Undercurrents

by Farmer847

They used to be able to talk things through. But a strange new undercurrent is causing friction in a once solid friendship. Add in a bizarre killer seeking out attractive men to hold hostage and kill on a weekly basis, sprinkle in some ill-natured media hype, add a dash of pressure from the brass, and our boys are about to have a recipe for disaster on their hands.

49. Chapter 49

He couldn't remember how he ended up in a trash littered back alley, but Steve was grateful at any rate. With his back against the cold red brick wall of a nearby building, he'd pulled his knees to his chest, his head lowered in sheer exhaustion, as he curled up and tried to stop his body from shaking.

Even though the clouds overhead were breaking up, sending the occasional sun rays into the street next to him, the shadows following him relentlessly never faded away. If anything, more of them seemed to appear the farther away he ran.

"Mike…"

The name was his only lifeline at this point.

Utterly confused as to who he was, and who he could trust in this increasingly strange world full of voices, figures and accusations surrounding him, Steve began to sob again, cursing his inability to remember what had happened and why he had all that blood on his hands.

"Steffen?"

The slight touch on his shoulder sent him jumping back up on his feet and deeper into the alley like a wounded animal. Adjusting his eyesight against the light and shadows obscuring his vision, Steve blinked several times, unable to recognize the figure a few feet away.

"Steffen, remember me? Rudolf? Fromm see card game see other day?"

The words spoken in heavy dialect didn't make the least bit of sense. It anything, they were making him feel more panicked, knowing that somebody had found his secret hideout.

"Steffen, are you okay?"

As the strange figure took another step forward, extending his hand toward him, Steve decided to hightail it out of the alley and farther down the road. Ignoring the confused look on the other man's face when he rushed by, he stumbled onto the sidewalk, the voices in his head following right along, as he sprinted past several pedestrians.

Down the street, he could see the blue hue of water just a few miles away.

Perhaps it would drown out the never-ending questions being thrown at him about something he did in the past but couldn't remember.

At least he could hope.

Sprinting across the intersection, he froze in place when the loud beeping of a car horn startled him. Looking off to his right, he saw a maroon sedan putting on the emergency brakes, narrowly missing him as it skidded off to the side and into a nearby newsstand.

Entirely unaffected, Steve continued his mad rush toward the water, hoping for salvation from the terror in his mind.