Haunted hunters

PROLOGUE
Nicole Petroval's wish had been fulfilled, after six months of dating, Lewis finally proposed to her.

"Will you marry me? "She remembered Lewis' moderately husky voice as he asked her, she was shell shocked as she whispered an exciting "yes! " which she had always imagined herself shouting it if Lewis ever asked her.

She got to her apartment later that evening looking much younger and happier even though she was 26.
Lewis Park, her fiance, 30,much too young to be one of the heads of the FBI branch she works with, 6ft7 with an Indian black hair with a skinny curl that rose to his temple giving him a strikingly attractive look, well muscled with a complete set of pacs, walks briskly with both hands stationed on each sides, always wore his shirt with it's sleeves folded high just above his elbow.
Nicole a 5ft 9 redhead slender with a smallish stature with velvety grey eyes -a perfect model.
But no!! , she choose to be a crime fighter,growing up, she didn't really care about her looks, loves to play around with the boys in the neighborhood, she has a sister Renee, which they fondly call Ren.At 14,she was barely flat chested, now she's 26,moderately chested and cares about her looks, an FBI special agent.
She got to her apartment, made herself a cup of coffee with some whole meal digestives, dropped it on the coffee table and went to her library, picked a book, it was tittled " This way for a shroud ", scaled and scanned through it wondering how it got there and finally remembered it was a gift from her third date with Lewis, tracing the image on the cover with her fingers -day dreaming when she suddenly got startled by the sound from the TV,it was the rhythm they used whenever there was a breaking news, on impulse, she dashed back to the sitting room.

"Good evening viewers, i'm Owen Peterson reporting live from BNC Dakota, its been reported by the sherrif of Wilson county that two girls and a boy have been held captive by some unknown men in a school whose name has been withheld.
This incident was said to have happened between 3 to 4pm this evening, the unknown men had entered without being withheld as they tied and gagged up the security official in the school's music hall, it was about 30mins after the gang had left that some staffs of the school realized what happened.
More investigations are going on on the case and the cops assures the parents of the kidnapped that their kids will be found soon, we'll bring you more news as they unfold, once again, i'm Owen Peterson reporting live from BNC Dakota, goodnight".
The news anthem sang its usual rhythm this time and Nicole sat perplexed looking at the screen even though the newscaster already stepped out.

CHAPTER ONE

"I don't get it,why won't you let me go?"Nicole asked Lewis, the head of the FBI branch she works with.
"Because you are a woman "Lewis replied.
" So what?, I can do this and you know it"Nicole defended.
"Nicky-"Lewis called.
"What?, I'm trying to save a bunch helpless Kids here and you won't let me?"

"Listen Nicky, I am.. "
" keeping me from going because i am your woman and not a woman right? Wasn't that what you wanted to say?"Nicole cuts in.
Lewis sighed, he held her and she dragged back.
Lewis picked his words carefully,
"You could be in a lot of danger, you know how long we've been trying to get them but we couldn't?"
"Am i going or not? "Nicole asked, loosing some of her nerves.
"Nicky-"
"Tell me!"Nicole cuts in again.

With his jaws set,
"no" Lewis replied.
"You'll be in great danger if i let you do this and you know I can't risk it ". Lewis held her as he answered but she twisted free from his grip,walked to the door, looked at him for a moment, fumbled for the door knob and walked out of his office slamming the door angrily while Lewis slammed the table wondering what has gotten into her.

"He refused my proposal, dang it!! " Nicole cursed silently as she got to her apartment, climbed up the stairs to her room, went to her bed and clicked on a button and a large arsenal opened, she took out its content and got cleaning, made made a few calls afterwards and bursted into tears, she cried so much and fell asleep
Few hours later,Nicole woke, her eyes red and bulgy from cry, she had missed the call she was waiting on,the alarm on the telecom was blaring, she had mesages from the same person ,she took it.

"Chesterfield! Chesterfield!!, it can't be" Nicole whispered quivering as she clutches her cellphone to her breasts,her neice Josie schools at Chesterfield junior high.
Quickly, she dialed Renee, it rang on the other end and was taken at the fourth ring, Renee's voice sounded crooked and shredded like she had been crying.

