Title: Pretty
Author: Bernarde
Rating: NC-17... my favorite.
Summary: In an underground society where sex does indeed sell, Mark Calaway stumbles across a tortured young man named Evan. A wicked past has left Evan with no memory and the mind of a child, but something about him captures Mark's attention...
Author's Note: I am so fucking sick of working!
-_Ω_-
Prodding. In my side.
"Urgh?"
"Mark? Mark, wake up," Evan's voice.
"What?" I mumble.
"Where are Glenn and Shanny?"
"Whadyoumean?"
"They didn't come back last night." I'm awake in an instant, sitting up and reaching for my phone.
"They didn't come back?"
"I don't think so... they're not here and there are no groceries... so..." I flip my phone open and dial Glenn's number.
"You've reached Glenn, I can't come to the phone right now...." I hang it up. Shit. Shit shit shit. Glenn's phone is never off. Ever. Something in me screams that this isn't right. But I have no idea what to do...
I get up and pull some shorts up my thighs. Evan looks at me, his face worried.
"Something's wrong, isn't it?" he asks.
"Maybe, buddy. I don't know yet. Are Matt and Jeff up?"
"I heard them talking." I walk down the hall to the last bedroom and knock on the door. Evan grabs my hand and I squeeze it reassuringly.
The door opens and Jeff peeks out at me, "Hey," and opens the door wider. Matt is laying on the bed, looking at us.
"Glenn and Shannon never came home last night." His eyes widen a little.
"They didn't?"
"No," Evan pipes up, "Well, I think they didn't, there's no groceries in the kitchen."
Jeff just stares at Evan, "Maybe they just went somewhere?"
"Glenn's phone is turned off - it didn't even ring. And he never turns off his phone." Jeff looks how I feel - worried and nauseous. Damn it.
"You could go to the police station and file a missing person report?" Matt suggests.
"That's a good idea. You guys get dressed - you're coming with. I'm not leaving anyone here alone."
"Okay."
-_Ω_-
"Where do you think they went?" Evan asks quietly as I drive the van to the nearest police station.
"Honestly, if something bad happened, I bet it has to do with Raven," I reply, my voice just as low.
"Why would he go after them?"
"Because... he thinks I hurt you."
"Why?"
"Just because, baby." I don't want to explain any further. He's too innocent to know... I just want to protect him.
We get to the police station and I lead the boys in with me. I have them sit in the waiting area and I go up to the desk. The officer is an enormous man, bigger than me even, who looks like he's of Indian descent. Not native American - like from the country of India. He looks up at me when I approach him.
"Hello," he says, with a trace of a weird accent in his voice.
"I'd like to file a missing persons report."
"When did the person go missing?"
"Last night - they went out to get groceries and never came back."
"They?"
"There are two of them... two men."
"Well, first off, I can't issue a report yet. You have to wait twenty-four hours until you can do that - it's just standard policy, in case they just went on a binge trip or something. I can take down the details, though, and then file the report later. Would you like that?"
I swallow.
"Yeah."
"Two males? Name of the first one?" he starts clicking on his computer.
"Glenn. Glenn Jacobs." The officer types a little bit.
"Describe him?"
"Almost seven foot - probably six foot nine? He shaves his head. Brown eyes."
"Found him. All right. And he went missing last night? What time?"
"Uh... seven?"
"He took a car?"
"Yes. His."
"What make and model?" Shit, I don't know.
"It's a gold Cougar."
"Okay. You don't know the license plate number, do you?"
"No, but the car is in his name."
"I'll find it." He types some more, then stops and looks up, "And the other one?"
"Shannon... uh..." Damn. What is Shannon's name? "I don't know his last name. He's five nine, I think. Hold on." Jeff would know his last name... if he has one. I walk over to Jeff, where he sits on the end, with Evan beside him. Matt is beside Evan. "Jeff, do you know Shannon's last name?"
"Uh... it starts with an 'm'... Milton? I'm pretty sure it's Milton."
"Okay, thanks." I go back to the cop.
"Shannon Milton. He's twenty something. Blond."
The officer types in what I've told him, and frowns at his computer.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
"Was he born in this state?"
"I don't know."
"It's okay, I'll switch to the national database..." he clicks and types and the frown never leaves his face.
"Sir, I'm not finding him. I've tried multiple spellings of the last name 'Moore', but there are only two other men in the States with that name and they don't share his details at all. One is five years old, the other is thirty and a convict."
... That's weird. Really, really weird. Why isn't he in there?
"Are... are you sure?"
"Positive. I'm sorry, sir."
"... Well... can you include his description anyway? Perhaps we just don't have the right last name."
"That is possible. I'll include his description. Can you tell me it again?"
"Sure. He's in his early twenties, long blond hair, green eyes, he's about five foot nine."
The man continues typing, then nods and looks up at me, "That's all I can do for now, sir. May I have your name and number so that we can call you if anything comes up?"
