64 Hours

19 H0urs

~The nineteenth hour~

Dedicated to SmileThroughTears02 for being my number 1 supporter C:

"I'll use you as a warning sign, that if you talk enough sense then you then you'll lose your mind." -Amber Run, I Found.

I swung open the door to Lucas's storage room.

I had arrived to his house only a few minutes ago, and it took silent encouragement for me to get my ass out of the car. I guess that I was afraid of what I would find...or in this case what I wouldn't find. I stared at the great bleak house from my window, ignoring the sound of my phone ringing. Aria called me a few times after I texted her that I would leave and come back after a half hour, totally stranding her in the mall.

I knew it was a miracle that the police wasn't already crowding around his house. No one seemed to notice his absence but Spencer. It would be a matter of time before Reece and Lucas's parents would start looking for him. I approached his door, sweeping my gaze around his small garden that surrounded the path. He pretended to be a bad boy of some sort, but I knew how much he cared for his plants. 

I saw a few already withering, as if they were grieving my friend's death. I made a mental promise to water them as many times as I could, even though I detested returning to his house every so often. I turned the doorknob to his house, but it was locked. Damn. Spencer must've had extra keys and locked the door when she left. I prayed that she had put them under the 'You're not welcome' mat. I checked, and my heart slowed down to it's normal pace when I saw the small metallic keys sleeping under the fabric. 

As I opened the door I imagined how Lucas must've felt when he was being chased by...Unknown. Just before he died. The images of him fiddling with his keys, desperately trying to get in with the killer just centimeters away must've filled him with fueling fear. I pushed them away and pushed the door open. 

The only light came from the faint glow coming from the windows, as it was sunset. That was unusual. Lucas had curtains the last time I came here. I tentatively stumbled into his main room, where he had his large TV and PS4, accompanied by rugged couches. 

I blinked at what I saw. Once. Twice. 

Was I imagining things? 

I got closer the windows, examining the scrawled letters on the large glass. Sure enough, there were words, clear and big, spreading across the whole window. 

CURTAINS CAN HIDE THE LIES, BUT GLASS CAN REVEAL THE TRUTH. GUESS WHO'S WHO, ADAM.

I stared at the words until they blurred to a nothingness of red. The color of blood. I stood there for what seemed like hours, maybe days, maybe years. It was like the killer knew how much strength I had left and sucked it all up with his death threats. I swayed a little, and I found difficulty keeping my balance. 

Slowly, I sat down onto the nearest chair, and collapsed like a broken rag doll. My phone buzzed in my pocket. And although I didn't want to check it, I methodically tapped in my password absently and checked the new incoming message. 

Unknown - 6:25 PM: Tick tock. 

Unknown - 6:25 PM: You're really starting to bore me. When will you turn on the action again? Maybe this will give you some fuel. 

Suddenly the loading sign popped up from under the message, in the form of an image. A picture was loading. I tried to calm the pulse that was beginning to beat furiously in me, Unknown's ominous words sending ripples through me. What could 'giving me fuel' mean? 

This sadistic killer wants action. He wants to see me kill - this is his pleasure. 

After what seemed like forever, the image finally loaded. 

Oh God. 

It was Bella, reaching out to pick a book from a shelf. It was either zoomed, or that Unknown was very, very close to her. 

I exited the picture, my lungs screaming for Bella to notice who was beside her. What if Unknown approaches her? Hurts her? Crosses the line? 

I dialed Aria's number, my fingers stabbing the screen. I misdialed several times, causing frustration to surge through me. Finally, I got it right. 

It rang twice before she finally picked up .

"Aria! Aria, where's Bella?" I shouted to her on the line. I paced the room like a madman, treading on sharp objects, cursing to myself. "Hello?" My heartbeats overcame the sound of silence. There were muffled voices on the phone. 

"Aria? Are you there?" I asked frantically, my voice loud. 

"64 hours, Adam," A monotone, robotic voice that was artificially deepened answered on the other line.

"Aria! Give me Aria you son of a-" I was screaming, even after the line cut off. The phone beeped, leaving me utter, utter silence. 

I stood there uselessly, not bothering to deny the fact that Unknown had the upper hand. And I also needed to face the reality.

I think that Unknown decided that things had to speed up. And he was making sure of that. 

I sprinted to my car, my legs covering the ground with only a few strides. I flipped open the trunk violently, revealing my gun to the open. Fury and fear roared in my ears as I switched safety off and loaded the bullets. 

I'm coming for you, Unknown.