Sitara

I paced about the hackerspace, my sight glued to my phone. I tried to contact Marcus and Wrench time and time again, but all my calls went straight to voicemail. I couldn't get in touch with them through the DedSec app either. What the Hell happened? They should have been back by now.

"I'm gonna kill them for making me worry like this," I said, my eyes darting to Josh. "This is so unlike them."

Josh withdrew from his computer desk and spun around in his seat to face me. "Wrench and Marcus never dropped off the radar like this before. Something is wrong, very, very wrong—"

"So what are we going to do? We can't just sit here Josh!"

Brows wrinkled, he folded his hands across his lap and frowned. "I've been researching the house they went to, by the cemetery… people believe it's haunted. It's been around since the early 1900s, and there was only one family who lived there since it was built. All six of them, including two children, were brutally murdered by an unknown assailant a hatchet shortly after they moved in. To this day, the mass murder remains unsolved."

"Jeez," I mumbled. "That's horrible."

"The property has been neglected ever since. People have reported sightings of apparitions and the cries of frightened children coming from within the home. It's long overdue for demolition, the house has been inspected, all the necessary permits have been acquired, it's utilities have been terminated too. I don't know what's the hold up, considering whatever goes on inside is completely invisible to ctOS without utilities."

"And without ctOS watching, all kinds of awful things could be happening in there without anyone knowing."

"Perfect place to conduct a murder. It could be the killer's hideout for all we know. He's probably kidnapped and killed dozens of people there already. He knows we're onto him. Smashing our hidden camera was all part of his plan to capture our attention so he could lure us into his killing fields. What if there's more than one murderer? He can't be working alone." He closed his overworked, bloodshot eyes and began to rock in his frantically. "I knew it. I knew this was going to happen. Marcus and Wrench walked right into a trap. They're going to die Sitara."

My chest tightened. Jesus, he was having another panic attack. I wanted to curl into a ball and break down myself, these past few days have been so emotionally taxing. The thought of potentially losing Marcus and Wrench was too much to bear. But I had to stay strong for Josh. He needed me.

I rushed to him and cupped his soft cheeks gently. "Oh God Josh, don't talk like that…" I paused to blink away my tears. My throat was scratchy and my voice wouldn't stop shaking. It was so hard to keep myself together. "Do you think we should call the police?"

"No, that's a terrible idea. If the abandoned house is actually what we think it is, and the police arrive and find Marcus and Wrench there…" He shook his head. "It would look really bad for them. They'd have a lot of explaining to do."

"Damn it!" I threw my hands above my head in frustration. "I told Marcus to take me with him. Whatever crazy situation he's gotten himself into, I would had been there to help him out of it if he just listened to me for once. Why does he never listen to me?"

"Sitara, what are we going to do?"

I sighed. I needed to calm down and figure out what to do from here. Throwing a fit wasn't helping. I had to go out there and get our friends back, we had no other options. "Don't worry, they're going to be okay, Josh. Do you understand me? Marcus and Wrench will be fine."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I'm going to drag their asses back here myself, and no psychotic, murdering asshole is gonna stop me."

He stared at me, eyes widening. "H-how?"

"Don't worry about the how Josh. I can do this."

He shook his head. "N-no, you can't. That's crazy, Sitara, it's literally suicide—"

"I'm not going to sit here while our friends get butchered. I'm sorry hun, but I have to go. Will you stay here until I get back?"

Josh turned away, his tired eyes returning to his computer screen. "Be careful Sitara. Keep in touch."

I left the hackerspace in a flash, running as quickly as my legs would carry me. I hopped into my car parked along the curb of Gary's and flattened the gas pedal, leaving a trail of dust in my wake. We couldn't afford to lose Marcus and Wrench. They were the most exceptional members of DedSec. I had to get them back.

The mere thought of losing Marcus alone caused a pang of discomfort in my chest. What in the world would I do without him? Like all people, he had his faults, and we bickered from time to time, but he still meant the world to me. I was pissed that he lied, but my anger didn't blind me from the truth. My feelings for him ran deep.

