A/N: Omg hi! I'm so sorry it took a while to upload this chapter. I feel like such a cliche stereotype of when fanfic writers take a while and explain themselves. Like a popular TikTok I found where it was a bunch of bizarre scenarios to explain themselves. I hope I'm not the only one who's seen it. But it started off with internet issues. It would pop on and off and when it would pop off, it wouldn't save my progress or refresh the page. Then, it was fine! It got fixed and has been fixed and I started to write this chapter. But finally, halfway through writing it, the fanfiction net site I write on went bye bye for a few days to a week. Like, I could not do anything on it. And I write all my chapters in the doc manager section for some reason. I always have - even when I post it elsewhere. But for my original works I use google docs. I'm weird. But yeah! And I couldn't just pull it up so I had to wait around for the site to get fixed. BUT IT'S HERE! Shit it starting to pick up a little bit during this and the following chapters. Plus, the introduction of Johnny and Ana's POV's coming soon. Hope you enjoy it and (unless something else happens) see you in the next one! :)
ALSO! I mention some courses and such in this chapter. I have no clue what majors and such are separated and specific by. I tried to look up and do basic research on the Texas State University website and try and piece together what I think they'd most likely be majoring in. So hopefully you get my drift on what they're all studying/hoping to become.
April 11th, 1973
10:21am
Newt, Texas
Song recommendation: "One Way Or Another" by Until The Ribbon Breaks (originally by Blondie)
Have You Seen Her?
DANNY
-.-
The following morning, I set off with my daily routine of the last few weeks. I go to our college's cafeteria and get myself a plain bagel with cream cheese, bacon, and black coffee with one packet of sugar. I've been eating light since Maria was reported missing. In the dining hall is a television. I'd watch as the custodian would adjust the antenna's and hit the television itself, trying to watch the news with me. We'd make commentary on the weather or whatever was reported - both of us not talking about Maria or any other victims who have recently gone missing. He knew about Maria and I. He'd greet us every morning and she even playfully snapped a few photos of him "singing" into his dust broom. But never once has he asked for any updates regarding her, he just sat and watched with me - awaiting details on her too.
Each morning nothing new is reported.
Same shitty weather. Same shitty town. Same broadcasts about people within the county who've been missing for years - including her. But no one has been found. No updates. Just to be on the lookout for them. Is that all she is now? Someone to be talked about everyday for years, hoping for answers? Will she not come home like those other people? I normally get lost in my thoughts and don't finish what little food I had picked out. That's when I tell the custodian that I should get going and that he'll see me at dinner time. He always says it but doesn't. Instead, he gets off early and I've seen him group up with the locals for a mini search party.
We don't speak about the situation - but we want the same result; Maria needed to be found.
After that I would go to the police station and ask for updates. Nothing. Ana is sometimes there and hounding their asses and I have to calm her down. That's where I find myself now. At the police station. I basically know each officer by name now. Between coming in for questioning and questioning them myself, it's hard to not notice their name tags or overhear them yelling for each other.
The door of my white pickup truck slammed shut as I walked up the front steps of the building. Inside, I could hear laughter going on. It grew louder as I opened the door and made my way over to the front desk - where the receptionist was. She was a young woman - but a few years older than me.
"Good morning, Danny." She greeted me.
"Mornin' Amanda." I nodded back to her, "Any news?"
Amanda's comforting smile dimmed as her lips pulled together in a tight line. She shook her head before looking over her shoulder. Sheriff Brown was laughing alongside the many other officers who sat around him. His beer belly bounced as his face turned red - not able to contain himself over whatever topic was being tossed around. One of the younger officers slowed his laugh down to a chuckle before gesturing over towards me. The Sheriff's large smile immediately dwindled as he locked eyes with me. The mustache on his upper lip twitched as his regular tough and annoyed expression resumed - the one I'm so familiar with. He took a sip of the contents in his coffee cup as he walked over to me.
"Hello again, Mr. Gaines." He sighed out.
"Mornin' Sheriff, any news on Maria?" I asked. As the Sheriff got closer, I could smell something on him. Mixed with his coffee was some type of alcohol. I'm not surprised by this point. He's known to be a drunk like his father.
"No." He said coldly.
