Chapter 10
The walk back to his abode was considerably uneasy than the walk to the Miller's for Alvin, every bump and break of a branch putting him further out on the edge of his wits, his attention undivided and high.
"Come on Seville," he coaxed himself as he drew nearer down the street. "This is crazy. What's so scary about this? It's not like you haven't walked home from track at this time of night before!"
As his walk progressed, an eerie feeling swept across him as the wind lightly blew against his neck, making him shutter at the sudden feel. At this point, Alvin could only agree that that day had been extremely off for him, starting at the track meet. Sure, he brought his school home the first place medal, but the all-around ambiance of the event felt out of place; more like his family wasn't the only ones rooting him on. Of course, an entire crowd cheered for the track star, but Alvin could still feel the burn of unwelcomed eyes upon his body most of the time. The haunting feeling spooked Alvin. But who was there to put him out of his comfort zone? Alvin couldn't place the discarded feeling, so he tried his best to brush it off as he rounded the corner leading him to his house.
And scary enough… the same feeling of being watched came over him once again…
The street itself was noiseless, until the sound of burning rubber once more that night could be heard directly behind the teen. He jolted as he whirled around in his spot, seeing headlights drawing nearer to him, bouncing off the curb and onto the sidewalk, screeching to an abrupt halt.
The fear settled in Alvin's heart as the van stalking him and Jeanette became recognizable to him, his blue eyes growing wide. The doors slowly pried themselves open with a rusty creak, and Alvin stood frozen in his spot, bracing himself for the worse. When he familiarized the men to be the same ones that questioned him at the track meet, his fear was replaced with anger as his hands turned into white-knuckled fists.
"You guys again!" Alvin spat as he marched his way over to the towering men. "You two and an older geezer almost made me late for my event today!"
The brown-eyed man smirked as he stepped forward to Alvin, but the red-clad boy stood his ground.
"What's the big idea? You scared my friend half to death with that creep machine stalking us the entire time!"
"So, you agree that the brunette is your friend, correct?" the brown-eyed man, Darrell asked calmly.
Alvin slightly staggered where he stood and swallowed hard, startled by the sudden question. "Uh… yeah," he replied bluntly.
Darrell, along with his partner, Craig exchanged glances that cued each other, and rushed to Alvin's side, grabbing him forcefully by the arms.
His anger was then replaced with helplessness, his legs swinging to and fro as he struggled to rid himself of the men's overpowering grasps.
"Let me go!" he shouted as tears came to the corners of his eyes.
Well, his kicking and thrashing must have come to some use, for Alvin swiftly kicked Darrell in his ribs and backhanded his partner. The two released him, dropping him to the rough concrete below. Disoriented by the fall, Alvin staggered to his feet and made his way for the house only hundreds of feet away.
Darrell sent a smirk in Craig's direction and chuckled hardily. "Looks like we got a runner, huh?"
"Like always."
With that, Darrell reached into his back pocket and pulled out a handheld device with physical similarities to their DNA scanner.
"A P9 v.2.m?" Craig called as he and Darrell walked a little ways to catch up to the track star. "You sure about that? That can't be enough!"
Darrell nodded with full confidence. "Positive. Just enough P's and vm's where the shock won't scramble his brain, but enough to make him surrender. I don't want to finish off an entire generation Craig!"
With a hard stance, Darrell gripped the tiny device in both hands to anticipate the kick it gives off similar to a gun's kick. "Halt! Freeze!"
The warning bit Alvin hard, fear coating every inch of his body, but he continued to run through neighbors' lawns.
"How the hell are these stupid neighbors not hearing all of this?" Alvin spat under his breath as he ducked underneath sloping branches. "Any other time I sneak out of the house, they're all on my case!"
"Halt! Freeze!"
Beads of sweat trickled down the sides of Alvin's face, just mere feet away from the door. With great strength, Alvin swung open the screen door and twisted the doorknob… only to find the door had been locked.
"Oh shit," he mumbled under her breath as he twisted and yanked, twisted and yank. He resolved to pounding on the door, screaming for assistance.
"Simon, if you don't open this God damn door, I'm dead!"
On impulse, Alvin gazed at his wrist watch to find it was 10:35 p.m. Around this time, Simon found a free period to video chat with a couple of friends… with his headphones glued in his ears.
"God, he probably can't hear me!"
"Halt. Freeze!"
Alvin turned in his spot, staring directly down the barrel of the TeCoven device, his body quivering as he pressed his back against the front door, his breathing heavy with distress. He attempted to break away from the side, scraping the body of Dave's car with his bulky wrist watch. One step, two steps, Darrell took aim, a blue bolt of light escaping the device, blinding him and Craig. The bolt painfully caressed Alvin's leg, the shock spreading to every inch of his body, a piercing scream echoing through the nighttime sky. He collapsed to the ground in a heap, his hands clamped around a bundle of grass as the pain coursed through his legs. Exhaustedly, he turned and lay on his back, staring in the eyes of the men who he was most certainly terrified of.
