Author's notes:
Inner thoughts in italics.
Chapter 4
It was 7:30 by the time Alana made it back to the hotel room. After taking her sneakers off, she decided to watch a little bit of television. She plopped down on the queen-sized bed and reached for the remote. For about five minutes, she flipped through the channels, unable to find anything interesting to watch. The fact was, she just couldn't get the image of the latest girl out of her head. She got up and walked over to the desk where she kept all her files.
After writing Orroro's name on the bottom of the picture and writing the date of the abduction with a red marker, Alana taped the picture alongside the other girls.
Another student from the university. Why? What do they all have in common? What am Ah missin'?
Placing her face in her hands, Alana leaned her elbows on the desktop. Looking up, she glances over at the clock.
8:31. Ah betta call Bobby befoah he sends the National Guard to find me.
Bobby Drake had always been one of her closest friends since she moved to New York. The thrill of the Big Apple was a bit much for her after moving from a quiet place like Caldecott County, Mississippi. Thanks to Bobby's friendship, the transition to big city life wasn't as painful as she thought.
Even after her incident, after so many of her "so-called" friends stopped calling, Bobby stuck by her side. It had been a little over two years since she acquired the white streaks in her hair.
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**Flashback**
2 years and 3 months ago.
The subway stop at Bleecker Street.
New York City, NY.
Ah really need ta land this story if Ah'm gonna get offered a real job at the Daily Post. What kinda expert on Urban Legends am Ah if Ah can't even uncover any myths on mah own.
For weeks, Alana Harrison had been tracking the rumors of a creature that was spotted in the subway tunnels. No one had been able to get a decent picture of this creature, and Alana was determined to be the first. Lead after lead about the "Croc-Man's" nest had turned out to be hoaxes, but her instincts told her that her latest tip was true.
Three days before that, she had received an anonymous e-mail telling her that the nest was located close to the Bleecker Street subway stop. It also revealed which tunnel she should enter and what direction to walk towards.
She stood at the edge of the platform, looking around to make sure that there were no transit cops around. After she made sure that the coast was clear she jumped down onto the tracks, almost landing on the infamous third rail. She slowly pulled her foot away from the deadly rail then walked in the direction that her source told her to.
She walked for about five minutes, flashlight in hand before she came up to a split in the tunnel. One way was open, but the other way, the one to the left, was blocked off. According to the e-mail she received, she was to follow the left tunnel, the one that was blocked off and looked very eerie.
Get it togetha girl. It's just a tunnel, no big deal. You've gotten yoahself outta more dangerous situations. Breathe easy. That's it, calm down. No reason ta get yoahself all worked up ovah nothin'. Think happy thoughts. Fluffy bunnies. Roses. Puppies. Butterflies. Christmas presents. Birthday Cakes. Headless Rats. WHAT?!?!?
She focused her flash light on the rails. All around her were piles of headless, and very dead, rats. The stench of blood filled her nostrils and Alana found herself feeling quite sick to her stomach. Suddenly, she heard foot steps coming towards her. She held her breath and listened more closely. It wasn't just one set of footsteps. No. There were at least three. Panicked, she looked for somewhere to hide. The footsteps were getting closer and she had no where to go. A man's voice came out of no where.
"Well, well wat 'ave we got 'ere", said a man with a thick Cockney accent. "Ya lost there girl?"
Alana stood her ground, not saying a word, as three men began to surround her.
"Well, ya don't like ta talk. That's alright girlie, we don' need you to" said the first man as they started to approach her.
Just as they were about to pounce at her, a large scaly figure jumped out of the shadows, knocking the three men hard against the tunnel walls. The fight was fast and over almost before it began. Shocked by what she saw before her, Alana pushed herself up and tried to run as fast as she could out of the tunnel. Unaware to her surroundings, she accidentally tripped on a piece of wood causing her right hip to land on the third rail. A bolt of electricity coursed through her body for a split second before the reptile-like man pulled her to safety. She blacked out before she could get a better look at her savior but remembered the feel of his cold, scaly hands on her face.
The next thing she knew, Alana woke up and found herself in the emergency room at Beth Israel Medical Center. Next to her bed, she saw the face of Bobby Drake smiling down at her.
"Hey, you gave us quite a scare there. How're you feeling?"
*Groans* "Okay Ah guess. Ah feel like a subway slammed inta me. What happened? Where's the "Croc-Man"? How'd Ah get here? What about..." Bobby place his hands her shoulders, trying to calm her down.
"Relax, relax! After what you've been through, you need the rest. I'll explain everything if you promise to just relax." Alana gave a slight nod. "Okay, good. Well from what the doctors told me you landed on the third rail while you were in one of the subway tunnels. I'm not going to ask why you were there right now, you can explain all that later. Anyway, from what the docs tell me, you shouldn't be alive right now. Quite frankly, you should be in the morgue rather than the E.R." Bobby noticed the color rush out of Alana's face and decided to ease up and stick to the facts. "Apparently, you tripped and landed on the third rail. But looks like you're injuries aren't as bad as they should be. Looks like you've got a pretty sick burn on your hip where you landed on the rail. Other than that, the only other thing is..." He paused slightly and looked around the room looking for a mirror. He grabbed a shiny medical tray off the counter and held it behind his back. "Well, it looks like the only other thing is this...", holding the tray up to Alana's face.
Alana stared at her reflection in the tray and immediately noticed the streaks of white that ran down the front of her hair. Holding the tray in one hand and feeling for her hair with the other, she couldn't help but feel bitter sweet. Bitter because of the way her outer appearance had forever been changed. But sweet, knowing that it was a pretty insignificant outcome from the events that occurred that night.
Through the next couple of weeks, Alana's life completely changed. As a result of the publicity she gained from her incident, she managed to land the job at the Daily Post. For some reason, her white streaks made her a more credible investigative reporter on the supernatural. However, she also lost many of her friends as a result. Many saw her as a freak that cheated death. As a result, many of them stopped calling, ignoring her whenever they would pass in the streets. Bobby had been her only true friend the past 2 years.
**End Flashback**
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Shaking her head at the thought of her memories, Alana stood from her desk in the hotel room. She walked over to the phone and dialed Bobby's number.
*Ring....... ring....... ring.........*
"Drake here."
"Hey Bobby! It's me, Alana. Just calling back to let ya know what room Ah was stayin' in."
"Great. Hope the flight wasn't too bad. Let me just grab a pen... Okay ready."
"Alraght, like Ah told ya Ah'm at the Midtown Hotel. It's room 805. Got more news for ya. Anotha girl was taken last night. Her name's Orroro Munroe, another student from the university. Ah talked to a guy that used ta know her. He even gave me a picture. But that's about it. Ah'm gonna drive over to the university tomorrow and ask around. Look for people that knew any of the girls."
"Sounds good. Hey listen, I haven't gotten the information about the time of abduction yet. But as soon as I know, I'll give you a call on your cell or the hotel."
"That's fine. Give me a call soon as ya find out. Thanks Bobby. Bye."
"Catch you later, Rogue. Bye."
Hanging up the phone, Alana decided to turn in for the night. Even though it was only 9:30, she had a long day tomorrow and needed the rest. She changed out of her street clothes into a soft baby blue flannel shirt. She crawled into bed, pulling the covers up to her waist. As she lay her head down on the soft pillow, she closed her eyes feeling relaxed for the first time in weeks.
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