Overburdened
Part 2
Dawn came without rest, Lucy and her friend Haiku walked to the home of the Davis family, the dwelling of the poet, author and musician Amy Davis known by the friends by her pen name of Nix. They normally meet with her and another group of artists for readings, but with Lucy's situation, this gathering features only the three ladies and witchcraft.
"Lucy, hold on... Won't scrying only work in finding the living?" Haiku said in her usual monotone voice.
"True, but we need to cover all angles if scrying can't find her, a séance will." Lucy replied with a sigh.
"But if anyone can find her, it's Mistress Nix." Lucy added.
They walk past the main house and made their way to the smaller house on the right, Haiku tilted her parasol and knocked on the black cherry door. Soon the door opened and before them stood Nix herself, clad in a black lace dress.
"Welcome, both of you..." She said in a soothingly monotonous tone. "Are you ready to find your sister young Lucy?"
Lucy and Haiku followed the young woman upstairs to a witch's altar, on the table was a map of Royal Woods, surrounding it was incense sticks, a small bowl of water, and a small pile of sand the items representing the four elements.
"Did you bring any of her belongings?" Nix asked, her english accent strongly present in her voice.
Lucy then pulled from her coat, a tennis ball. One that Lynn bounced against the wall to help her sleep. She handed the fuzzy orb to the half masked woman.
"Do you have a photograph of her?" She followed. Lucy handed her a candid picture of Lynn ready to take a bite of a hamburger from the family's favorite fast food restaurant.
"I see another family that enjoys Burpin' Burger..." She lightly smiles, though concealed by the leather face mask.
"Yeah, that was actually taken before 'the event'..." She said with a sigh.
Nix assembled the all the items together than proceeded to remove her mask. The two gothic girls were taken aback by the sight of their mentor, her face from her nose to under her jawline was riddled with scars, even her full lips were scarred by an unknown source.
"Discard any unnecessary burdens on your person."
With her words coming clear, Lucy took off her coat and Haiku put her parasol aside, both girls approached the map where the young woman dangled a crystal tied to a hemp cord over the map, of the tri-county area as the crystal began to twirl on it's own, Nix fell into a trance bonding with the stone and the elements driving the scry.
Lincoln left alone looking in each spot that his older sister dwelled day after day. He approached the football field, where he heard voices coming directly from the bleachers, he walked in through the chain link gate. He looked up to see Francisco and his friends laughing and speaking unintelligibly. He walked up the steps to the group of jocks.
"Dude who's that kid?..." One of the boys said quietly.
"It's Lynn's little brother." The other said to him.
"Francisco, have you seen Lynn?" Lincoln asked as he stepped closer to the tan boy.
"No, not since the other day..." He answered with some disinterest.
"Why isn't this bothering you!? She's missing and you act like you don't care! Isn't she supposed to be your girlfriend!?" Lincoln exclaimed agitated by his impenitence.
"Linc, we haven't been together since December... But I mean it when I say I'm sorry."
The words he spoke fell emptily on the ears of the white haired preteen, and what was once fear and sorrow that plagued his heart transformed to anger and the small flame within his core grew rapidly to an inferno.
"So that was it... That's all she was to you... Lynn was just a toy to you!" Unable to maintain, Lincoln lunged at Francisco, latching onto the collar of his baseball jersey and prepared to pummel the boy, driven by a protective brother's fury.
"Guys! Get him off of me!"
Desperately the group of boys attempted to peel Lincoln away from their friend, only to receive retaliation from the angered tween.
"Who do you think you are!?" Lincoln shouted as he struggled against the two jocks restraining him. "What did she even see in you!?"
"Hey it's not Fran's fault that your sister's a total slut!" The chubby jock restraining his right arm spouted off ignorantly.
Consequently due to the portly boy's insult, Lincoln broke the grasp of the skinny jock on the opposite side, and hit the teen with a surprise left hook punch to his nose. Throwing him off balance and into the guardrail. Unbeknownst to the brawling boys, an observer sitting at the far end of the bleachers listened in on the fracas. Recognizing the white haired boy and his surname she stood up and moved toward the group.
"Now listen Loud! I don't know what the fuck your malfunction is, but like I told Lynn, Get-over-it!" He said in a harsh tone.