I agree and give him my name and cell number, my mind running a thousand miles a minute. We're finally done and I go back to the boys. Jeff is petting Evan and looking worried - Matt seems apprehensive.
"Come on," I mutter to them, and they follow me back out to the van.
"What's wrong?" Jeff asks once we're driving again.
"Shannon wasn't in the system."
"What do you mean?"
"He doesn't exist. They couldn't find him, not even in the national database."
"I might have gotten the last name wrong."
"Yeah, that's probably it."
We drive in silence.
"Maybe he's back in the Basement? Raven, I mean. Like maybe... he took them there?," Jeff suggests.
"The Basement?" Matt asks.
"Yeah, that's where Raven's business was until Mark chased him off..."
"Oh."
Evan suddenly lets out a low whine, "I don't want to go there." I reach over and rest a hand on his shoulder.
"Baby, we'll only be there for a minute. You can stay out here in the van with Jeff and Matty, okay?"
"Okay..." he looks sad, "I don't feel good."
"Why not?"
"I don't know."
Something tells me that is important, but now that Jeff has planted the seed of possibility in my head, I can't ignore it. What if Raven did go back there? No one would look for him there, right? It was his old place...
I pull my phone out again and dial. Ring. Ring.
"This is Hunter."
"Hey Hunter, it's Mark. Do you know where Raven's been hiding lately?"
"No, no I don't. I'm pretty sure he abandoned the Basement after the incident, but I don't know where he went. I guess he could be hunkering down with Legacy - they're pretty chummy with each other."
"Where is Legacy, anyway?"
"Over on south Willow street. Mark... why are you looking for Raven?"
"There's a guy I know who has used your services... his name is Glenn?"
"Big guy?"
"Yes."
"Oh, yeah. He used to take my Punk out all the time. What about him?"
"Well, he's taken a liking to Shannon and they've become somewhat of an item... but in any case, they both went missing last night."
"... Shit, Mark."
"Yeah."
"That can't end well."
"I know. But yeah, that's why I'm looking for him. Thanks though."
"No problem. But Mark - be careful. Insanity is unpredictable."
"I'll be careful. Bye."
"See ya."
I close the phone and focus on driving, hearing Matt and Jeff talking quietly in the back.
We get there surprisingly quick, and Evan gets in the back of the van so that all of them are hidden from view. I leave the air conditioner on because it's pretty hot out and let them lock themselves in. Before I close the door, I grab my pistol from under the seat and tuck it in the back of my waistband. My shirt is loose enough you can't really see it. A good choice.
I check up and down the street - it's pretty empty. I cross the road and go into the apartment building, heading straight for the elevator. I get in and hit the basement button - to my surprise, the gears start grinding and it starts going down. I reach back and put my hand on the grip of the gun, clicking the safety off. Ready to shoot if need be.
The elevator door rattles back, revealing the grid-iron door to Raven's Basement. It's dark, the only light coming from the few windows that are high up in the walls. Even though it's called the basement, it sticks up a bit from the ground so that windows could be installed. That way, the basement isn't pitch black.
Cautiously, I reach out and grasp the iron and pull.
To my surprise, it slides back. Shit.
The cages are still there, actually, everything is still there. Everything. The cots, the clothes, the assorted other things. Damn. I wonder if Raven really did just abandon it?
I take a step forward, taking in everything. The elevator closes behind me.
God, this was a bad idea. Why the fuck did I even think this would be a good idea? Yeah, sure Mark, just drop in on the psychopath without any preparation at all. Then again, preparation didn't do shit last time, so... fuck it.
I hear a slam in the back and I freeze. It sounded like metal crashing onto the floor. Shit. I start walking, slowly, regarding the long hallway carefully with each step.
Another crash. My heart quickens, but I can't panic. That will only fuck things up. Be calm, Mark. He's here. He's got to be. What else is making those noises? Be calm, and we can kill him easy. Nice and easy.
I'm so close to the back, with only that thick drape separating me from it now. I ease to the side and gently kick the drape with my foot quickly -
Nothing happens. No gun shots, nothing.
Shit, there is goes again. And it sounds like something moving around. Something alive. Shannon? Glenn? Maybe they're tied up back there! Shit!
It's now or never. Just go for it, Mark.
In one lightning fast movement, I burst through the drape, gun in front of me, ready to shoot.
Nothing. Nothing there. But where was that crash coming from?
I suddenly realize - the passageway. Shit. I creep back up to where Shannon's cage once was and scoot back. The door is... locked again. With a new padlock.
Oh. Oh shit. Here comes the adrenaline again. I carefully aim at the lock, standing far back, and pull the trigger -
PINGK!
The door swings inward and I hear that crash again. Suddenly there's a weird cry and something rushes at my face. Instinctively I point and pull the trigger twice. The thing screams and collapses and I realize the passage is empty and the thing I just killed was...
A raccoon. A goddamn raccoon. Fuck raccoons. Fuck them all, fuck all rodents.
The Basement is empty - everything is empty.
Fuck.
-_Ω_- Reviews are greatly appreciated -_Ω_-