but I'm bored and I don't like to read," Chase pouted. It made me laugh.

"Okay, fine," I gave in.

We played sticks for about an hour and a half before getting bored and playing I Spy and then 20 Questions. By the time we entered Austin, my face hurt from grinning so hard. We both were laughing like idiots when Cash entered the city.

"Can y'all like calm yourselves for two seconds?" Cash remarked.

"We'll try," I said through laughs.

I looked out the window and admired the tall buildings and stores. The city was filled with people and brick buildings.

"Dallas! Look! We're crossing a bridge," Chase pointed out. I looked out my own window and saw we were crossing a huge river.

Finally after about thirty minutes, Cash found the alley and a spot about ten minutes away from it. We got out and stretched.

"Shit, that was a long ride," Tucker groaned.

"The alley is about five to ten minutes from here," Cash informed us.

We walked past lots of glass buildings and brick stores. It was a nice town but the reason we were here toned down my good mood. We walked for a while before Cash stopped and pointed. I followed his finger and saw an alley hidden between two buildings.

"Let's go," he walked forward and we followed.

We reached the alleyway and entered. It was dark even in the day and was eerily quiet. I was a little scared so I grabbed Chase's hand and gripped it hard. He squeezed and led me through. The passageway was long and could only fit one person.

We turned our flashlights on on our phones and looked for any clue or something that Austin would leave us.

"Uh, guys, might want to see this," Tucker gulped.

We all rushed over and gasped. It was a blood covered object. I death-gripped Chase's hand and went pale. I felt like I was going to faint but I used Chase's hand as a structure for me to hold on to.

"What is it?" I asked as Cash picked it up with his hoodie. He used the cloth to rub off all the blood. It was a smaller object without the mud and blood.

"A 7mm Remington Magnum. I use that kind of cartridge when I hunt with my Remington." Chase commented behind me.

"You hunt?" Cash questioned.

"Yeah, I've been hunting since I was twelve," Chase informed him.

"Guys, focus! We need to take this bullet–"

"Cartridge," Chase cut me off.

"Whatever. We need to take it to the light so we can inspect it more. This is probably the clue." I acknowledged with slight annoyance to my voice. We needed to get this done and find him.

"Dallas is right. Let's head back to the truck or find somewhere to get a better look," Tucker agreed with me.

"Not so fast," someone warned us.