Last midnight

Louder than words

TW: Description of past rape

"I think he's coming."

Those words struck fear into EJ Caswell. He was within them so soon? They hadn't even found Big Red yet! This was a true nightmare, one that they couldn't just wake from.

"Ashlyn, what do we do?" He asked, he watched as she frantically scanned the area they were in for an idea, before her eyes locked onto a lone bedroom right next to them.

"In here!" She pointed with her crutches, he complied and quickly threw open the door, tossing himself and Ashlyn inside.

He clicked the lock shut just as Jack came strolling by, stopping directly in front of the door. They tuned in as they heard his heavy breaths, him grumbling something they couldn't understand, and soon began to talk to someone on the phone.

"I have a problem Velma, can you come over?" Velma? Ashlyn recognised the name, but from where?

They listened in some more, desperate to see if this bastard would slip something about where Big Red was. He chatted on about someone named Lucinda, about how he burned Ashlyn's house (bastard), and how he has another problem on his hands.

They concluded that the problem was Big Red.

~~~~

"Ricky! Do not fool around!" Gina was frustrated to the max, why did EJ pair her with Ricky? She knew it was because of her fractured knee, but Ricky was essentially a curious child with access to fire.

"G, I'm not going to set a fire or anything-"

"Maybe don't mention anything related to fire."

He sighed. "I'm just using it as an example G, why are you so worked up?"

"Well, let's totally ignore the fact that the place I was staying at is gone, and now I'm staying with your boyfriend's family. I just feel so out of place, like a burden because they had to take me, otherwise I would be homeless or sent to Louisiana."

He suddenly expressed sympathy for her, he went up to her and patted her shoulder gently.

"I'm sorry Gina that you feel like that."

"Thanks, I wish words could automatically bring back life before this shitshow."

"I wish that as well, I just want this bastard to pay for what he did to my friends."

"I can see you care a lot for Ashlyn and Big Red?"

He shrugged. "I care for all of you. You are all the best friends I could wish for; I just want us all to be happy again. I've seen how badly this has affected all of us, especially you and Ashlyn-"

"Wait."

Wait? Ricky was confused, what did she mean?

"Gina-"

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"It was like a bang against a wall."

"So?"

Her face lit up. "Big Red! I think I just heard him!"

Holy shit, he hoped that this was true!

"Where?"

She looked around for the source of the sound, her eyes stuck to a door at the end of the hallway.

"There."

~~~~

Location: in the car