Part 2: Ice on the Rocks

For a couple nights, everything was quiet. For the first time in what felt like forever, I was comfortable at home. Mom got a good break at home and got to spend time with us, Dad managed to get back to cooking and cleaning around the house here, and — most importantly — Darwin and I caught up on our sibling shenanigans. there Darwin had taken my little secret better than I was expecting. I told him everything from using my last shot to end Tobias' life, Carrie finding the gun and burying it in her backyard, and who really killed Alan in the woods. Disbelief was all over his face, but when I got to the part about Rob's drunken rampage, he seemed to have accepted it.

We spent the morning after playing video games, watching TV, and just talking to one another. I realized we hadn't connected like this in a while. Sure we saw each other and hung out everyday, but our time together was more passive.

"Hey, I'm in the room."

"Me too."

"Cool."

But now I felt like we were kids again. Fooling around and cracking jokes with one another. Maybe it was the long weekend, or maybe it was about being open with Darwin after hiding so much from him. Either way, it felt great.

And then, Friday night rolled along.

"BREAKING NEWS: Multiple home invasions have just occurred in Elmore's wooded district. Witnesses at the scene of the crime claim to have been robbed at gun point by multiple masked men dispersed around the neighborhood. Police also report a presumed kidnapping, and worry the worst may be upon the young Carrie Krueger tonight."

Darwin and I were up late watching a movie when the news interrupted it. More police cars than I had ever seen in my life on active duty were parked all around the decrepit neighborhood, all broadcast from a helicopter flying overhead, searching the woods for the thieves and kidnappers. The shot changed to an interview with an officer on the ground, explaining the situation in more detail. Or at least, he tried to. He didn't give much more information than the reporter had, it was too soon to give any leads, know what was stolen, or even hear about any of the victims' experience. He certainly didn't add anything new about Carrie, other than allude to her being, "another one."

I had to convince myself he could be wrong.

I told myself it was too early to say something like that.

I reminded myself that, even when it was me that I was talking to, I wasn't that persuasive.

Carrie was gone. And it seemed like she was right. The Tweakers were trying to instill terror in Elmore and make a reputation for themselves. Penny's house had just been a test, this was what they really wanted. And as far as I could tell, they were successful. Maybe a few of them would be caught, but I doubted they'd be as sloppy as they had been before after Julius got arrested. That must have been why they went for Carrie's neighborhood. Besides her being there, it was so run down and old that there'd hardly be any worry for stuff like security cameras or even streetlights. Hell, if I remembered correctly, no police station was any near there, so it would've taken the police longer to get there. They'd planned this and, unfortunately, they were pretty good at it.

I must have gone catatonic for a while, cause Darwin had to shake me out of a stupor pretty hard.

"Do you think it's Rob's gang that did this?" He asked me.

"It has to be." I said, "That's why they took Carrie. She knew they'd come after her and, lo and behold, they did."

"Do you think she's alright?"

"Alright?!" I shouted, covering my mouth realizing I might wake our family.

"Maybe it's just a kidnapping like they said. She could still be alive."

It didn't make me comfortable thinking about the Tweakers wanting to keep Carrie alive, but Darwin planted a small ray of hope inside me, hope that maybe Carrie was still alive and the Tweakers were keeping her somewhere.

The impulsive part of me, the same part which put one foot in front of the other when I went to kill Tobias, told me I had to go find her.

Darwin and I didn't feel like finishing our movie. We headed up to bed and didn't speak of what happened anymore. I laid in bed with my eyes wide open, fighting every instinct telling me to go look for her. I didn't even know if Darwin was right. And if she was, where I would be looking. Plus, I doubted I could take on all of the Tweakers. Even if I still had my gun, I couldn't imagine any of them were much worse at using theirs than I was, and they probably weren't as "well used."

But I couldn't just not go looking for her. They'd have to keep her somewhere if she was still alive, and not all of them could watch her forever. They still had to pretend they weren't criminals. It'd be awfully suspicious if a bunch of boys were suddenly missing at school after a gang robbed a bunch houses over the weekend. If torture was what they wanted, they'd probably be keeping her at one of their houses. I just had to find out where she was, break in, and her her out. Then we could go to the police and Carrie could tell the police every last one of them, and this horrible nightmare would all be over.

This small bit of hope that I would see Carrie again was banking off of a lot of assumptions. I was assuming that Carrie was still alive, the Tweakers would keep her alive for a few days, that I would find out where she was, that I could break in to wherever she'd be kept, and that I could get her out. But I had to hold on to something. I don't know if I could ever accept that she gone for good, especially after I hurt her so much.

I pulled out my phone and messaged Penny everything Darwin and I had seen on the news. She'd have one hell of a good morning text to wake up to.

I only ended up getting a couple hours of sleep. I had too much on my mind to sleep. The night passed by quickly as a million worries, wonders, and why's popped in and out of my head, and then I heard the birds chirping in the morning. It was rare for any to be out this late in the season. Most were either hibernating or had headed somewhere else for winter. But it seemed like a few liked Elmore too much to leave, at least immediately. Or maybe the larks had a death wish. Either way, I had to get going.

The first thing I had to do was figure out where Carrie was. I rushed through breakfast and threw on an extra layer to keep me warm. I had a feeling I'd be out all day. I decided to stay put for a few more minutes while Mom was getting ready for work. Especially if she knew about what happened last night.

I sat on the couch as if I intended on staying there all day. Mom came down the stairs behind me, only a few steps from the door, when she stopped suddenly on the last step.