Soon Lincoln looked behind Francisco to see a girl in her late teens, wearing a hooded t-shirt over a black long sleeved shirt, which formed to her obviously well toned arms. Her shoulder length, 'peacock' colored hair styled in a swept mohawk. Her pierced lip decorated with various jewelry, and her earlobes gauged to one half inch. Her appearance could be compared to that of an amazon warrior in the mind of the twelve year old.
"What the hell are you doing?" She asked calmly.
"None of your business!"
"Fuck off!" The two jocks exclaimed, fueled by the heat of the moment.
"Didn't I hear you talking about Lynn-tensity?"
Francisco's expression morphed from that of frustration to confusion at the girl's offended tone. He turned and caught a glimpse only to be overcame by regret.
"Oh shit! You're!" He tried to utter before being interrupted by a slap across his face, the force of which knocked him back to the bench behind him.
"You just slapped me!" He said in complete shock.
"Yes I did! You little bitch boy!" She raised her voice as she pulled him to his feet with one arm.
"Dude... Did he!?" The skinny friend asked.
"Y-yeah..." The chubby one answered with increasing nervousness.
"And did we!?"
"Yeah..."
With that the two released Lincoln quickly ran off the bleachers scrambling to leave the field from cowardice.
"You're Kate... The predator... Aren't you?" He asked mortified by his own behavior.
Saying nothing else her glare of anger was the only answer Francisco needed, he slowly walked away giving him time to realize he had done wrong. After he left through the gate, she diverted her sights from Fransisco's direction to the still seething Loud boy.
"You alright Linc?" She asked out of genuine concern.
"Yeah... Wait... How did you!?" He asked, stupefied by her knowledge of his nickname.
"Lynn told me alot about you guys... Your white hair, plus you defending her like you did was a giveaway." She said with a smirk.
Officer Brosco adamant in finding the missing loud girl watched on from the driver seat of the RWPD interceptor, with intense focus he watched every passerby, searching for the lost Loud teen. Phipps exited the coffee shop carrying two styrofoam cups of espresso, and one dozen of glazed donuts. He entered the vehicle and handed Brosco his coffee, then placed the box on the dash.
"Eat up Brosco, or I'll end up taking them all." He said jokingly.
"No thanks... Besides, you need to watch too." Brosco said sternly.
"Are you still obsessing over that Loud girl!?" He commented with a harsh tone. "I told you, she's worm food!"
"Well my friend, that's your opinion."
Brosco watched on to see a tall, lanky young man standing at the street corner. Gazing around aimlessly.
"That's Elijah Norton..." Phipps said, taking notice of Brosco's curiosity.
"Now that kid is trouble..."
"I know, I read his file... Drug possession, grand theft, burglary... Typical thug..." Brosco said as he exited the interceptor.
"Wait! What're you!?" He said as he groaned at his partner's spontaneity. "Fuck my life."
He walked across the parking lot to the street corner and quickly approached the intersection and met with the shady young street peddler.
"Elijah Norton?" Brosco asked attempting to confirm the identity of young man.
He looked toward the officer, his blue eyes darkened by apparent fatigue and pupils dilated from the same narcotics he dealt.
"Woah woah! Hold up! No crime in standing here officer!" He exclaimed, as he grown considerably defensive.
"Well no, not in normal situations Mr. Norton, but anyone with half a brain would know that you are under the influence..."
Saying nothing he turned his head away from Brosco, a clear sign of guilt.
"I just want to ask you one question..." He said to Elijah, with intensity thundering in his voice.
"What?"
Brosco pulled the folded flyer from his pocket and handed it to Elijah, which he unfolded and looked carefully at the smiling girl in each photo used.
"Have you seen that girl?" He asked sternly.
"Afraid not... Cute though, sad shame." He said as he kept staring down each picture, his smile contorted grotesquely with the same carnal desires boiling over.
"I have one more thing to ask Mr. Norton." He said as he took back the flyer.
"Shoot..."
"Regarding an incident last night, involving a deal you made..."
"No idea what you're talking about..." Elijah said Nervously.