"You sure? I heard a news report about a man picking up a girl from a bar and failing. Somethin' about foul play? Drugging her drink and her scratching his already scarred arms - like the previous reports about someone like-"
"Listen, Mr. Gaines." Sheriff Brown started. He sat his coffee mixture onto the counter, some of it splashing out and staining the wood that it sat on. "How about you let me, the detectives, and our crew handle the reports. Mhm?"
I saw and felt the eyes of many of the officers on me. Amanda gave me a sympathetic look before returning back to her paperwork. The pages flipping and her pen scribbling across them was the only sound for a few seconds. But, that guy matches the description of a man who assaulted women. Did they even look into it? Do they plan to look any further? What if he had something to do with Maria or the two girls who were killed by Devil's River? Or even the one's assaulted in their own home?
"No. The man I heard about has assaulted women in the past." I argued, "Surely, he has something to do with Maria? Right?"
"That situation and other reports are being looked into and currently have no connection with Ms. Flores."
I snorted, "So you mean to tell me... a man who has been roaming around our county for a while - has a history of assaulting and murdering women - is still walking free and doing those things to said women and my girlfriend - who's obviously a young female who was traveling alone - has no connection to him?"
Sheriff Brown was silent for a moment before closing his eyes tightly in frustration, "Do you want the truth, Danny?"
Was that a trick question?
"Yes."
The Sheriff was quiet once again as he placed his hands on his wider hips, pacing the room a bit. He was working up the courage and right words to use with me. His bushy eyebrows - that matched his mustache - knitted together in frustration and contemplation. I didn't know what could be so frustrating about this. Ana and I have been begging for answers almost everyday. Any form of update is great - no matter how harsh it might be. At least it's a step closer to finding her - no matter what fate she had. If she's alive, I will never leave her alone and help her heal. If she's dead, I will be able to properly grieve and cherish her memory. But without knowing where she is, I'm stuck in a never-ending loop of "what if." What if she's alive? What if she's dead? What if she ran away? What if she was kidnapped? Was she seeing someone else? Did she get lost? Why haven't we found anything else? Will she ever come back? Will I ever run out of questions?
Will I ever receive my answers?
The Sheriff took a long look at me before finally speaking, "We decided to call off the search."
"What do you..." Suddenly, the air was knocked out of my lungs. A piece of my heart shattered as if it was glass - hitting the stone cold linoleum underneath my trembling legs. Were they shaking from fear or anger? Maybe both? But I realized in that moment what he meant. They were done searching for her. They decided she isn't a top priority anymore. Is this how the others felt? The ones who are still searching for their loved ones? On the radio?
Brown stepped closer, "I know this is hard for you to hear. I'm sorry, truly. But we don't have a lead on her. All we found is her car. We searched the whole area and asked around - nobody knows what happened. It's a cold case."
A cold case. Just like the others. One where they throw their hands up and claim they've done everything they could do. My head dropped downwards, staring down at my shoes. The only sound was a phone distantly ringing in the distance that someone hadn't answered since I walked in. I took a deep breath, fighting back tears, as I looked up at Brown.
"A cold case, seriously? Just like everyone else who had gone missing?" My voice was low and calm. However, past the tears in my eyes, there was a deep anger. I could feel the adrenaline and anger building with each word. Brown, the receptionist, and a few officers looked in my direction. The receptionist - Amanda - looked up at Brown before back at me. She had a look of empathy and guilt despite it not being her situation to feel either in. She's just someone who welcomes people, really. She's not the fuck heads that won't find Maria.
I continued, "So you're tellin' me that while she is out there - wherever she is - you're just gonna sit here, laugh, and shoot the shit with your piece of shit crew?!"
Brown stepped in, "Mr. Gaines, I can tell you're upset and you have every right to. But you shouldn't-"
"You don't get to tell me what to do when you can't even fuckin' do your job!" I snapped at him, glaring daggers that could've killed him in a millisecond. "Maria is out there missing! MISSING! SHE'S GONE! There's so many people in our county - no state - fuckin' entire country that's missing! But instead of doing jack shit about it, you're just dusting off your hands and sitting back?! You're gonna tell me I shouldn't be upset? For my girlfriend? Her family and friends? For everyone else who hadn't gotten closure either?! You're gonna tell me not to get upset when how often it could be - it will probably be someone you know eventually?"