"Gumball." She said to me, in a motherly tone.

I couldn't have already been caught, could I?

I turned to her, "Yeah Mom?"

She stepped behind the couch and stood over me, "I don't know if you've heard, but your friend went missing last night."

"Oh," I said trying to act surprised, "who?"

"Carrie. You're friends with her right? I thought I'd heard you mention her before."

"Um, yeah, I know her."

She nodded and got a little misty eyed, "I know this is a scary time right now, but we've gotta be hopeful."

"Right." I nodded back.

She leaned forward and hugged me, "You're alright, right?"

"Y-yeah Mom, I'm fine." My voice cracked a bit.

"I'm so glad you're still here."

She held on to me for a few more seconds, and drew back. While I was trying to hold back tears, she had gone red in the face from crying. For all my life, I'd never seen my Mom this emotional. But after the last week, she'd become more and more invested in "the Killer." I think she saw me Tobias, Alan, and now Carrie. As if I would be next. I knew she must have hated "him." Part of me liked to think, if she wasn't so busy with work, she'd walk right out of the house at night and go looking for the Killer herself. Little did she know, the one who started it all was right under her nose. For her, that was for the best.

After a few more heartfelt words, she said "I love you" and "Goodbye" and I said it back. I watched as her car pulled out of the driveway and drove down the street. After a few minutes, I knew she was out of the neighborhood, and on the road straight to work. Now I could go.

I had my hand on the door when I heard, "Where do you think you're going?" behind me.

I turned around and saw Darwin standing on the steps with his arms crossed.

"Out." I replied, "I'm going to go look for Carrie."

"What?!" Darwin exclaimed, "Gumball you don't even know if she's alive."

"Or if she's dead. Like you said, she might have really been kidnapped."

He groaned, "It's too dangerous to go looking for her. How many Tweakers are there?"

I racked my brain for an answer, I had never really considered that. I thought about the most I'd ever seen in one place, minus two, "like ten, give or take."

"Gumball, you can't take them all on."

"Who says I'm going to. I'm just scouting out for her, Darwin."

"But what if you run into them?"

I let go of the door and walked up to Darwin, "Look, buddy, I really need to do this… for Carrie. I can't stop myself and question every little thing or worry that the Tweakers are gonna find me."

"You ought to be a little worried."

"I am. Trust me, I AM. But this is important to me. I feel like I have to do this."

"For Carrie?"

I nodded.

Darwin groaned again, "Just be careful dude. If you won't stay here, at least promise me that."

"I promise." I placed my hand on his shoulder, "I'll be fine, man. Besides, I doubt the Tweakers will all be together after what happened last night. They have to disperse, blend in, and lay low for a bit."

"You think so?"

"Yeah."

"Well, alright. Good luck."

"Thanks man, I'll need it." I turned around and opened the door once again.

"Where are you going to go look?"

"The Tweakers' homes."

I didn't really have a plan as far as how I would deduce whether Carrie was being held at any of the Tweakers' places. In my head, I imagined myself hiding in the shadows, peering into windows, and holding my ear to the walls listening in for the sounds of depressed sighs or melodramatic exposition. But alas, I was in broad daylight, all the blinds were down, and holding your head against someone's wall isn't something I wanna be seen doing, whether it's illegal or not. Most of the Tweakers' lived in the same neighborhood, the same nice one Tobias lived in. That meant I could investigate most of them relatively quickly, but I'd always have to deal with the neighborhood watch, security cameras, and, potentially, someone enjoying a nice walk. Luxuries the Tweakers didn't have to deal with when they went on their crime spree last night.

The only thing advantage I really had was that it was pretty cold out, so most people in the neighborhood would probably be inside if they didn't have anywhere to go. Though that didn't stop some late-morning joggers from almost spotting me sneaking around back of Banana Joe's house.

If there was anyone I thought the Tweakers' would absolutely not hide a person with, it was with BJ. He was loud and brash, and it was surprising Julius got caught but he didn't. Maybe they left him out when they went after Penny. Either way, he seemed like a liability more than a member. He'd probably be one of the first to be "left behind" if the Tweakers blew up, like Carrie said. But I figured I might as well check. Plus, his place might be good to practice… whatever it is I thought I was doing.

It occurred to me I didn't know what to do next, standing on BJ's back porch. I had checked the entire perimeter of his home, but there hadn't been anyway to look in or glean anything or anyone inside. I couldn't even tell if anyone was inside. There was a sliding glass door on the porch, with just enough of a parted curtain that I could see there was definitely an inside, and it looked like a kitchen. Or maybe a living room.

I asked myself, "What am I doing? What am I accomplishing?" Yet again, I hadn't really thought through what I insisted I had to do. Did I really think that someone would just leave a bunch of clues scattered around their house, leading me down a line of breadcrumbs towards Carrie, who or may not be here at all? Or maybe I thought I'd catch one of them talking about their latest kidnapping through an open window while I snuck around their backyards.

I was just about to give up and go home when a freckled hand came from behind the curtain covering the sliding glass door from the inside. It undid the lock with a small click and I ducked behind some wicker furniture on the porch before the door could opened.

BJ stuck his head out of the door and looked around. I thought he might have heard me snooping around, but instead, he stepped out and lead an old, golden-colored dog out down towards the creek to go. Neither of them noticed me.

I looked over to the door, which was open just enough for me to squeeze in. I didn't think I'd be breaking into any of the Tweakers' houses just yet, and I didn't think there'd be much to find anyway. But at the time, I didn't think about that, because I was already inside.

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