Ch. 127: Searching

CHAPTER 127:
Rachel~
I could feel how worried Ally was in my bones. Having been friends for so long, and with her talent for wearing her heart on her face, it was clear to see that while she was playing down her worries out loud, she wasn’t believing the words she was saying.
“We have the location, Nick knew something was off, so he sent the location. He’s going to be okay. He’s smart. He’s got this,” she chanted in the car.
I noticed Kyle looking at her with worry, and Jake must have felt something from me from the look on his face. I reached over and squeezed his hand firmly. To let him know I’m with him, that I feel how he’s feeling. His actions took over and he appeared calm outside, but I knew him. Nick and Evan are his brothers - they always stick together. I can guess what he’s feeling while we rush past cars on the freeway - worry for Nick’s safety, guilt that he isn’t with him, anger that Nick did this without telling anyone, and probably a million other things.
We rush on, a few pack cars somewhere behind us, on their way to the location Nick sent us. No one dares to say a word, other than Ally who babbles on, chanting, rambling, trying to reassure herself.
After what seems like an eternity, we pull off the freeway. We follow the car’s directions for a bit longer until we reach this odd section of street in this tiny town. We zone in on this very run down bar, and Jake pulls over.
“The rest of the team is about ten minutes out. Wait here, I’m going to take a quick look,” he says without looking over, putting the keys in my lap. “If things go south, take them out of here.”
I don’t say a word.
He exits the car and with his hands in his jacket pockets he walks casually around the back of the building. I open my door as soon as he’s out of sight.
“Come on,” I prompt Ally.
“It’s like he forgets who the two of you are,” Kyle says under his breath, joining me.
The three of us walk around the opposite side of the building. We creep forward and walk as lightly as we can. I’m sure a wolf could hear us coming but we do the best we can.
“Anything?” I ask Ally as we reach the back.
She shakes her head. Although they’re mates, she’s no wolf. I nod at her, not at all discouraged and I walk further on, my back against the building. I soon notice a small window that seems to go to a basement. The grass here looks flattened.
Ally grabs my shoulder suddenly and points at the window with vigor. I glance at Kyle and he reaches out a hand to help me get down there.
We creep open the window ever so slowly and I look around, holding my breath. There are dusty shelves with bottles of all kinds, but no sounds. I start to wedge my feet and legs in while Kyle grabs my hands fiercely. He lowers me slowly to the ground.
“What are you doing?” I hear from behind me.
I whirl to face Jake. “Looking for Nick.”
He closes his eyes dramatically. “I shouldn’t have bothered to tell you to stay put.”
I cross my arms, hold my ground and don’t break eye contact.
“He’s not here. He was, but he isn’t here anymore,” he sighs. His eyes space out for a few seconds and then he’s back, but his face is contorted into confusion. “The link isn’t working.”
“Has that ever happened before?” I ask him as we rush upstairs to reach the outside.
“No, not that I know of…” he says, leading me out the side door to where Ally and Kyle stand waiting.
I shake my head as Ally looks at me pleadingly.
I glance back at Jake and he seems to be a little spaced out but not totally. He’s struggling. He walks a bit further and then a little further than that. After a few seconds he’s back to look at me.
“Did you get through?” I ask him.
He nods. “Yeah, the farther from that place,” he gestures to where we just came from, “the clearer the link.”
“Now that’s something…” Kyle says as he starts making his way closer to the bar.
He puts a hand on it and after some time he shakes his head.
Cars start to pull up and people are getting out, so Jake goes to meet with them.
“What is it?” I ask Kyle, trying to gauge whether he’s picking up on anything.
“I don’t really know. There’s something here though. I didn’t notice it until Jake said something…” his hand moves along the wall and a window frame. “Al?”
We look to Ally who hasn’t moved much at all. Her amulet seems to be glowing but in some dark shadow. Her hand moves to it as she looks up at Kyle. “It’s dark. Something dark. It feels like a wall.” She sucks in a breath and her eyes mist with tears.
The sight of her overwhelming pain had my body reacting and before I knew it I was rushing to her, holding her as she squeezed me. Her body heaved twice with silent sobs before she gripped tightly and let me go.
She looked at me with resolve.
“We’re going to find him,” I insisted.
She nodded, “I know. I’m sorry I lost myself for a second.”
“It’s okay, I’m here. We’re here,” I assured her.
She sniffled and took a big breath before joining Kyle over by the building.
“Okay,” she huffed out a breath. “Let’s find him.”