Marcus has made such a significant impact on my life. Laying eyes on his sweet, charming smile was the highlight of day. He was always there for me, through thick and thin. He was my light, my rock, and my best friend. I've never adored another human being so much in my entire life. I'll be damned if I let someone take him away from me without a fight.

It took a good thirty minutes or so to make it to the Elmhurst district. Not much traffic tonight, thank God. I made a sharp right onto the bumpy dirt path leading to the cemetery. I spotted Marcus' car parked off the side of the road, hidden under the shade of trees. I glided into a stop behind it, and exited my car, leaving the engine purring.

The surrounding woods were silent, and laced in shadows. It was hard to believe such a dark, deserted stretch of land resided in the city. The blackness seemed to be pressing in from all sides, urging me to turn back. I felt claustrophobic, although I knew the unbridled terrain stretched unbroken for miles.

There was a somber, foreboding ambiance about this place that was really screwing with my nerves, but there was no freaking way I was turning back now. I could see the abandoned house in the distance, perched atop a hill carpeted with tall, lush green grass. It wasn't far. I could make it.

It was difficult not to imagine all the potential threats lurking within the shadows, but the likelihood of there actually being any were slim. There may be wildlife hiding in the brush, like squirrels and such, but they were harmless. All in all, I was still in the city. It was the people I had to worry about, not animals.

Darkness was just an illusion feeding on my fear of uncertainty. I had to set my irrational worries aside and just focus the goal— reaching the house in one peace.

Little did I know, navigating along the shadowy, bleak dirt path was only half the battle. Ascending the hill was a whole new challenge. It was treacherously steep, and the soil was moist and slippery due to the heavy rain earlier today. The violent gusts of wind sweeping through the land only made matters worse. Despite the risks, I began to scale it anyway. There were no other alternatives. Each stride I made up the hill was slow and cautious. Slipping and falling on my ass was so not on my agenda.

It was a relief to reach the peak unharmed. The house was only a short distance away now. Its weary walls seemed to wobble under the strong breeze, as if the powerful gusts were going to sweep it away into the twilight sky at any moment. The weathered residence was so broken down and badly maintained, it was clear that no one had called such a place their home in a very long time.

I advanced through the hill's waist high blanket of damp, vibrant grass, and skulked up the creaking porch steps of the house. I tried to enter through the front door, but it was locked tightly from other side. I could possibly kick it down; the door hinges appeared loose, and severely rusted.

But it was a gamble, one that wasn't in my favor either. Chances are, the door would also be barricaded from the other side. The murderer would be stupid not to, this old door wasn't nearly enough to keep intruders out. On the slight chance that it wasn't barricaded, I doubt one kick would be enough to get the job done. I wasn't that strong. So, if I went on a crazy kicking spree trying to break the door off the hinges, I'd make a shitload of noise, and it'd take forever.

There had to be another way.

Maybe I could break in through the windows. The bottom floor windows were boarded up tight, but the second story ones looked vulnerable. I'd need something to break the glass with though. A rock should suffice. There were plenty bulging out of the moist ground.

I grabbed a hefty stone lying in the dirt. It'd be easy to break the glass with this, but the sound of it shattering would cause quite a fuss. I didn't have time to find a workaround however. Marcus and Wrench could be in danger. I had to get in there by any means necessary.

I hurled the heavy rock at one of the windows with all the strength I could muster.

Crash!

It went straight through the window, breaking the glass into countless small, jagged pieces. The next plan of action was finding a way up there. I leaped onto splintery porch railing and mounted its roof. I shimmied along the side of the house's chipped, rotting exterior swiftly, and dipped through the exposed window with ease.

I found myself within a dark, empty room. A severe stench of mildew overwhelmed my nostrils. It was difficult to breathe with the air so stale, and thick with dust. Clumps of rat feces and dust tumbled about the weathered floorboards aimlessly. The sound of very light footsteps and hushed squeaking could be heard from within the walls. It must be rodents, this place had to be crawling with them, their droppings coating the floor being a telltale sign. I bet there were plenty of creepy crawlers skittering about the darkness too, waiting to suddenly pop out and scare the living shit out of me. Spiders made my flesh crawl, I hated them.

