Joseph Denner sat quietly in his apartment, looking over the papers on the desk. He sighed before he stood up and walked over to the window, hands behind his back. He stared at the people out on the streets.
"All those pathetic people, going about their business. They haven't a care in the world and neither do I. All I have to do now is wait in the shadows," he said to himself.
He headed outside and walked down the street, staring at the faces of the people around him, studying them, wondering.
Soon, he came to Death Alley. He smiled as he stared at it for a moment before walking on. "If you people ever knew the truth and I know you won't for the lack of evidence. At least now I don't have to worry about that pesky teenager. She must have been scared out of her mind. I guess the only way I have to worry about her is if she somehow gets the guts to tell the police," he said with a smile as he approached the police station. "Now that's one place I will never be in."
He shut his mouth once he saw the group of six walk out of the building. He stopped in his tracks as he stared at the teenager amongst the adults. She appeared to be very upset as they climbed into the vehicle. He watched as they drove off and he snickered.
"Well what do you know? She's alive and she finally squealed to the cops. I guess I'll have to kill her before she does anything else," Joseph whispered to himself.
00000
Frank was driving the SUV as Michelle and the others sat quietly in the truck. Alex was sitting next to him and she appeared to be slightly nervous, as the others sat uncomfortably in the back seat. He wasn't showing it but they could tell that he was very angry for having to protect the teen who just took his wallet.
"Frank, calm down," she told him. "Is everything alright?"
"Alex, yes. Care to ask the brat sitting in my back seat that question?" he replied.
"Who're you calling a brat?" came Michelle's voice.
"You, because you ARE one," Frank bluntly replied.
Michelle snorted as they drove up to The Nest. The group climbed out of the car and they walked into the building. They watched as Frank silently walked away from them, up the stairs and into his office, closing the door.
"Man, is he really angry," Monica said to no one in particular.
"This is the angriest I've ever seen him," Alex agreed.
Michelle narrowed her eyes as she looked at the four.
"Is he always like that and you can actually tell when that guy is angry?" she asked them.
"Always has been, always will be. That's Frank Donovan for you. Very stubborn man," Jake sighed. "And yes, we can. We've known him long enough to know his moods."
00000
Frank walked into his office and placed his wallet on the desk. He sighed as he sat down in the chair. "What have we gotten ourselves into?" he asked himself with a sigh as he looked at his hand.
He saw then that his forearm was slightly covered in blood, probably the result of the broken window he pulled the teen through earlier. He was so angry at the time; he never even felt the pain. It wasn't until now that he felt the dull ache coursing through his arm.
He picked up the file about the murder from two years previous and opened it up, glancing over it again until he came to the names of the victims. He immediately closed the file and his eyes, leaning his elbows against the desk as he bit his lip, in thought.
00000
Michelle sat on the couch, feeling bored as she watched the people move around her, finishing their work until Cody sat down next to her. "So, Michelle," he started as Monica, Jake and Alex walked up to them.
"Yes?" she replied, her eyes looking towards him.
"So what's it like?" he wondered.
"What like?" she quietly replied.
"I don't know. Doing whatever you please, whenever you please, not listening to parents or other people. What's this 'freedom' that you have, like?" he replied.
"Cody, there are times I wonder about you. Your priorities are so out of place," said Jake before she had a chance to answer. "She can't go home by herself. She's in danger from this guy, whoever he is. He might find out and try and kill her, so that means that either one of us stays with her at her house overnight, or she stays at one of our houses," Jake told him.
The four looked at each other.
"Stays at one of our houses," they agreed in unison.
"Good, I hate home and I don't want to be there. I never want to go back there," Michelle told them.
"You hate home? Why?" Monica wondered. "Nobody should hate home."
Michelle looked at her with sad eyes. "You wouldn't understand why," the teen quietly replied, turning away from them.
She stood up and walked across the room, leaning against the wall and sliding down it to the floor. The four felt stupid as they gazed over at her. They were, after all, assuming facts about a teen they had just met.
"So who should she stay with?" wondered Alex.
"Not sure. I guess whoever will take her in for the night at least," Jake said.
At that moment, Frank walked up to them, having finally stepped out of his office. They glanced at him before their stare went back to the teen sitting across the room from them.
"The brat can stay with me for tonight. I know I can't stand the kid but I'll take her in anyway," Frank told them before heading to the door, leaving a stunned team.
"That is not Frank Donovan," Jake said.
"Maybe he was substituted by an alien being and now he's in space, being examined as we speak!" suggested Cody.
He could almost feel the three sets of eyes boring into him after his ridiculous statement.
00000
Frank walked out to his vehicle, keys in hand. He expected the others to come out soon. He couldn't explain the situation to them just yet. He barely even understood it himself.
He started to open up the door as he heard the slam of another door and heard footsteps slowly getting closer to him.
"What's the matter? If it's about the girl..." he began as he turned around.
He stopped once he saw it was a strange man. "Yes? Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked cautiously.
"Actually, you were right on the nose," the man replied. "You can help me. It's about the girl, and I want you the same way I want her."
"And what way is that?" Frank wondered, worry seeping into his voice.
"Dead," the man told him with an evil smile. "Anyone who helps her is as good as dead where I come from."
The man pulled out a gun and aimed it directlyat Frank, who held his hands up towards him.
"Don't do this. I'm a Federal Agent, you'll be put away for a long time," Frank told him.
"Not where I come from either. You see, I don't tend to leave clues so your murder will go unsolved just like the rest of them!" the man laughed.
At that moment, the five walked out the building. Michelle saw the man aiming the gun at Frank and paled. She slowly moved her head from side to side
"What's wrong?" Monica asked her.
"That's him!" she whispered as she started to back away. "He's here for me and all of you! He's going to kill us all!"
The four were very surprised as Jake and Alex pulled out their guns. They began to advace on Frank and the man next to him. Michelle hid behind Monica, grabbing onto her shirt in a death grip.
"Put down the gun and you won't get hurt!" Jake yelled.
The man just laughed at them. "You won't find me, because you'll be dead before you do!" He snickered as he looked back at Frank. "Prepare to die!"
Frank lunged for the gun as the man pulled the trigger and the gun went off.
TBC...
