64 Hours

1 H0ur

~the first hour~

Now, I know three things for sure. 

The first thing is that Unknown is more than capable of killing people at my expense. 

The second thing is that I can't get the police involved. 

The final thing is that I will do everything in my power to discover who Unknown is and suffocate him/her.

When Unknown sent that message he also included killing my niece if I did something sketchy with the police. The loss of Lucas stabbed my heart, but I couldn't help putting my feelings forward, imagining what would happen if Bella was in his place...

What could I do? 

I sat in my car outside Lucas's house, my hands tightly clutching the steering wheel as if I would bolt if someone came. I was certain no one else knew about Lucas lying dead on the floor right this minute. I reread Unknown's messages without realizing, my mind still on my friend. My brain felt numb with too many feelings; sadness, hate and anxiety. But the most confusing part was that I didn't feel as if Lucas was really dead...that he was actually gone and that I would never see him again. 

I was a prude. Because instead of mourning over Lucas, I was sitting in the car, thinking about how Bella and Aria could turn out with this killer on the loose. If it even was this Unknown guy. Maybe he hired someone and didn't want to get his hands dirty. But I'll never know. 

As much as I wanted to hand over Lucas's body over to the police, one warning from Unknown was enough, no matter how much of an asshole I sounded. Lucas was dead. He had no say in this. 

I then sank down in my chair as that thought came through my mind and felt ashamed. How could I say that? I imagined what Lucas would say if he knew Bella and Aria's lives were at risk. But now because he was gone, my thoughts turned empty. 

My phone rang, the original ringtone of when I bought the phone playing on. I didn't move for about ten seconds, until I finally got back my senses and swiped my finger over the option to answer. The caller ID had Aria's name.

"Adam, thank God you answered." Her voice sounded concerned.

"Why? are you okay?" I suddenly sat up, erect. If this Unknown person even touched them-

"No, no, I just called because I was worried about you. Did you see Lucas? Is he okay?" I relaxed, but then felt unressured again as she reminded me of him. I couldn't tell her he was dead. Hell, I couldn't tell anyone, because they would all call the police as soon as they could.

"Yeah, yeah he's fine," I told her, but my voice cracked halfway through, and I choked. 

"So...?" Aria waited for a few seconds. "So, why did he send that voicemail?" 

"Uh..." I fell silent. I should've thought this through, and I felt speechless. "Well, you see.." I racked my brains for some excuse.
"Adam?" Aria's tone suddenly changed. "Am I going to need to call services?" 

"No!" I blurted out, frantically hyperventilating on the inside. 

Suddenly I got a text. 

"Hang on, someone texted me," I rumbled, then quickly took the phone off my ear and checked the notification. 

It was Unknown, surprise surprise. 

5:13 pm: Tell her that he fell down some stairs while his friends were pranking him and you're now taking him to the hospital. Say that or you know what happens. 

As soon as I read that I whipped my head to the window to see if anyone was watching me. My windows were only slightly open, but even so, how could anyone even hear this conversation? This was getting out of control. The neighbourhood was empty. My breathing quickened. 

"Adam, you still there?" Aria persisted through the speaker. I put the phone on my ear and nodded, then remembered that she wasn't in the car with me, as if I started to lose my mind. 

"Yes, it was just Reece. Listen, Lucas panicked. He thought some killer was chasing him but in truth it was his friends pranking him, and he wasn't looking where he was going so he tumbled down his stairs and now we're taking him to the hospital." I babbled, lying through my teeth, feeling instantly bad and hoped that I sounded convincing. 

"Oh God, that's terrible." Aria sighed, then Bella called out faintly from the background, "is Lucas okay?" 

"Yeah, Bells, he's fine. Just a minor concussion and some stitches," I replied, wondering how I got it out so smoothly. 

"Who pranked him?" Aria asked. 

"Reece," I shot to her automatically, coming up with the first name in my head. "And some other guys that you don't know." I added hesitantly. 

"Wait a second, how did Reece join in if he just texted you?" Aria pushed, once again a challenging blaze in her voice. She was too suspicious for her own good. I facepalmed, feelings sweat tingle on my forehead. That's the worst thing that comes naturally to me when I lie - I sweat. 

"Like I said, we're in the hospital and Reece is inside as I wait in the car, so he's telling me that Lucas is okay." I lied dryly. 

"Oh. Okay. Well, text me if he gets better. Don't be late," She said and I ended the call after a goodbye. 

I just noticed that a few raindrops were splattered on my windshield, as if it sympathized my condition. I looked at the direction of Lucas's house. No one. Whoever this was had a close watch, and most probably not in human form. 

I should probably change my phone. But that wouldn't stop sixty four hours from happening. It wouldn't stop someone I love from dying. 

Lucas was the only person I told about the texter, which could be why he was the first one to die. Or because this anonymous guy was saving my most loved for last. 

I couldn't leave Lucas's corpse to rot outside. I had to be brave and go inside, open the lights, and do some of my own investigation. Then...Then...

I don't know. I'll worry about it when it happens. 

But the worst part was that this person knew me inside out. And there's nothing worse that someone seeing through you.