Brown's face hardened. He looked over at Amanda and nodded down at her. She sighed before picking up the phone, spinning the numbers around on the little machine, calling someone. Let me guess, security? I scoffed and shook my head.
"What's wrong, huh? Strike a nerve? Damn, tough situation to imagine, right? Tough fuckin' situation to be in, Brown! My girlfriend could be dead and once she's found it's gonna be you and your sick crew's fault. You're not gonna rest until-"
At that moment, a strong pair of hands grabbed my arms and began to pull me back from them. I yelled out a few more insults before I was stumbling down the front of the steps of the station. The Texas heat hit the top of my head, causing me to become overheated from it and the situation. My entire face was hot from anger - my hands trembling from adrenaline as crescent moon carvings had dug into the palms of my hands. I slammed my fist on the hood of my truck before running my trembling fingers through my brown shoulder length hair.
Fuck it, if they won't find Maria then I will.
-.-
"Danny, I don't think that's-" Julie started.
"I don't care! Who the fuck is going to?" I snapped at her. We were in Leland and Sonny's dorm room again. I was surrounded by Maria and my friend's along with Ana - Maria's little sister. I had told them my plan to just start to travel and find her until I eventually did. Ana, Leland, and Connie were for it. Sonny, his girlfriend June, and Julie were hesitant. June walked out earlier - claiming she wasn't gonna risk her life for this. That eventually Maria will show up. I had to bite my tongue on her opinions, trying to be nice for Sonny.
"Let her finish, please." Sonny said calmly. He didn't go after his girlfriend - wanting to be there for those who cared about her the most. Sonny was the rock of our entire friend group. He was almost always calm and tried to listen and give advice when needed. He's also a very faithful young man, taking his Christianity seriously but not to the point of shoving it down our throats. He's just a calm and welcoming presence to be around. I opened my mouth to speak before realizing Sonny was right. I let out a frustrated sigh, my hands on my hips, before turning my gaze to the floor - remaining silent.
"Thank you." Julie said to both Sonny and I before continuing, "I don't think it's a safe idea. There's this man running around, kidnapping and assaulting young women?! Did you not hear about the recent incident about a young man - who has fit multiple descriptions before - choking out some girls and fleeing from the scene? There's even reports of people taking incoherent women back to their hotel's and denying being affiliated with anything going on. We don't know that! There's so much risk to being a young woman now. You boys are safe from anyone like that. But what about Connie, Ana, and I? What if we end up like Maria?"
Connie who sat beside Ana - who leaned against the wall - looked over at Julie. They were lost in thought over what she said. It was a valid point. Even Ana agreed - despite what happened between her and Julie recently.
"She has a point, sadly." Connie stated, "I don't want to get hurt. Yeah, you guys are pretty strong. But what if whoever this person or people are - are stronger than all of us? I don't want that."
"But don't you want to find Maria?" I asked.
Connie nodded, "Of course I do! Maria is a close friend of mine. But is it risking all our lives for? What would we accomplish by that?"
"I agree." Leland sighed. His head was hung low as he sat on his bed, Julie sitting at the foot of it. "I can't... imagine losing her and you guys too. We need to think about our safety instead of just running off. Maybe pack shit. Self defense and stuff, y'know? We can't just abruptly leave now."
"Plus, I don't know about the rest of you guys - but I'm on a scholarship. I know that's not as important as Maria right now. But we're all in school here for a reason - paying or having someone else pay thousands of dollars. We still have responsibilities too. We still have lives after this - despite wherever Maria is." Connie argued. Sonny and Leland nodded too. Connie was here on a scholarship for animal science - aspiring to be a veterinarian. She was raised on a farm somewhere in Illinois so it makes sense. Sonny is an aspiring mathematics teacher, hoping to teach at least high school - and aiming for a doctorate degree a bit later in life. Julie is very into fashion - which makes sense; she originally came from California so she's very up to date with the trends. I'm sure she's studying fashion merchandising or maybe hoping to become a designer in the long run. I'm not super close to Julie compared to everyone else. Leland is very into fitness, hoping to educate and help people within their journey. Whether it's educating children, doing research on nutrition, or helping people with physical therapy. He just wants people to be physically healthy and happy. He's tried to get Sonny and I workout with him - but his routine is intense. I get that's what you get for trusting the once high school star wrestling player; you get a sore back and legs for two weeks trying to deadlift what he does. As for me, I'm still undecided. I was thinking of engineering of some sort. Maria is right, I am good with fixing almost anything. Cars, house piping, other appliances, knowing which exact buttons to hit on the fuse box when the power goes out. Maybe I can be some handyman or some shit. I still don't know. It's the last thing on my mind for obvious reasons.