"Oh? So you weren't at Gus's Games n'Grub 9:22 pm?" Brosco revealed the location and time he made the deal to the hooded girl.
"Yeah, but I always hang around outside that rat trap..."
"Witness testimony stated that you and an unknown female, traded some pills for one 'favor'... You had sex with the a minor for some pills... Is it true?"
"What!? No! I just!" Sweat rapidly beaded up on the young man's face as his composure fell apart.
"You're lying Elijah... You fucked that little girl didn't you!?" His voice filled with rage, chipped away the dealer's already fractured psyche. Elijah became short of breath unable to speak as he felt his heart race in his chest while the eyes of people within close proximity began to stare at the two men.
"Answer me!" He barked.
"Ok! I felt her tits! But I didn't fuck her! I'm sick! But I'm no pedophile!" He shouted, finally beyond his breaking point.
"Elijah Norton, do you know your Miranda Rights?" He asked calmly.
"Yes sir..." He answered, ashamed of his actions.
"Then I hereby place you under arrest." He said as he handcuffed the broken Elijah. And escorted him to the interceptor, which Phipps had activated the emergency lights. Brosco then opened the rear driver's side door and sat the young man in the seat. Brosco then climbed into the driver's seat and contacted the police station.
"Badge 413 to dispatch."
*Dispatch to 413, go ahead.*
"We have one Caucasian male, nineteen years of age in custody. Now in route to county holding center."
*County be advised, 413 inbound with one nineteen year old Caucasian male-*
"Well you got em' we've been trying to get that punk off the streets for months now!" Phipps said excitably. "How'd you do it!?"
Brosco smirked and looked over at his partner knowingly, and shift the gear into drive.
"Remember that tip?" He asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.
"Yeah, about him screwing that junkie behind the arcade?"
"I made it up..." He said with much bravado, gaining the surprise of not only Phipps but Elijah as well.
"You're shitting me! You mean you made up the whole thing!?"
"Not entirely, he did confess to fondling a minor in exchange for this." Brosco then tossed a baggie similar to that of the one in Lynn's possession.
"A 'sampler', figures! These kids get bored too easy..."
Enraged at the revelation of the officer's sly ruse, Elijah kicked at the bullet proof glass barrier screaming profanities, his frustration threshold exceeded.
"Hey! That's fucking entrapment! Fuck you! Fucking pigs! Go fucking choke on one of those donuts! Then burn in hell you crotch rot douchebags!
Fed up Phipps elbowed the barrier bashing into Elijah's face while it rested against the glass.
"Shut it Norton! This is your third strike so you better get use to an orange jumpsuit!"
Back at the field, Lincoln and Kate continue to talk to each other about Lynn both at a loss regarding her whereabouts.
"So you haven't seen her either..." Lincoln lowered his head in disappointment.
"I have my group, and my family searching and blowing up our social media hoping to get some leads..."
"Where could she be? Damn it Lynn!"
Before they could finish their conversation, they were interrupted by the sound of vinyl wheels clicking against pavement. They soon peered over to see a young boy around Lynn's age entering the field searching for someone or something.
"Hey! What are you doing here!?" Kate shouted realizing Lincoln was to upset to discover the identity of the skateboard wielding boy.
"Oh, uh sorry I was just looking for someone... But it doesn't look like she's here..." The shy, olive complected boy walked toward the two.
"Is this person Lynn Loud by any chance?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah! I'm in the same grade as her..."
"Well, I don't know if anyone told you or not, but she's been missing for a couple of days now." Kate said to the unknown boy.
"Damn it! I was hoping that flyer was a fake..." He said with stark discouragement.
"Why do you want to talk to my sister?" Lincoln asked.
"It's a long story... I'll go look around for her... Sorry for disturbing you..." And within moments he mounted his board and sped away from the field.
"Who was that?" A perplexed Kate asked.
"A friend maybe?"
For hours the stone twirled without cease, Nix, Lucy, and Haiku focused on the crystal until the young woman withdrawn it into her palm and shook her head at the inconclusive scry.
"Alas, I can't find your sister..."
Lucy sighed at the failed incantation. And Haiku stroked her friend's hand attentive to her situation.
