In Your Dreams

13.

"This place is creepy." Mark whispered. "It would be creepy in daylight and it's the middle of the night."

We were parked across the street in the shadow of an old oak tree. The forest and river were on one side of the street and the shack compound on the other. Luckily Meredith had written an address on the letter and I punched it into my navigation system. It brought us here, to the place I had only seen in my dreams.

"You didn't have to come." I muttered in a low whisper "I told you I would go by myself."

"And have two doctors come up missing in less than two years?" Mark scoffed "Richard would kill me."

"We need to get a closer look, I can't see anything from here."

"Derek." Mark warned.

"I didn't come all the way out here just to sit my ass on the leather seats of my car." I argued "I came here to find answers."

"You can't just go out there without knowing what you're up against."

"Oh just let him go Mark!"

We both jumped as the voice came from the backseat. We whirled our heads back to see Lexie throwing a blanket off of herself as she sat up in the backseat. I felt my heart race with adrenaline at the surprise of her presence. Mark's expression of surprise soon turned to scowl.

"Lexie!" He muttered "What the hell are you doing here! I told you not to come."

"And I told you I had to come." She glared "I'm not going to let the same thing that happened to my sister happen to the man I love."

"And what exactly are you going to do?" Mark scoffed "Fight off someone who brings ME down?"

"If I have to." She stuttered a little "I may be small but I'm tough."

"Would you two shut the hell up!" I sighed "We're trying to be under cover here and you arguing isn't helping that fact."

"Sorry." They both mumbled.

"So this is the place in the video." Lexie whispered "This is where she was going."

"Yeah." I gulped "It is." Though I'd seen it in more than just the video. "Ok, so there's a crowbar under the back seat Lexie, you and Mark take it together."

"No." Mark muttered "Lexie is staying here."

"What!" she gasped.

"Alone?" I raised my brow "You want her to stay here in the car alone...with a possible murderer across the street."

Mark looked hesitant, but the thought of her being alone in a car than out in the open with him was more of a horrific thought.

"Fine." He sighed "I'll take her with me."

"Thank you." Lexie whispered.

"Ok so I'm going to..." I stopped when there was a knock on my window. We all froze and stared at each other as the fear slowly sunk in. I gulped and turned to my window to see the fear inside me in a physical form. It was him, and I didn't have to see him in a video or a dream to know it was him. He was tall, with dark hair and eyes and I know this sounds figurative. But you know how some people say you can see evil in someone's eyes? Well I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it. I rolled down my window halfway as he stared at me waiting "Yes?"

"What are you doing on my land?" he demanded in a thick accent.

"This is a public road." I pointed out "And we're just looking for directions." I pointed to my GPS in the dash of my car.

"There's only one direction." He grumbled as he leaned over to look in the car "And it's out."

"Right." I nodded "Well we'll be on our way then."

"Wait!" he yelped and slapped his hand on the door as he peered inside and an evil grin spread across his face as if he'd captured something of liking in his eyes "The lady...she can stay if she wants."

I felt ice trickling through my veins and in a second my car was started and put in gear. The tires screeched as I peeled out, my foot slamming down on the accelerator and we were blocks away in a minute. I could hear Lexie hyperventilating in the back seat and Mark yelling at her.

"See Lexie!" he muttered "This is exactly why I didn't want you to come!"

"I...I...I." she gasped.

"Just calm down ok!" he sighed "We're away now, you can stop."

Lexie let out a wail as she gasped in and out. She pounded her hand against her chest and shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks. I wasn't sure if she was having a full blown panic attack or if she was trying to say something but couldn't.

"Mark." I mumbled.

"Lex." He said calmly "I'm sorry I got upset. Just breathe deeply ok? Just breathe."

"He.." she sobbed and pounded her palm against her chest again "He had her hospital ID." She sobbed again "Meredith's hospital ID. It was around his neck." She sobbed again as Mark and I looked at each other "Oh god he did it! He's the one that did it! Oh god, oh god, oh god!"

I stopped at the light and took a right turn.

"What are you doing?" Mark frowned "The hospital is straight."

"We're not going to the hospital."

"Then where?"

"Seattle P.D."