Chapter 6
The next vision I see is of the barn. It's a barn I would pass not even thinking driving around Arcadia Bay as a kid and I passed at least twice driving around today. Shivers run down my spine as I pull up to the barn, knowing full well what happened here. "I sure hope you both know what you're doing," I whisper to myself as I slip my gun through my belt and step out of the truck.
"Holy shit this is scary," Max says as she steps out of the truck.
"I know," I answer. "But we're here. Let's go find the best way in." Max and I walk up to a door with a padlock on it. I look around to see if there is a way to open the door or a crack in the wall to slip through.
"Woah, check this out," Max says. "Fresh tire tracks."
I turn to look and squat down next to her, examining the tracks. "Dude somebody was just here," I say quietly.
"Then we need to get in that barn," Max says standing up.
"So, check for tire tracks," I say. I switch on my phone's flashlight and quickly spot the door with the padlock. I walk up to it and shine the light on the dirt in front of it. "Fresh tire tracks," I mutter. "So, either someone just left, or someone just got here." I look around, listening for any sounds for a moment before whispering, "Let's pray that they were just leaving." I step a way from the door and look around the corner at the other side of the barn. "How do I get in, Max?"
"Chloe!" Max calls. "I found the front door! Come on!" I quickly walk around to the opposite side of the barn to see Max has pushed away some metal sheets and made a whole to the inside of the barn.
Max dips her head under the top of the opening and slides in as I say, "Oh yes! Maximus rules!" I follow behind her as I step into the barn.
"Thanks, Max," I whisper as I walk around to the opposite side of the barn, silently scoping the area along the way. Last thing I need is for Jefferson to catch me off guard, I think as I wrap my other hand around my gun. I swing my flashlight down the side of the barn and find the metal sheets that Max's vision showed. I quietly slide them out of the way and step into the barn. I search for any sign of movement before turning my flashlight on again. Coast is clear, I think to myself as I scan the room. I find a massive metal hatch on the floor with a lock on it. "I figured it out on my own, Max!" I say as I bend down to open it. I grunt before noticing the padlock in the middle of the hatch. "Figures," I whisper. "How am I going to get this open?" I look at the pole closest to the hatch and notice a hook attached to a rope. I follow the rope to the top of the barn's platforms and notice an old motor. Could I make that work? I think to myself. Something inside of me says "yes" as I grab the hook and slip it on the padlock. I walk over to the platform and let out a nervous sigh. Max, please let this be you giving me this idea and that I'm not going to kill myself doing something stupid, I think as I climb onto a box and jump onto the platform. I drag myself up and climb and maneuver my way up to the motor. "Do. Not. Fall," I mutter to myself as I climb around the motor to stand on the platform with it. I find the rope and tie it to the motor and shove it off the platform. The hook breaks the padlock off the hatch as the motor crashes to the ground beside it. "Score!" I call out as I carefully make my way back down to solid ground. I rush over to the hatch and slip my fingers under it. "Damn this is heavy," I mutter as I start to lift it. With a grunt, I shove it, getting enough momentum for it to fling open and fall on the other side of the opening. I look down a flight of stairs that lead to a vaulted door. "How bad must this be for them to have a padlock to get into the barn, a padlock to the hatch that you can barely see in the hay, and a vaulted door?" I say as I walk down the stairs. I walk up to the vault and let out a sigh. "Okay, Max, now what?"
I stand at the top of the stairs as I hear Max say, "Do I even need to say how weird this is?"
"You just did," I respond. "Who builds this kind of place?" I start to walk down the stairs.
"A Prescott of course," Max says as I hear her footsteps behind me. I start to mess with the vault as Max walks over to a keypad to the left of the door. "Some of these numbers are faded," I hear Max whisper. I glance over as I hear her mutter, "Five, four, two." The keypad beeps and I hear something click from within the vault. "Oh yes!" Max exclaims. "I thought that only worked in the movies!" She moves to the vault's wheel and turns it twice before hearing another click inside the door. She grabs the handle and pulls on it as she says, "Open sesame."