"In order for a scry to be successful... The lost soul must have the will to be found... For one reason or another, I can't reach out to her." Nix handed the photo and the tennis ball back to Lucy then held her hands firmly. "I'm so sorry Lucy... May the heavens bless you and your sister... Blessed be young witch..."
Lucy and Haiku then grabbed there belongings and left the house with the escort of Nix, as she closed the door behind them she walked over to a burlap bag filled with crystal gems, she retrieved a sapphire crystal from the bag, the deep blue stone fit perfectly in her grasp.
"Grant her strength, courage, and clarity.' Nix said to herself as she recalled the photo of Lynn from her memory.
Early morning, nightfall still enshrouds the city with a hand full of cars driving on main street, people getting a headstart on the morning traffic, to start their days without dealing with the morning rush hour. Lynn still completely concealed, climbed her way to the roof top of the mall using a maintenance ladder.
She made her way to the rooftop fire exit, and leaned against the outer wall of the doorway, she slid down easing herself down to the graveled surface. With a heavy sigh she pulled her phone from her pocket and opened her photos, moments with her friends and family immortalized. She looked through the pictures feeling only pain, whether the memories were good or bad, she felt only misery.
She opened her messages and pulled up her drafts, she finalized the message she worked on for days. She typed only a few more words before adding numerous contacts in the to box, most of her siblings, her parents, and her friends. Shedding lonely tear drops, she tapped the send button, seconds later a prompt appeared confirming the message was sent successfully.
Watching the sunrise slowly in the east, a sight that should inspire joy, for Lynn only invoked a whimper, weak and fatigued. But today in her mind, Lynn's suffering was closer and closer to reaching it's end.
Across the city phones simultaneously vibrated with a received message, each phone had it received from one contact, Lynn.
"Lincoln! Lincoln! Wake up! Wake up!" Luan shouted frantically shaking her younger brother awake.
"L-ly-Lynn!?" He groggily exclaimed. "Luan? What's up?" He looked at his fourth older sister to see her eyes bloodshot as if she had been crying.
"Look at your phone! Now!" She exclaimed.
He reached over and grabbed his phone and removed it from the charging cable. He opened the message from Lynn after ignoring the five other messages from his friends.
-Everyone, I am so sorry that I worried you these past months, but your burden will soon be lifted from your shoulders... Without love...without child... I can only say that nothing else is truly tying me to this world. All of your love, all of your support, I am grateful for... But so much has been done, since I lost her, every day I felt myself being torn apart from the inside, a pain I felt ever since that one horrible night, and nothing else could possibly end this pain. It will hurt for a while but I know you guys are strong enough to move one, and live on even without me there. Always know that I'll always be with you, even if I'm not there in body. I love all of you so much... Goodbye for now.
Lynn-
"No... T-this is just a joke... Right Luan? Lynn's downstairs now waiting to finish the mother of all pranks set up by you two!" Lincoln chuckled nervously, trying to rule out the possibility that the message indeed was real. "Luan?"
"Lincoln! I would never! Ever! Joke with something like this! It's far too cruel!"
Hearing no waiver in Luan's voice, flared an intense anxiety within the white haired boy.
"Fuck! We need to go now! We have to find her!" He then tossed the bedding off of his body. He scrambled to his closet wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs, he grabbed a pair of jeans and an orange t-shirt, he then grabbed his SMOOCH hoodie gifted to him by Luna and Sam.
"Luan! Please I'm trying to get dressed!" He said as he fell to the floor trying to put on his jeans.
"Oh! Sorry!" Luan shouted as she darted to her and Luna's room to likewise dress for her participation in the search.
Downstairs, Rita paced frantically while on the phone with the police department. Neglecting to put on her makeup, age lines under her eyes were more visible than when she has time to prepare.
"Yes! Please I need officer Brosco! Hurry!... I understand he's off duty but it's an emergency!"
Before long, the dispatch managed to get Brosco on the phone.
*Mrs Loud? It's officer Brosco, what's wrong?*
"I all of us received a text this morning from Lynn!" She exclaimed.
*Is she safe? Tell me where she is and I will drive her home to you!*
"No... It's not a good text unfortunately, please hurry!" Her voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes again.