But they were the least of my worries, unfortunately. If Josh was right about the murderer's intentions to lure us here by destroying our hidden camera, then I'm right where he wanted me to be. I was in his domain now. For all I knew, he could be stalking nearby like a tiger watching his prey, preparing to nab me, or worse…

I shook my head, willing the dreadful thoughts away. Dwelling on worst case scenarios wasn't helping anything. I had to find Marcus and Wrench.

It was so quiet though, I was beginning to doubt anyone was here at all. There was only one way to know for sure though. I was determined to scout this place from top to bottom before making any assumptions.

I carefully proceeded along the disgusting, feces covered floor to the room's exit. I seized the knob and attempted to open the door. However, regardless of how hard I tried, the handle wouldn't turn. The knob was either broken or jammed on something. Crap, just my luck. How the heck am I gonna get this open? Jeez, electronic doors are so much easier to deal with—

Wham!

The jammed door quaked violently under the impact of a powerful, unknown force from the other side, the sudden disturbance causing my heartbeat to rapidly speed up and trash against my chest. I shuddered and skipped away, wheezing breaths escaped my lips. Someone, or something, continuously pounded and clobbered the entrance, raving and rampaging like a bull, furiously trying to break the door down.

It was the murderer, it had to be!

I stared dumbfounded, eyes watering, mind racing through the possibilities of what the unknown, destructive assailant would to do me if he found me— clearly he was strong and merciless, the door seemed as if it was going to snap in two at any given moment.

A large, meaty fist smashed through the entrance, creating a gaping hole in the center, thick wood chunks and splinters went flying about the space due to the overwhelming force behind the punch. My eyes darted around the room for refuge. If I didn't find somewhere to hide soon, I was done for. The window! I could climb onto the sill and make my way onto the roof— that would shake him off my trail. I had to be quick or I was screwed.

I vaulted back through the window and stood atop the aged, wooden sill. It creaked and wobbled unsteadily, it was a small miracle it didn't immediately cave in beneath my weight. If it did, it would have been a long way down, I was roughly ten feet above ground. Maybe I would have survived the fall, but not without serious injuries.

As if I wasn't pressed enough for time with the murderer right on my tail, my shaky footing forced me to make a hasty jump for the roof. My fingers latched onto the splintery edge for dear life. I heaved myself up and out of sight just in the nick of time. The psychopath's earsplitting assault on the room's jammed entrance ended with a boisterous snap, followed by a loud crash that seemed to shake the very foundation of the house itself. The lunatic must have finally broke down the door.

Silence reclaimed the grassy land. I slapped a hand over my mouth to muffle my heavy breathing, and laid perfectly still on the tarred, wet wooden panels. The roof's infrastructure was just as decayed and corroded as the rest of the house. It'd only take one slight movement to make the surface creak and give away my position.

I remained stationary for a moment or two, my teary, blurred sight locked on the massive puffs of gray clouds gently floating about overhead. The serene night sky eased my nerves, and racing heartbeat. Soon enough, my rasping breaths calmed into steady breathing. I was safe up here for the time being, although I knew I couldn't hide here forever. I still had a job to do.

There were heavy footsteps shuffling against the floors from within the house. The maniac must be on the hunt for me. Thankfully, his clumsy movements did well to give away his location. I should be able to stay out of his way if I'm careful enough.

I rose very slow and cautiously, my eyes scanning over the cold, forlorn hill. That's when I noticed something odd. The cellar doors which were closed shut on my arrival here, were now wide open. Could Marcus and Wrench be down there? My pursuer was currently distracted with combing through the second floor in search for me. I might be able to slip into the cellar without him noticing. It was worth a shot.

I warily made the long climb down from atop the house, all the while mentally begging and pleading with God, or with whatever superior being there was high above, to protect my dear friends until I reached them.

Please keep them safe for a little longer. Please, please, almighty one, don't let them die on me. I'm almost there…

Keep reading to find out what happens next!