Austin was crouched up in a corner near the water cooler with his legs folded beneath him, his cheeks stained with shed tears -nobody was approaching him in the fear that he would go off on them. They all knew he needed time to process everything because even they themselves needed it too.
He only stared ahead, his body vigorously trembling, watching as the doctors poured in and out of the emergency room. He did not have the slightest strength to stand on his feet or to even open his mouth and ask if Noah was going to make it through.
The events that had transpired earlier were still too surreal. His heart almost stopped every time his memory went back to that moment.
His mind was playing it all like a horror movie. It kept stopping the tape, rewinding and then playing it back one more time, over and over again like some kind of sick, twisted mantra.
*Earlier*
Austin drove here like a maniac. It was an abandoned, old motel, which looked like it had no business being in business. There was practically nobody around and gaining access to the rooms was way too easy.
Room E34 was at the end of the furthest wing. It did not take a rocket scientist to figure out why the kidnappers would have chosen this particular spot; it was secluded, eerie and nobody would come looking unless they were looking for the main subject of their nightmares for the next few weeks or to catch a staph infection.
Mould sprouted out of everywhere and there were mice roaming freely in the broad daylight along with their neighbors; the cockroaches and squirrels.
Even the birds nesting in the crevices looked like they had seen some seriously messed up things. It was a wonder they still sang.
Neither of them wanted to be first to go closer for fear that the kidnappers were a bunch of trigger-happy nutjobs who would not hesitate to drill holes into their foreheads at first sight but then they found the door to the room wide open.
They all quickly ran to the nearest dumpster and crouched behind it, sneaking peeks at the room to see it there was any sign of life in there.
It wasn't so much a door as it was a termite infested plunk of wood attached with glue or something else equally as ridiculous; it was more like a suggestion.
Austin's fastidious habits were starting to kick in, being surrounded by so much filth, but the anxiety he felt about Noah's current state was much stronger.
The room looked pretty empty from what they could see from outside, no noises coming from the inside. They started to consider the possibility that Jesse might just have lied. It was not above him.
"Nicky...how sure are you that this is the place? There is nobody here!" Austin asked exasperatedly. If he had been so close to seeing Noah again and then having that hope yanked viciously, like a rag from beneath his feet, he was going to lose it.
"I'm sure, let's just go in."
"Guys, how sure are we that there is nobody here?" Gina asked, lurking behind because she was the most scared of them all. She wasn't good with scary situations such as this, apparently, "I don't wanna get shot."
"Screw this." Austin said, standing upright, "We will never know until we look."
"Actually, we will never know until the police look first!" Claire protested, "Can't we just wait it out?"
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Teen Fiction*THIS STORY IS UNDER COMPLETE RECONSTRUCTION.* Prickly, sarcastic, self-aware Austin is roped into a risky dare by his best friend that leads to one of the most frustratingly eventful days of his young life. Not one for attention, Austin has prefer...