*Calm down Mrs Loud I'll be there in five minutes.*
"It might be too late then please! Please hurry!" Rita said before ending the call, unable to stay on the phone, she began weeping into her shaking hands.
"Mom, we literally need to stay strong for everyone!" Lori said while holding back tears, attempting to stay strong for her mother.
"I know sweetie, it's hard. It's just so hard!" Rita and Lori we're greated to the stomps from heavy boots.
"Mom! I'm going with Sam and Corey to find her!" Luna exclaimed.
"Be careful! Keep us all updated!" Lori said while consoling their mother.
"Luna wait! I'm going with you!" Lincoln said with desperation heavy in his voice.
"Okay, come on!" Both siblings darted out the front door to join the rocker's friends outside.
On the roof top of the mall, Lynn took time to breathe in the autumn breeze, for what might be her last time to do so, she then reached into her jean's left pocket and pulled the baggie of pills from Elijah, down to the last bottle of water she dumped the entire contents of the plastic vessel into the palm of her hand, four tablets and two capsules. She breathed deep then in one fell swoop tossed back the assortment of narcotics in their entirety then took three big gulps of her water. Now to the point of no return she waits for the pills to take effect.
"Won't be long... Just wait for me..." She said to herself.
Lucy watched from the window of the attic, as Brosco met with Lynn Sr and Rita. She handed her phone to Brosco and after a few seconds he handed the phone back to her and took off for his interceptor, seconds later he returned, and the three walked inside. She sighed as she listened in on the mayhem ensuing below her.
"Mr and Mrs Loud, I have Phipps in search for Lynn now, I'll be joining with him, but I need to know who the first was to get this message in the household."
"Leni, she came to us inconsolable, that's when we checked our phones, since then it became a domino effect." Lynn Sr said as he wiped tears from his fatigued eyes.
"Is her mobile data on?" Brosco asked before seeing a brown haired girl approach him, she adjusted her glasses then stood straight.
"Perhaps, I can answer that question officer, approximately 8am this morning global positioning satellites established a link with mobile device within a radius of two miles from where we stand, it's last transmission was located around the downtown Royal Woods area, most specifically the mall..." Lisa said without a change in her emotions.
"That's all I need to know." Brosco said as he made his way to the door.
"Keep your phones on at all times until we find her, we'll be in touch."
The groups searched nonstop, driving throughout the city looking for the lost Loud girl until receiving a message from Lisa's phone reading the mall! And the the Louds that were out searching fastly changed direction and headed for their destination.
Back on the rooftop, Lynn felt the effects of the cocktail take it's toll on her perception, and her motor skills. She looked around to see her vision began dizzying, and her limbs grew limp, before she realized it, she witnessed sights that bent reality around her. She slowly risen to her feet and stammered her way, barely able to keep herself composed. Soon she found herself facing an old pain, the screams of agony echoed repeatedly in her mind.
Soon Vanzilla made it's way to a parking space, and Brosco pulled up to the side of the building. Lori darted from the van and to the mall's alley ways, screaming for her younger sister.
"Brosco to dispatch! Have Emergency Medical Services on standby. Missing girl found and situation is critical!" Brosco shouted as he quickly climbed the ladder to check the roof for Lynn.
Lynn continued walking until making her way to the ledge, she looked aimlessly into the sky, then set her sights on the ground below her. She took the ponytail holder from her hair, it fell gracefully against her ears and shoulders with the breeze blowing gently against each strand. She held the box firmly as she readied herself for her final moments, amidst the hallucinations she heard screams from below and behind her.
"I found her!" Brosco shouted as he slowly and delicately approached her. "Lynn? My name's Adam... I need you to step away from the ledge."
She looked behind, her focus scattered and her body weak and shakey, her tired eyes blinked heavily.
"Your sisters, your brother, your parents, everyone has been worried about you... They want to help you, I want to help you. You don't have to do this... There's another way..."
As Lynn listened his voice became warped and distorted, his appearance deformed by the the effects of the lethal cocktail. She slowly shook her head and looked down once again.
"I'm coming." She whispered softly.
"Don't do this..." He said in a somber tone.
