Chapter 21:

Into the Woods

We came back to AJ's house feeling like we had gotten no farther than where we were before. Well, except for the mind numbing fear for Nick's safety. Afterall he did see the spirit room according to that crazy bitch! Kevin and I made not even one sound on the entire car ride back to the guys. Not one, I know I was trying to envision what Nick might possibly be going through. How scared he might be, how alone he might feel.

I rubbed at my temples as Kevin caught Howie and AJ up to date on all that Trish had said, which wasn't much. I saw their faces turn from curious to angry to nervous, just as mine had done.

"Spirit room?" Howie asked, more for the sake of repeating it than confirming it. I nodded to him. He gasped and sat all the way back in his chair.

"You think he's alive?" He asked from his new slumped position, my head was down but I still thought he was alive. I don't think Kevin did, but I did. "Yes, he is still alive. He has to be"

"Trish mentioned a he right?" AJ asked. Kevin nodded at him, "Yeah she did. Why?" I could tell AJ had a thought in his mind but he didn't share it with us. I decided not to press him about it. When he's ready to share he will. I probably wouldn't want to hear anyway. These days no news was good news.

We just sat there not really knowing what to do next. I felt like we had to do something to help. Anything.

"Maybe Agent Trostle will get more out of her, you know...now that we have left"

"Maybe"

"So I guess we just sit and wait some more" Kev said as he put his feet up and sighed, "Somebody should call Mom and Dad Carter to let them know what Trish said"

"Why? I mean it would just worry them. I say we don't" Howie suggested. I agreed. I wish we didn't know about anything too. Especially the spirit room.

"Guys?" All eyes turned to AJ as he sat up straight

"Yeah?" Kevin said wearily, "What is it Bone?"

AJ stood up, walked over to the kitchen counter and leaned against it. His mind searching for the right words to say. His eyes were looking towards the ceiling before landing on Howie's face. "You guys remember when I called Joe?"

We all nodded, Howie looking a little more leary than the rest of us. Have they talked about this the two of them? Is this old news for them but not for us?

"Yes, AJ what about it?" I asked losing my patience a little. He walked over to where I was sitting and hunched down so he was looking up at me. He looked like someone who had just solved the biggest mystery in the world, maybe he had.

"Do you remember that I said I thought I heard someone in the background?"

"Yes, I remember that. You said it was a girl and they were fighting, I remember and?" I was still short with him. I don't know why. He sensed it and stood up and moved away from me resting instead very close to where Howie was sitting.

"That night, after I got off the phone with Joe, something didn't settle right with me. It was the voice..It sounded so familiar"

"Do you think it was Trish?" Kevin asked now sitting at the edge of his seat.

"No, that's not possible, she was here with us when that happened" I said dejected. Another great idea thrown out the window.

"No, you don't understand what I'm trying to say.."

"Than why don't you just say it then?" I was being rude. I would apologize later, for now that's the way I felt. Maybe I'd apologize at the funeral. When the four eldest helped to carry the baby to his final resting place, yeah maybe then I would say I'm sorry.

"Rok! You are not listening to me" J screamed bringing me out of my uncomfortable thoughts.

"What? What are you saying then?" I screamed back.

"I'm saying that the voice I heard sounded familiar, it was saying help in a muffled tone"

I stopped and looked at him, then I looked at everyone else before turning my eyes slowly back to AJ.

"It sounded like Nick, I think it WAS Nick" Oh my God, of course it was. Of course, Joe was there when it happened, Joe was always around Nick..Joe was..

"Oh God! We need to call the police!" I said as I ran for the phone...
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I tried all the keys in the lock but none of them were working, Joe had fallen to the floor after he knocked down the door. I saw his head as he fell to the ground it was still bloody. I turned my attention back to the lock trying the very last key. My hands were shaking so much I couldn't get into the hole. Joe was up on his feet, I didn't turn around but I heard his footsteps close behind me, muttering under his breath. Come on Come on Come on, I got the key in the hole and turned, I heard it click open as Joe's hand touched my shoulder. I turned around and kicked him in the nuts, he keeled over and I bolted out the door.

I ran and took two steps before stumbling down the porch stairs, I rolled about three times and just got up and ran. The sun was burning bright over head and it was hard to adjust to the light. I hadn't seen the sun in a long time. There was no other house anywhere. We were alone in the middle of nowhere. I turned back to look at the house. There was not a window anywhere. It was brown and dilapidated. There was a car, a red pick up truck sitting by the mailbox. I ran over to it and hopped inside, looking for a key. No luck, I turned around again and saw Joe staggering outside looking at me in the car and smiling. I jumped out and ran again.