"So you value your degree over your friend?" I asked Connie.
"Danny, that's not what she just said. She said that she does care about Maria and she's important. But we can't put our entire lives on hold for her. We have to trust law enforcement and-"
"Sonny, I told you they dropped her case." I interrupted him.
Sonny nodded, "I know that. But hopefully by continuing to say her name and bring awareness to her and other victims, we can change their mind. We can't just up and leave like she did - that's adding more fuel to the flame. We can get hurt. Our loved ones will get worried. I doubt anyone wants to end up on a poster or the side of a milk carton. Plus, if we get caught trespassing, we could end up behind bars instead. That means our scholarships, our future jobs, and everything else we worked so hard for is down the drain. Do we all want that?"
The room remained silent as Sonny finished. Almost everyone shook their heads, saying they don't want that. They don't want any of this. Does that include Maria? I can't fully understand why they don't. She could be dead! She could be alive instead! But we're sitting here debating instead of finding the truth. Only one person remained quiet almost the entire time; it was Ana, Maria's feisty little sister. Surely she's with me, right?
"Ana, what do you think?" I asked her, "You've been quiet almost this entire time."
Ana was leaned up against the wall still. Her gaze on the wooden floor beneath us as her arms were crossed over themselves. She cleared her throat before raising her head, looking up at me. I could tell already by her saddened expression that she disagrees with me.
"Danny, I want nothing more than to bring my sister home. We both know that. But - we have to consider ourselves too - like everyone has said. Chances are, she's probably... gone."
I shook my head, "Don't say that. Are you with me or not?"
Ana looked around the room at everyone else, reading their expressions. Everyone seemed sad or stressed - possibly both. One thing we all have in common at the moment is that Maria needs to be found and we all care about her. But the major thing dividing us is obviously if we should do anything about it. Ana is her sister. Surely, she wants to immediately go find her, right?
"I'm not." She confessed, "I have our mama to worry about. You know that, Danny. As I was saying, it's been a long time too. She's either left on her own free will and doesn't currently have a plan to come back or... she's gone. Someone took her and doesn't plan to return her. We have to just keep moving. It's what she would've wanted."
"Fuck this." I muttered and grabbed my jacket that was draped over Leland's bed, close to where Julie was sitting. Leland immediately stood up and walked over to me as I slipped the jacket over my arms, the thick material resting heavily on my shoulders.
"Danny, we're not against you. We all want to help look for her. But we have so much to focus on, y'know? We have to let whatever happen just happen and-"
"Stop talking before your face meets the fuckin' wall, McKinney." I threatened. This caused Leland to immediately stop talking. Everyone avoided eye contact from me, hanging their head in shame and guilt. Leland sighed and nodded, understanding how upset I was with him and everyone else in the moment. "I can't fuckin' believe you guys! Y'all really showed your true colors here - that you all think about yourselves when your friend - hell even sister - could be suffering right now! What the fuck is wrong with you guys?!"
With that I grabbed the door knob and swung the door open, the same anger boiling inside of me earlier. If the police, her friends, and her own sister are gonna fail and try to move on from her, that says a lot about them vs me. I'm not gonna let her just be some scary ghost tale to tell at campsites. Some pathetic picture on a milk carton. Some number to call on her missing persons poster all over our surrounding towns. A name to mention on the radio along with the hundreds others that haven't been found either. No, I'm gonna fight for her. I'm gonna fight to know where she is - no matter what the ending cause is.
I turned my attention to Ana, "Out of all the people here, I'm most ashamed of you. You're her own sister - her own blood. Your family is full of determined people yet somehow - you're the biggest coward of them all." Before I could see the tears fall from Ana, I walked through the door and slammed it behind me. It was loud enough that it echoed and rang down the hallway - enough to make my presence very well known. If I had to cause a scene to get my point across then so be it!
But there was one thing I knew for sure; tomorrow I'm leaving this university and looking for my damn girlfriend.
Even if it kills me.