A moan escaped him as he attempted to scoot away, only to bring an immense amount of pain to his entire being. "Get away from me," he managed to speak.
"Look, that's the most we want to do to you. Nothing more," Craig persuaded as he took a navy-blue pill out of his pocket. "Everything will be explained, I promise you, but in order for everything to fall in place, you must be cooperative!"
"Whatever you're going to do: eat my guts, chop of my hands and use them as combs, anything… just do it already and don't hold back," Alvin pleaded as Darrell clamped a pair of handcuffs around Alvin's scratched-up wrists.
Darrell chuckled as he carefully lifted Alvin to his throbbing feet. "We're not sadistic," he replied. "But things will be much clearer in a couple of weeks…"
As the men led the apprehensive teen to the van, he couldn't help but to speak, "Will I die if I go with you guys? W-w-will I get to see my family again?"
"Of course you'll be able to see them again, but I can't say too much; the top TeCovener will help the situation make sense for you… and others like you…"
Alvin's face frowned in confusion that very much matched the current situation.
"Here," a sudden voice called, followed by a hand to Alvin's mouth. In the palm of Craig's hand, the navy-blue pill appeared again.
"What the hell is this shit?"
Without warning, Craig loaded a pill shooter handy and ejected the capsule down Alvin's throat.
"What the hell was that?"
"A TeCoven sleeping pill. Just like any other sleeping pill at your local pharmacy, but-"
Before finishing his explanation, Alvin unexpectedly collapsed into Darrell's arms, his speech incomprehensible.
"It works 90% faster than a regular one…"
~7~7~7~7~
Anxiety got the best of the poor brunette as she paced the hardwood floor of the living room, her green eyes gazing down at her quick feet.
"Maybe I should call Alvin," she began as she made her way to the house phone that sat idle on the corner of the coffee table.
She rested an uneasy hand upon the phone itself and breathed an exasperated groan. Would Alvin even answer, she thought.
Of course she cared about Alvin's well-being, considering the fact he was such a gentleman for walking her home, but she surely didn't want to boost Alvin's ego by giving him the slightest notion that yet another girl from school - such as herself - may be crushing on the star athlete by calling to check on him. She couldn't deny it; he was such a sweetheart. And, on top of it all, he even offered to be of some company until her sisters returned from the movies. She was almost glad she denied that offer; she knew her sisters well enough that they would have taken Alvin's gentlemen streak as a make-out session while they were out and about.
Slowly, but surely, she picked up the phone and began to dial his number. She placed the phone to her ear, listening to the obnoxious tone; however, after one ring, the phone quickly cut off, sending her straight to voicemail.
Dumbfounded, Jeanette pulled the phone away and inspected it as if it will give her some sort of an answer. Hesitantly, she placed the phone back on its designated receiver, pacing the floor once more.
"M-m-maybe he was on the phone with somebody," she lured herself to believe.
How could she even consider believing such tale? How could she even come up with that as an option? After the events with the van on their walk home, she knew deep in her heart that her guess was far from correct. Yet, she felt she needed some sort of explanation to cajole herself.
She called again.
No answer.
She waited another five minutes.
Still, no answer.
She occupied herself with a game of handheld Solitaire until she finished the deck three times in one sitting.
Unbelievably, no answer. Each time she called, it rang once, and went to voicemail.
She knew then that Alvin didn't have his phone. She didn't know who, but someone did; someone other than Alvin.
It worried her deeply, that something could have possibly happen to the poor guy.
Suddenly, there came a knock at the door, startling her greatly. Tears began to stroke the corners of her eyes as she tip-toed her way to the door. At this point, she could hear her heart in her ears, she could feel her stomach churning, the need to vomit coming one. Her hands grew moist and sweat caressed her hairline. For a moment, she stood still as a statue. As she built up her courage, she looked into the peak hole to find an elderly man rocking back and forth from the balls of his feet to his heels.
"If I open this door," Jeanette whispered breathlessly, "I'll be going against everything Miss Miller taught me about talking to strangers!"
"Hello!" a hefty voice outside the door called.
Jeanette fell silent, holding her breath as long as she could. She peered through the peek hole to see the man's demeanor had changed; he seemed a bit frustrated, his foot tapping heavily upon the porch.
"Anyone home?" he boomed, piercing Jeanette's ears by the sudden bass in his voice.
Jeanette bit back as long as she could, but found it a great struggle to hold in. Finally, it all spilled out as she replied to the stranger. "Who is it?"
The man, the elderly Jack, didn't answer back right away, putting hope in Jeanette that he decided to leave. Once his voice boomed again, however, her hope faded away.
"Look, are you the only one home?" he asked irritably.
"Who wants to know?"
"I do!"
