All Eyes on Me

Chapter 12

Maci knew she should stay put, but when 15 minutes had passed and Evan still wasn't back yet, she got concerned. She got out of bed, pulled the door open a tiny bit, and called for him.

No answer.

Her eyes darted down the hall, and she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She had heard Ben and April come upstairs, so she decided to creep over to their room and ask what was up.

She quickly darted down the hall, knocking twice on the door. "April? Ben? It's Maci. Have you guys seen Evan?"

Ben pulled open the door, his eyes wide. Maci could see April sitting on the bed behind him.

"He went to go check something out."

Maci was about to utter an "okay" when she realized that if Ben was standing in front of her, that meant he didn't go with Evan.

"Wait. He went alone? Why didn't you go with him?" She asked him, her whisper harsh.

"One of us is supposed to stay with you at all times," Ben said, matter-of-factly. Maci really wanted to wipe the matter-of-factly off his face right now.

"Ben!" She hissed, getting upset. "He's still not back yet! Now where is he?!"

"Alright, alright," Ben huffed, pulling the door open wider for Maci to pass through. "Now, if I go down there, you two are staying up here with the door locked. Is that clear?"

Maci hurried to sit next to April, and they both nodded.

"Okay," he handed April his phone. "Baby, if I'm not back in 5 minutes, call 911."

"But–" April began, wondering about the what-ifs.

"Fuck protocol, okay? Just do it, please." He said, and Maci watched as her friend looked into her boyfriend's eyes. He seemed concerned too, and that worried Maci. What if something was seriously wrong?

"Alright." April clenched the phone in her hand.

Maci leaned her head on her friend's shoulder, trying not to think of the worst case scenario. April wrapped her free hand around Maci's shoulder, and the two waited until Ben was out and the door was locked until they looked at each other.

"April...." Maci started, but she stopped when her co-worker shook her head.

"No, Maci, don't you dare. They'll be fine, okay? They've got to be fine."

She shook her head, even though she knew that neither of them believed it 100%. She could feel it, deep down in her bones, that something wasn't right.

After what seemed like the longest waiting period ever, they heard the door unlock. "It's me, guys," and they both breathed sighs of relief to recognize Ben Harrison's voice.

He came in to the room, his face looking paler than either woman had ever seen it.

April rose up first, grabbing for his unoccupied hand. "Ben, what is it?"

He didn't say a word, but when his eyes looked past April and locked on to Maci, the other woman stood up.

His other hand was in his pocket, and he pulled something out. He handed it to Maci, dropping his head after he did so.

She hadn't even opened it yet and her blood ran cold. She slowly unfolded the piece of paper. Inside was a note, with specific instructions scrawled out only for her.

Maci-

You have 2 hours to go to this address.

1855 Gailed Lane