Luna and Lincoln made it to the end of the alley, stopped only by Phipps and another officer. The gathering crowd were of mixed emotions, most expressed fear, some had no clue to what was unfolding, and fewer were the individuals who shamefully wished to see the girl leap to her doom.
"Stop! What the fuck are you doing!?" Luna exclaimed struggling against the burley officer.
"That's our sister up there!" Lincoln shouted likewise.
"Lynn please stop! Please!"
"Please Lynn!" Lori and Luan shouted up to their little sister with flowing tears.
Lynn's mind flooded with worsening images and her ears were filled with the sound of pressure building much like water filling a vehicle sinking into the cold, blue ocean.
Lynn stepped off the ledge grasping the box tightly, to the horror of all who was watching. The moment seemed to go on for an eternity, a torture dragging to an agonizing halt, Lynn dazedly watched herself draw closer to the pavement below. After months of torment, months of sorrow, her suffering was about to come to an end, before her eyes, an apparition formed before her, it's dainty hand reached out to her. A faint smile took her lips and she reached her right hand to the afterimage but before she could grasp the toddler sized hand it disappeared, and her smile faded away.
Luna pulled Lincoln into her chest, shielding his eyes and bracing him against the damaging sight. Lori and Luan turned their heads unable to bare the terrible sight.
Her hand bent inward, slowing her fall slightly. Bones in her arm cracked, with one in her forearm snapping in half. The side of her face scraped against the pavement, leaving a tooth chipped and superficial lacerations to the right side of her face. Her body lying limp and motionless, her left arm draped over the box.
Looking at the terrible sight below, Brosco was in a brief state of shock at what had just unfolded.
"Not again damn it, not this time!" He said to himself. He quickly eased himself to the storm gutter, and slid down to the ground.
Surviving the fall, Lynn stared at the box hearing the screams of her sisters and younger brother even some screams projecting from the crowd, but unable and unwilling to respond to them. She hears the screams once again echoing in her mind.
"I'll be with you soon... Les.." Lynn thought to herself before she slowly closed her eyes and slipped out of consciousness, beginning her fade away from life.
Lori, Luna, Luan, and Lincoln surrounded their sister, trying with all their might to wake her.
"Come on lil' sis! Wake up! Snap out of it!" Luna shouted trying to rouse her.
"Lynn please don't go! We need you!" Luan shouted as tears poured profusely from her eyes.
"Lynn don't die on us! God please don't let her die!" Lincoln shouted as he shook her briskly.
Lori tried to reach out only for her to let out an agonizing shriek as she was met with one of her worst nightmares. Brosco quickly darted over to Lynn and moved her siblings away from where she lie.
"Back up! Give her room!" He moved her to where she lain flat on her back, and began feeling for a pulse, he eased her broken arm down and then preformed artificial resuscitation on her, following each step he learned from first aid and CPR training.
"Please god! Please!" Lori said in hysterics.
After applying the chest compressions, Brosco made one final attempt to give her the breath of life, after feeling movement from the teenage girl he and her siblings seen that his efforts were fruitful, as her eyes opened wide she gasped for air and released a wheezy cough.
"Lynn!" They shouted in unison.
Unable to keep composure, her eyes rolled back as her body trembled.
"Phipps! Get an ambulance here! Now!" Brosco shouted knowing the extreme danger she was in.
"Phipps to dispatch, EMS needed at the mall. Failed suicide attempt." He said through the two way radio.
*Emergency Medical Services inbound.*
Within seconds the wails of sirens filled the air and the crowd quickly dispersed allowing the ambulance entry to the alley way. Brosco grabbed the empty baggie then carried the teen girl to the EMTs and placed her on the gurney. With the crew already preparing to start an iv. And started oxygen for her.
The Louds watched as the ambulance then began to leave the parking area, lights and sirens blaring all the way.
"Let's go! We need to catch up!" Lori exclaimed.
"We'll escort you!" Brosco said as they scrambled to their vehicles. Within seconds they sped out of the mall area in trying to catch up with the ambulance.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as a storm brewed and made its way to Royal Woods, slowly the rain fell and where the box lain was now gone, taken discreetly by Luan.
"You can't come with me... It's not time yet..."
A voice spoke softly it's sound like that of a coo from a dove.
~To be continued~