"Oh no!"Nicole shuddered
"Ren? "Nicole called.
"Oh my God!Ren? " Nicole called again his time screaming at the top of her voice.
"What's wrong? Are you crying? *Nicole asked.
"Oh Nicky..... Josie..... Josie has been kidnapped "Renee blabbered while crying uncontrollably.
Nicole dropped the phone absentmindedly stood tranfixed to the spot, panting heavily and suddenly landed on the couch which gave an alarming thud, one word in her mind
"it couldn't be!"
"I'm doing this, Lewis's approval or not". Nicole concluded.

The drip drip sound of water dropping woke Josie,oblivious to her environment, she tried to open her eyes,her head ached badly, she had lash lines on her body, and dried blood smeared by the side of her mouth, the room was, dirty, dark and cold, it looked like it has been abandoned for some years,the only source of light came from a break in the wall at the top right corner of the room, she could see Nelson and Marnie lying helplessly on the ground,filled with fear she tapped them while calling out their names, they weren't responding she felt their pulses like they we're taught by the red cross, they we're breathing, she remembered the drip drip sound looked around the room and saw the sink at the left corner of the room, the faucet was broken, that was where the sound was coming from,the sink was rusty from water constantly dripping unto it,on impulse she dashed back to them, confused, looked around for something to fetch water with,she found a plastic cup,it looked like it was used recently.
Quickly, she dashed back to the sink, held the cup beneath the broken faucet, it was taking forever for her to get enough water since it was only dripping, after about 5 minutes, the cup was half filled, she took it out, went back to Nelson and Marnie, sprinkled it on them and they woke, happily they hugged themselves crying, they remember how they got there.

CHAPTER TWO
"Josie! Josie!!, Nelson called to Josie who was headed to the library, Josie turned to acknowledge him.
"Hey!"Josie greeted.
"You're headed for the library? "Nelson asked.
"Yes"Josie replied.
"Good, I was heading there too"Nelson said.
"Okay"Josie said as they walked rather briskly towards the library of Chesterfield junior high.
It was a big school located eastwards Dakota.
"I knew I was gonna find her here "Josie said to herself.
"Who? "Nelson asked
"Marnie", Josie replied
"Oh! "Nelson replied
Marnie Alonso was a perfect definition of a chatterbox, she was as always wanting to have a talk with someone, this time hr prey was Jake Kirby, the library attendant.
"Oh!, you must be kidding", Marnie said in her loud voice, causing several heads to stare in their direction.
"I'm not, I know quite a lot of his work, but i find it difficult to read nor understand them "Jake answered.
"Well.... I bet you don't know Shakespeare's works as much as I can do "
Marnie said.
"Is this a challenge? "Jake asked
"Yes, it is? " Marnie answered
"Wow, let's do this then. I give a name of one of his books and you give another, we have 5 seconds each to answer, first to exceed the time limit looses. "
"Deal?" Jake asked.
"Deal "Marnie replied with a smirk on her face.
"The phoenix and the turtle "-Jake started.
"The sonnets"-Marnie
"The tempest"-Jake
"Macbeth"-Marnie
"Measure for measure "-Jake
"Um-um Romeo and Juliet-Marnie snapped
"Twelfth night "-Jake answered as he files a tag for a user and nodded afterwards to say thank you.
"Hamlet, prince of Denmark "
"Titus Andronicus"-Jake
"Um-um-um........
"Othello,,,,, you didn't remember my name. Nelson chipped in -uninvited.
"Oh! Yeah!! Othello!!! Gush!!!! Why did i forget? Marnie asked herself defeat and frustration all over her face.
"Hi Jake", said Josie and Nelson simultaneously and because of this, they chucked at themselves.
"Hi", Jake replied.

Josie remembered how she and Nelson settled the chaotic argument between Marnie and Jake, how the trios walked down the bookshelves with a happy chatter, how they walked out the library waving to Jake and Jake replied courteously with a salute.
She remembered ducking from a volleyball shooting in her direction and getting her auburn hair in her face, getting in the school hallway and smash at the back of her head and she blanked out.

"O-m-g! we've been kidnapped "Josie shouted with fear written all over her face.

"Kidnapped?Why?For what reasons?" Marnie asked no one in particular as she cried uncontrollably and Josie held on tightly to her.
A look of distraught in Nelson's eyes, he thought of his mom, his little sister, his dog, he was going to do anything to get out of there