Ally~
“God dam*it!” I yell again, smacking my hand on the frame of this janky door.
I avoid looking at anyone.
We’ve been here for hours and no matter what I try I can’t get any kind of clue of how to find Nick.
It honestly doesn’t help that everyone keeps looking at me like I could blow away in the wind. Yes, I got emotional. I know. But that’s just how I am. I have to get out the emotion before I can refocus.
My amulet is cold. A reminder that I haven’t picked up anything or gotten any closer to figuring out how to help Nick. I keep trying to block out the image of Jake’s parents all shriveled in that basement. That can’t be him. It won’t be him. I won’t let it happen.
I close my eyes again and push some magic forward. But all I can pick up on is everyone’s worry and anger here.
“Get them out of here,” I say to no one in particular. “I need everyone to leave! You’re all blocking me!”
A burst of lightning appears from overhead and I regulate my breathing to rein that back in. Crap. Didn’t mean to do that.
I hear footsteps walk away and I keep trying again and again. Cars pull away. I feel for something, anything. And then I feel it. Something. It’s very small and like a whisper, a shadow of something. My feet guide me away and around to the building. But then it stops.
“No!” I scream and kick the siding of this run down building.
I kick and kick and then punch the wall.
Oh. My. God. That hurts.
I whisk my hand back to my chest and examine it. There’s little bits of rock and a clear cut, after a few seconds it starts to bleed while I hiss.
I resist the urge to hit my head against the building too.
I plop down in the grass and slowly open my hand. It stings so bad. And the connection to my wrist really hurts, but I’m able to move the hand around.
This is why I fight not with my hands…
I continue on, trying to meditate this time and reach him spiritually somehow. Somehow.

After a long time I hear footsteps approaching.
“Ally, we’re going back to the packhouse. We’re going to regroup,” Kyle says, his voice small.
“I’m not leaving,” I grind out through my teeth.
“You can’t stay here by yourself. Plus it’s been hours, we’re getting nowhere, and it’s dark out. If there really are vampires this is the wrong time to make a move. They’re at their strongest,” Kyle pushes.
“I said, I’m not leaving,” I replied coolly.
“He’d want you to eat. To rest,” Rachel’s voice floats to me.
Ah so they’re ganging up on me.
“If you want to go, go!” I say, opening my eyes to glare at them during my last word.
I’m surprised to see Jake right by me.
He swings me up before I know what’s happening.
“Put me down! I won’t leave here!” I flail against his back but he doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t react.
I continue to hit his back with my fists.
“I’ll strike you! Don’t think I won’t!” I say at last.
He tenses.
“Let. Me. Down,” I say, seething with outrage between every word.
For a moment I don’t think he will, but he does.
“We’ll stay nearby at the motel,” he says definitively, like no one else has a say.
And I guess no one else really does.
“Al-” Rachel grabs my hand. I nearly pulled it away. “Maybe Kyle can look for him while he sleeps?”
Yes. Why didn’t I think of that?
“Where is this place?” I ask no one.
“Just around the block,” Kyle says.
“Fine. But we continue to search from there,” I look to Kyle for reassurance and he nods at me.
I clench my fists.

We head straight to this crummy room and while Rachel sits down dramatically on this chair, I practically shove Kyle to the bed.
“Let’s go,” I insist.
He doesn’t argue. I lay next to him and we hold hands as we close our eyes.
At first, for a long time there wasn't anything. I fell asleep and I rotated through some regular dreams. Me and my mom hanging with Kyle, my parents fighting, my cat talking to me, and so on. But after some unknown amount of time, I feel Kyle pulling me.
I don’t resist.