Author's Note: Sorry about reposting this story. One of my friends was screwing around on my fanfic stuff and there was a lot of things I wanted to change before that last chapter went up. I'd appreciate any and all feedback.
Chapter Four: 3AM to 4AM
3:02 AM
All eyes fell on Ephram as he entered the apartment. Before anyone could say a word, Ephram held up his hand to stop them and cleared his throat.
"I need to speak with my wife privately." Ephram narrowed his eyes as Officer Davis approached him to object. "Unless you want to try and stop me."
Davis halted and loosely pivoted, walking away. Ephram led Amy to their bedroom and closed the door behind them.
Amy exploded. "Where have you been? Our kids are missing and it takes you an hour to get home?"
Ephram placed his a finger on Amy's mouth. "Amy, you know me. If I didn't come home quickly in a crisis like this, I would have a good reason."
"And do you?"
Ephram subconsciously looked around to make sure no one was listening in. "Yes..."
3:11
Delia blinked several times, trying to clear her blurred sight. Where…am I? Something was covering her face – giving her oxygen. Wires and tubes seemed to engulf her body as her vision started to return. What's going on? Delia and spotted a lanky teenage boy light sleeping in a chair by the door. Who's he? Fear tore through Delia's dizzy mind. Wait…who am I?
3:20
Amy couldn't stop herself from crying as Ephram finished explaining everything that happened to him in the past hour.
"So what are you going to do?"
Ephram shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. I just don't know anymore."
Amy placed her hand on Ephram's cheek. "Then I'll stay with you. We'll figure this out together."
"No, we're not. I want you to go find Bright and leave Everwood as soon as you can. Find a motel somewhere and lay low until…"
Amy shook her head. "No, I'm not leaving until the police find Colin and Julia. I'm not going to hide out in some roach box while a potential psychopath has our kids somewhere-"
"-that's why I'm staying here," Ephram responded.
Amy cried into her husband's shoulder. "Ephram…"
"Please, do this for me. I have no idea what all this is about, and I don't know what these people want. All I know is that they're dangerous and no one's safe. Please go. It's not safe here. If anything happened to you, my life wouldn't be worth living." Ephram tried to hold himself together.
"What am I going to tell the police?"
Ephram shrugged, rubbing his tired eyes. "I don't know. It doesn't matter. The police are useless to us at this point."
Amy nodded and kissed Ephram. It was a kiss of complete, unimpaired love; a kiss only shared if it were to be the lovers' last.
3:31
Harold Abbott waved goodbye to Patterson as the good doctor drove away. Harold stood alone in front of the community hospital, enjoying the peaceful moment of silence – interrupted all too soon by the siren of an ambulance, pulling over in front of the lobby doors. Two EMTs jumped out of the rear doors, gently pulling a man out on a stretcher.
Harold placed his hands on the stretcher and helped them push it into the lobby. Abbott almost jumped when he spotted the several injuries on the man.
"What happened to him?"
One of the technicians steered the stretcher into one of the emergency rooms. "He was severely beaten when he answered the doorbell around two hours ago. The brutes didn't take anything and fled the scene before anyone noticed anything was wrong. His son went to the kitchen to get a drink of water and saw his father lying by the front door, unconscious and bleeding. The neighbors heard the little boy's screams and dialed emergency."
Harold gave several hand-signals to the two nurses he had in the night shift while continuing to listen to the technician's report. What the hell is going on tonight? "Vitals?"
The other EMT muttered deeply while pulling the stretcher to a stop. "Heavy concussion; severe bruising on his face, arm and back; a couple broken ribs on his left side and a broken shoulder. Pulse is still strong."
Harold took a closer look at the man's broken face. "Oh my god. It's the reverend…"
The EMT nodded. "John Keyes."
3:37
Ephram sped down the road while dialing his dad's cell number. An answer came after a third ring.
"Hello?"
"Dad, it's me. Meet me at the cemetery as soon as you can."
Andy's voice was tired and utterly confused. "What? Have you been drinking? Ephram, now isn't the time for this. A lot has happened and I have a lot of things I need to take care of here at the hospital."
"Listen to me: my kids have been kidnapped and I know for a fact that Delia's crash is connected to it. I need you to meet me. Now."
"KIDNAPPED? When did-"
"I'll explain when you get here. Please," Ephram begged.
"Why the cemetery?" Andy sighed. "I'm on my way."
"Thanks. And Dad…I just…I just want you to know that I love you. I don't know if I could get through this without you."
3:44
Ephram got out of the car and walked into the cemetery. "Where are my kids?"
A hushed voice echoed from the darkness. "How did you know to come here?"
Ephram squinted, peering into the dark. Pulling a small scrap of paper from a pocket in his jacket, he waved it in the air. "Found this in my pocket. Instructions to come here." Odd. If this guy were responsible for what's happening, he'd know about the note…unless he wasn't informed of it. Or worse yet, that he's pretending not to know about it. Ephram repeated the question. "Where are my kids?"
The voice smugly responded. "You know what you have to do."
Ephram looked down.
The voice continued. "You shouldn't have come."
Ephram clenched his hands into fists. "And why is that?"
The man finally revealed himself and laughed. "Because you're doing exactly what they want you to do."
3:53
Officer Davis confronted Amy. "Mayor Abbott, I know Ephram knew something about what's going on. I need you to tell me what he told you or I'm sending out a squad car out to find him."
Amy glanced at the suitcase she had hidden under her bed. "There's nothing to tell. He didn't know anything."
"Amy, if you want to get your kids back, you've got to tell us what you know. You're endangering you children's lives every minute you hold onto whatever it is you know."
Amy frowned coldly. "On the contrary, I'm keeping my children alive every minute I don't tell you."
3:56
Andy pulled over by Ephram's car and walked into the cemetery, spotting Ephram half-revealed in the moonlight. Andy slowly approached his son but stopped when he spotted something wrong. There was someone standing behind Ephram. His arm was holding Ephram still while his other free hand held a knife to Ephram's neck. The man's face was hidden behind Ephram's head.
"What is all this? What's going on?"
Ephram struggled, weary of the blade lightly pressed to his neck. "Dad…get out of here."
Andy cocked his head towards the knife-wielding figure standing behind Ephram. "I don't know who you are, but I want you to let my son go."
The man chuckled. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, Dr. Brown."
"Let him go."
"Why? Why should I give him the chance you never gave me? I lost everything because of you. I died and it was your fault. Now it's my turn to make you lose everything you have. Starting with those you love…"
Andy's hands shook and his legs began to tremble. "Who are you?"
"Heh, heh. One of the world's greatest minds and you still haven't figured it out?" The man pushed Ephram a few steps forward and stepped into clear sight. "You taught me a lot about life, Dr. Brown. Here's my chance to return the favor: If there's one thing I've always known, it's that life is a game." Colin Hart firmly held the knife against Ephram's neck and droplets of blood could be seen sliding down the metallic blade. "And in this game, you lose."
4AM
Author's Note: Just like everything else in this story, nothing is ever as it seems. Just for those of you that are probably furious right now, let me assure you that Colin Hart IS in fact dead. By the end of the next chapter, you'll understand everything (and no, I'm not going to do one of those corny "it was all a dream" things). PLEASE stick around to read the next couple chapters.