"It's no use running my young friend! You'll never get away, it's God's will! It's my will!" He let out a wicked laugh but I ignored him. Just kept running. I came to start of the woods and peered behind me to see Joe now in full run pursuing me, I ran into the woods. And tripped over a log. I came crashing down on my ankle. It hurt like hell but I didn't have time to care. I stood up and kept running.

"Get back here!!!" He screamed at me through the trees. I could feel my heart beating so fast in my chest but if I slowed down to let my heart catch up with my feet I would be a goner. I ran jumping over logs and through trees, passing furry creatures that would have led me to stop and enjoy.

"NIIICK!! Get back here! NO use fighting it kid! You have to come back now!!!" I heard him, he was so close. I turned around in circles to see if I could spot him but no luck. I took a minute to decide on a direction bending down and resting my hands on my knees to catch my breath.

"Hi buddy" He whispered in my ear, I turned around and he laughed as he grabbed my arms, I struggled to break free of him but he had a grip on me. I kicked at his ankle and he grimaced in pain, "Stop that you son of a bitch!" He said to me I did it again and this time he let go, I ran.

"Son of a bitch!!! Come back here! I'm gonna tear you limb from limb boy! You better get back here now!!" He ran towards me but stopped. He stopped dead in his tracks, I thought he was having a heart attack or something. He sat down on a broken tree limb And held his hands to his ears saying NO over and over again.

"No! I am a good boy mommy, No he will not! No, I will Mommy! I promise!" He was rocking holding his ears and crying. I turned and fled farther into the woods...
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"Agent Trostle said they were sending a police car to Joe's apartment right now. Maybe this thing will finally end!" I felt relief for the first time since this started. I had forgotten how nice it was to feel a glimmer of hope. Nick would be found. Of course Joe had him. How could we be so stupid? First we miss the fact that it was Trish, now Joe.

"If we hadn't fired him, you think Nick would have been safer?" Kevin asked, sometimes I think we are all tuned into each other's thoughts.

"I don't know Kev, I have a feeling if we didn't fire him, he would have quit." Howie said, "Hmm" We looked at D when he grunted, "What D?"

"Didn't the police already suspect Joe?"

"Not sure why do you ask?"

"Because I remember, someone saying that. Joe was a suspect but they cleared him. Didn't they?" Why was Howie doing this to us?

"Well, they got it wrong then Howie, even the police got it wrong because there is no doubt in my mind that Joe did it!"

"Mine either, just wondering" I was pacing now, just waiting for a call from the FBI, police or maybe Nick himself. An hour went by but still no information was given to us, when finally the phone rang. AJ ran to get it with a huge smile on his face.

"Hello?....Speaking..." He gave us a look to let us know it was the call we were waiting for. We all gathered around the phone. His expression stayed unreadable while he took in the info. "Uh huh....uh huh... uh huh...okay, I will..thanks..bye" He hung up the phone.

"Well? What is it? Did they find him?" By the length of time it took AJ to answer, I knew the news wasn't good. I braced myself for the worst.

"They searched Joe's apartment, with a warrant but when they got there, it was totally empty. He never lived there. It was a decoy."

"FUCK!" Howie screamed, surprising everyone in the room.

"They went to ask Trish about it but she refused to give him any more info. She said she wanted to talk to you again" He said as he looked directly at me. "Agent Trostle is sending a car over for you right now! He is hoping that she will tell you what we need"

"Okay" I said as I took a deep breath. I was gonna get it out of her this time.
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I stopped in a clearing allowing myself to sit for a minute. I wasn't sure how long I had been running but I knew I was tried. I felt nauseous and dizzy, pain from my sprained ankle coming back full force. I sat by a tree trunk and pulled my sock away to get a look at my ankle. It was swollen. I grimaced as I noticed all the cuts and scrapes I had. That was nothing to the tightness in my chest I was feeling or the dizzy headache that was making it hard for my eyes to remain open. I hadn't seen or heard Joe in a little while and I had hoped that maybe he went back to the house and gave up.

I was safe for now, even being in the woods alone was safer than being back at that house. I was shivering now, but not from fear, more from being cold. The bright sun was replaced with dusk as the shadows of the tree made me feel like I was surrounded my monsters. I hugged my knees tight and closed my eyes to rest. Maybe this was all a bad dream, maybe I would wake up in a safe warm bed and be home. Maybe..

"Nikolas! You're here aren't you? I can feel you" I slouched down and rolled away to hide behind a bush. I heard the dried twigs breaking under his weight as he slowly edged his way closer and closer to my hiding spot...

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