I glance over at the keypad and notice the same faded numbers. I type in the same three numbers from my vision and the keypad beeps as the vault clicks. "Boom! Max, you rule!" I whisper as I twist the wheel and open the door. Please be in here, Avi, I think to myself. I walk through the doorway and enter a seemingly sterile bunker stocked with supplies. "Stocked and ready for the apocalypse," I mutter. "This must have cost a fortune." I walk through and see another doorway with a curtain across it. I push it back to see what looks like an office. I turn to the side and gasp at the photography equipment and disturbing art on the walls. "This is so sketchy," I whisper as I walk towards the desk. An empty red binder sits on it with Avi's name on it. My heart quickens as I look at the open cabinet behind the desk. I notice a binder labeled "Rachel" and pull it out. "Oh God no…Rachel," I gasp at the pictures inside. I feel tears prick the back of my eyes and feel sick as I slam the binder closed. That must be how Max and I knew where to find Rachel in her timeline, I think to myself. I catch movement out of the corner of my eye and I whip my head to see a pale lump of fur sticking out from the other side of a couch. Could it be? I walk over and find Avi in her saber form duct taped around both sets of paws and her muzzle. "Avi!" I cry out as I wrap my arms around her fluffy neck. I feel tears trickle down my cheeks as I hear purr like grumblings from within her chest. I cup her giant head in my hands, "Why would he do this to you? This is going to hurt like hell to pull off your fur." I see Avi's nervous eyes look up at me as I reach into my pocket and pull out my pocket knife. "Let's try and make it hurt a little less," I say as I slice through the tape on her paws. I pull the tape off and Avi whimpers a little. I wince, "Sorry, Av." I do the same thing with the front paws and then my eyes land on her muzzle. "I can't cut this off without risking cutting you," I say softly. "I'm going to have to pull the whole piece off." Avi blinks as her nervous eyes seemingly plead just to be free. I pull her head close to me for a moment and she wraps her paws around me. I run my fingers through her mane before I pull her head back and grab ahold of the tape's end. I unravel it a few times before getting down to her fur. She growls in pain, trying her best to hold still as I pull the last bit of tape off. "I'm so sorry, Av," I say as I try rubbing her freed muzzle to try and relieve the pain a little. I pause before ripping the last piece of tape off and Avi roars in pain as I rub her muzzle.
"Thank you," Avi says as she looks up at me with grateful eyes. "I can't believe you found me. I'm so glad to see you."
"Me to, Av," I say as I wrap my arms around her again and squeeze her tight.
"How did you find me?" Avi asks. "You didn't do anything stupid, did you?"
"When do I ever not do anything stupid?" I chuckle. "But I don't have time to explain. We've got to get you out of here before Jefferson gets back." Avi nods as we both stand to our feet. "Follow me," I say as I head to the door. I hear Avi's paws patter softly behind me as I rush up the stairs. "Through that opening, Av!" I call out as I run toward the gap in the paneling. I hear a roar and I whip around to see Jefferson holding Avi. One arm has one of her paws pined against him and the other is wrapped around her neck. She looks up at me panicked as I freeze in my tracks.
"Well, well, well," Jefferson says with a smile, "what do we have here? A fugitive and her abettor." He looks down at Avi with a chuckle, "I guess sabers weren't all that fierce after all if they can be rendered helpless with a simple hold."
"Let her go, Jefferson," I say as I pull out my gun and level it at his head.
Jefferson laughs, "You can go ahead and shoot me but you and I both know you won't pull the trigger. You can't risk me using your precious saber as a shield. So, you end my life and take hers in the process. Is that something you could live with? Being the reason another person you love dies?" He knees Avi in the tail and she growls, limping forward a few steps as they get closer. "I know all about everything with you and Rachel. Didn't you two argue about the person who 'changed her life' and was the reason she didn't want to leave Arcadia Bay yet? Isn't that the reason she left for a Vortex Club party and was never seen alive again? Did she tell you that person was me?" A pang shoots through my chest as I lower my gun a bit. "That stung, didn't it? To know that your girlfriend was falling for the man who is the influencer behind the boy who not only murdered her and your best friend, but also took Avi from you too." He rubs his cheek on Avi's mane as she snarls at him.
I level my gun again, "Say one more thing about any of them and I-"
"You'll what?" Jefferson smirks. "Shoot me? Come run at me with your gun to make sure you hit me? You take one step closer and I'll kill her."
"You wouldn't," I growl, trying to cover up the anxiety gripping my chest. "She's your way to power, right? That's why you kidnapped her. You can't kill her."
"Watch me," Jefferson says. It seems like it happens in slow motion.
Jefferson drops her paw and grabs Avi's head with both hands. He jerks.
A loud CRACK echoes in the barn.
Avi crumples to the ground.
My heart stops.
Death doesn't discriminate
Between the sinners and the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes