Page 27

ELI

My mind is a constant storm. The thought of the unknown drives me into fits of insanity. I have not been able to sleep for two days now. My body is on the brink of a full-blown, manic episode.

Where is she? Does she feel me reaching out to her? My need to devour this earth and shatter anything in my way to reach her is stifling. My heart bleeds continually and the gushing wounds it now bears is my personal brand of hell.

This is all my fault. I knew I should never have given in to her all-consuming spirit. My lust and love for her, fighting my darkest demons and slaying them with just one look.

One touch.

One kiss.

I would fall on my knees to whatever god and gladly offer my soul to spare hers. I wallow in complete and utter madness. It takes everything for me to not kick down every door and burn this entire fucking city to the gound. I circle and circle my phone that lays on the living room table. Waiting for one message, one call from her contacts. But nothing. Silence. I have made over three hundred calls to her phone, sent over a thousand messages, begging him to answer me.

But they all go unanswered, and every call goes straight to voicemail. I don’t know if she is alive or dead at this point. I need to keep faith that something will come through.

I grip my hair and drop to the couch, throwing my head into my hands. Dane stands next to the fireplace, watching me with intense pain in his eyes. Jenny hasn’t left his bed. She lays in there crying all day and all night. A ghost of a woman now.

“Fuuuck!” I yell as I grab my phone and attempt to call again, no answer. “It’s been two fucking days!” I try to calm my heavy breathing, but fail. My hands shake from the pure adrenaline and anger that runs through my veins.

“I am going to fucking kill him!” I say as I take the glass of whiskey on my table and throw it into the wall, shattering it.

Dane looks away and flinches. “Please, Eli, try to calm down. I am sure he will.” I stop him before he can finish, gritting my teeth.

“He will what, Dane? What will he do? Fuck her? Harm her? Kill her?” His eyes fill with sorrow as I continue, “I can’t do this! I can’t sit here day in and day out while God knows what the fuck she is going through!” He pushes off the brick mantle and walks over to me, sitting by my side of the couch.

“We must try and stay hopeful. We don’t know anything.” He tried to place his hand on my shoulder, but I knocked it off.

Just then, I got a video message from an UNKNOWN number. Below, was a text attached saying, “I hope you enjoy.” I press play as my world falls apart with one glance of her state. My eyes are peeled to the video.

Every second, every touch. Every scream. I can’t tell how long this video even is. I feel everything has faded around me and all I can do is keep my eyes glued to hers. I watch him and his brothers rape her senseless and beat her until she passes out. My tears flow down my face as I make no noises.

Dane is saying something next to me, but I can’t make out what it is. Nothing is here. I am not here. I am dead. The darkness has swallowed me whole, and I will make sure that if it means a certain death for myself, I will take their souls with me to hell.

One message follows with a location attached. It says: “Midnight tonight, come alone or she dies.”

I feel Dane’s eyes on me. He knows I am gone. My demon has taken over and he is out to play.

“Eli, bro, are you okay? Look at me man.” I turn my head slowly in his direction. I can feel a wide smile plastered to my face. “Oh, fuck man. You are not okay. And you look scary as hell,” he says as he starts to back away from me.

“I am fine, Dane,” I say in a low voice. One almost not my own. “I have a location.” I show him the phone as he reaches out with a shaking hand to take it. I watch him start the video as his eyes go wide with rage.

“What the fuck! Eli! Man, look at me.” I get up off the couch and make my way to the downstairs armory. Once I reach the door, I enter in the seven-digit pass code to open the steel door. Flicking the fluorescent lights on, I made my way to a black duffle bag sitting on the counter.

I grabbed a black handgun and a silencer to attach to it, placing it in the bag. I also grabbed some red, thick rope, and two hunting knives, placing them into the bag. I make my way to the hanging gun vest and secure it onto my black shirt, throwing my black sweater over it. I can feel Dane’s presence from the hallway.

“Eli, this is a suicide mission, and you know it!” He yells as I continue to ignore him and pack the bag. Running into the room, he grabs me and turns me to face him. “Eli, your eyes. You are fucking gone, man! This isn’t you! Let’s call the police!”

I let out a low, demonic laugh.

“You are right, this isn’t me. Eli is fucking gone. He died the moment they stuck their fucking cocks into her while she screamed in terror. Eli is dead . And I will get her back. I don’t give a fuck if I die saving her! I will drag all of those bastards to hell with me in chains!” I yelled and shoved him hard onto the ground.

“If you try to stop me, Dane, I will fucking kill you too!” I say as his face turns white as a ghost. Just then, I heard Jenny at the door. She had been listening to the entire conversation.

Jenny meets our gaze as we watch her slowly enter the room with caution. Her eyes are reddened from all the tears. “Let me come with you, Eli,” she says with a harsh edge in her voice.

“No,” Dane says quickly. “I will not put you in harm’s way.” Looking at him, she tilts her head to the side and growls.

“Let me restate that. I am coming with you.” She grits her teeth as she holds his gaze. “Those fuckers raped her. I watched that fucking video! I want them fucking dead!”

Dane bites back quickly in response, “What would you do, huh? Do you even know how to shoot a fucking gun, Jenny? At most, you will just be a distraction,” he says while grabbing a vest.

“Did you idiots not even care to look up the fucking location?” We both look at one another as we glance back in her direction. “Yeah, I didn’t fucking think so. The warehouse she is in, the docks in that area are full of drugs and prostitution. I could help be a decoy for the two brothers. I remember you telling us they were womanizing assholes. I could lure them away from the building so you fuckers can take their lives.”

We both stare at her in awe. Why did I not even think to look up the fucking location? Oh, that’s right, because rage has fully taken over. Her look softens as she walks towards him.

“I can help. Let me be the distraction. Let me coax them out. If they are as big of idiots as you say, then let me work my body in your favor.” Looking at Dane, I raise one eyebrow. He starts to shake his head in protest.

“No, Eli. You know this is a bad idea.” I take a deep breath, shaking my head and letting it out.

“You know how weak they are when it comes to beautiful women, and you know what goes on down at those docks. It could work,” I say as I look over to Jenny. A faint smile breaks from her pale, ghostly face. Dane lets out a loud growl and starts to pace back and forth, seemingly talking to himself and cussing. After a few moments of his self-chatter, he looked at me.

“Fine!” He says as he walks up to me, getting so close that our noses almost touch, “but if anything happens to her, I will fucking kill you myself.” His words cut like a knife. I give him a sly smile.

He loves this woman. I have never seen it. Never seen him more devoted to anyone other than her. Looking back at him, I nod my head and turn towards Jenny.

“Get ready,” I say to her as she nods and then heads up the stairs. “Make sure to wear something revealing. Oh, and wear a wig.” Looking back at Dane, I can see the anger oozing out of every pore of his body. I look away and grab the duffle bag, pushing my way past Dane and out of the room.

Night fell as we made our way to Dane’s black Chevy, parked out front. We threw our black duffle bags into the bed of his truck. Jenny is dressed in black fishnet stockings and a low-cut skin tight orange dress. Her red wig has long curls falling to the center of her back in loose waves. The docks are known for local prostitution.

Men will seek out the women who hide in the shadows and walk the empty parking lots to get their dicks wet, without the fear of a police presence. We know from personal experience how the Heathen brothers love their prostitutes.

Dane hacked into the camera system at the location and saw that both Nate and Leon headed outside the past couple days around eleven, in search of ladies. Thank God for Dane and his superior hacking skills.

We all climb in and make the drive to the large, abandoned docks. Little trash bin fires burn as the local homeless lay on cardboard cutouts and empty beer cans litter around them creating small mountains.

Women are dressed in short skirts, smoking cigarettes and talking to their pimps in the darkened alleyways between the buildings. The burn of the cherry in the dark alleyways is the only way you would be able to tell anyone was there. One woman steps out into the clearing, all life strangled from her red-stricken eyes.

Track marks up and down her thin, pale arms make me cringe. I hate seeing this. Hate that this is the reality of life. That this was once my mother. That Dane had to witness the act all over again as well.

The demons that have taken over so many once, bright and innocent souls. It sickens me to my core. I can hear Jenny’s breathing pick up as she watches the women we pass. A hint of fear runs through her beautiful blue eyes.

“You will be okay,” I say roughly to break the silence.

“I know,” she says quietly. “I am just so worried. What if we are too late?” She looks down, trying to stop her tears. I clenched my jaw tightly and bit the insides of my cheeks.

“We will find her,” Is all I can muster out to say.

As we round the corner, the large black warehouse comes into view. We pulled up about a few hundred feet away, into a side alley beside it. The truck’s headlights stayed off so we could hide in the darkness of night, not wanting to have the chance to alert any of them. Turning around and looking back at Jenny, I grab the bottle of whiskey I had planted at my feet.

“Ok, so you know the drill,” I say as I hand it to her. She nods quickly as she takes the whiskey bottle out of my hand, opening it and taking a large pull out of it. I look at her with wide eyes as she says:

“Yeah, I know drinking wasn’t part of the master plan, but I am going to need some liquid courage for this.” She takes one more pull, then tightens the cap back on. I hear Dane let out a low growl as I turn back to him.

“Well, they should be out here any minute.” Just as I say it, we see the back door fling open, and two men exit, wearing all black outfits, lighting up their smokes. Too fucking easy , I think to myself.

We quietly open the doors as I slide out, Jenny follows behind me. I make my way to the duffle bags that are in the bed of the truck and pull them out, trying to calm my breathing so I will not be heard or sensed. “Okay, Jenny, lure them away from the door, and try to get them to come in this direction,” I whisper to her while pointing at the alley behind us. She nods as I see her body start to shake.

“Get a grip on your emotions, Jenny. Play the part. These bastards have Brooklyn. Think of her to give you courage.” Her eyes then harden as the thoughts enter her mind, the look of pure rage now burning within them.

“I’ve fucking got this,” she says quietly as she turns to face Dane. Looking at him, she slowly places her hand on his face, her eyes saying everything to him without any words and kissing him gently.

“Be safe,” he says as she turns from him and then makes her way into the clearing.