Jeanette swallowed noisily as she stepped away from the door, her back hitting the wall adjacent to it, almost knocking over Miss Miller's favorite plant. Now, more than ever, she regretted turning down Alvin's offer to keep her company. If she would have said yes, Alvin would be with her, protecting her from this stranger, and possibly boasting about how much of a victory the track meet had turned out to be. Anything was better than the situation she was tied in.
"What do you want?" Jeanette called back.
"Look, I have information. Some that may be of great interest to you," Jack informed brightly. "Listen, I'm not here to hurt you at all. Actually, that's the last thing I want to do is hurt you in any way!"
"Were you the one riding around in that Astro?" she asked suddenly. "Stalking my friend and me?"
Jack pounded a single fist against the door, splitting it halfway down the middle, startling Jeanette to the point of tears.
She rushed her way back to the phone and held it to her chest. "I will call the police if you don't go away!" she sobbed heavily as she hid behind the couch. She pressed the number 9.
"Jeanette, open this Godforsaken door, now!" he roared. "I'm an elderly man with arthritis, but I can guarantee you that I'll break this door to the floor!"
The brunette's sobs turned into petrified screams as the phone slipped from her hands and tumbled underneath the couch. "Oh shoot!"
An ear-splitting bang ripped through the house, coming from the front door, Jack fulfilling his guarantee. He blasted his shoulder into the door once more, shaking Jeanette's being as her clumsy fingers struggled to reach for the phone.
~7~7~7~7~
"And, like always, you seem to pick out the best movies for us to watch!" the blonde complimented as she and a taller auburn-haired female strolled down the brightly lit city just shortly after the film of their choice had ended, leaving the sisters flabbergasted.
The auburn-haired Brittany accepted the compliment to the fullest, flipping her springy hair behind her partially covered shoulder. "Eleanor, I'm the master at picking movies! It just comes natural to me!"
"Well, don't be too full of yourself, Brittany," the brown-eyed Eleanor warned sternly. "This was just one good movie! I bet you the very next time we go to the movies, you couldn't do it again!"
"You obviously underestimate my awesome powers of picking the best movies to see!" Brittany replied cockily. "I can do a lot of things that amaze people!"
"Sure," Eleanor spat sarcastically. "It amazes everyone how long you can run your mouth about yourself nonstop!"
Brittany glared at her youngest sister and expressed a sound of displeasure. "Well, if I didn't, there would be nothing to talk about!"
"If you insist, Brittany…" she paused suddenly, hoping to come up with some idea that would pull Brittany out of her conceited conversation.
"So, I think Alvin did a wonderful job at the track meet today! Wouldn't you say Brittany?"
Brittany giggled and shrugged. "You could say he did. But he was really close to losing. I still give him props, though."
"Hey at least he won!" Eleanor contradicted with raised eyebrows. "Anyway, do you think Jeanette might want us to pick up dinner?"
"Sure, I'll give her call," and with that, Brittany reached into her back pocket and slipped out her bejeweled cell phone and commenced to dialing the house number…
~7~7~7~7~
"No!" Jeanette whimpered desperately, for her arms weren't quite long enough to reach the phone that had slid under the couch.
With yet another thrust of his shoulder into the dry-rot door, it cracked down the middle, chunks of wood spilling to the floor. To finish the job with one swift kick of his foot, he kicked the crack, a hole big enough for Jack to fit through made into the door.
On impulse, Jeanette disregarded the phone that began to ring and ran around the corner into the living room where a closet sat across from the basement door. Silently, she opened it and sat in the back corner, her knees hugged to her chest as she tried to control her wild breathing.
Jack, who began to make his way through the hole in the door, gazed around the house cautiously, his eyes snapping every which way in search of the brunette. His steps were slow and calm as he reached into his back pocket, playing with a navy-blue capsule at the tips of his fingers. With each step, the floorboards underneath him creaked, putting anxiety in Jeanette's heart as she could hear him draw closer to the closet. The closet door was cracked open, and Jeanette only hoped that Jack wouldn't catch sight of her toe in the moon's light coming through the open-curtain living room window.
As he came closer, Jeanette could feel his presence slowly drift by and around the corner into the kitchen, easing her for just that moment.
~7~7~7~7~
"No answer," Brittany blurted irritably as she shoved her phone back into her pocket.
"Maybe she's sleeping?" Eleanor suggested.
Brittany shook her head and heaved a heavy breath. "She's a light sleeper; she would have heard the phone! Do you think she and Simon are still at the Honor's Night she was talking so much about?"
Eleanor, too, shook her head in contradiction. "Honor's Night ended at 9:45, and it's just turning 11. And no restaurants are open at this time of night, so they wouldn't be out anywhere!"
Brittany couldn't hide the fact that she was a bit worried, so with that, she sped up her walking pace. "Come on, Ellie. We better get home, just to make sure she's all right…"
**Cliff-hanger! Haha, I'm so evil! :}**
**And thank you so very much for the reviews, guys! They're much appreciated! :D**
**Chapter 11 coming soon**