Waking up early, I get dressed. Ryland and Orion must have gotten up early because neither of them is in bed. When I get inside, they aren’t there either. Imogen is the only one home.
“You’re up?” she asks, and I nod.
“Where is everyone?” The last thing I remember is Ryland’s phone ringing and him walking out, leaving me with Orion, but even he was gone when I woke up this morning.
“Work and Ryland and Orion got a lead on Thaddeus, so they went to check it out,” she explains.
My eyes snap to the clock and I realize that I am supposed to meet Lana in half an hour. “What sort of lead?” I mutter the question.
“It’s probably nothing; I am sure they will tell you when they get back,” Imogen says, but I can tell she is hiding something; something she isn’t sure she is allowed to tell me. Knowing I won’t get answers from her, I give up. I don’t want her to get in trouble for telling me, and I know she is right; they will tell me if they find anything.
“Can you give me a lift to town?” I ask, and she turns around from doing dishes.
“Where do you want to go?” she asks.
“To see Lana. I am supposed to meet her at the park,” I tell her, and she nods.
“I can give you my keys, if you want to go by yourself.”
I nod, wondering if I should message Ryland and Orion to let them know. Deciding I should, I quickly pull my phone out. “I will just message Ryland and see if I can go by myself; don’t feel like arguing if he says no.”
Imogen nods, and I quickly message Ryland. His reply is quick, telling me to call if I need them. “He said it’s fine,” I tell her, and she walks over to the microwave, grabs the keys from the bowl, and tosses them to me.
It doesn’t take long to get into the city. However, when I arrive, I receive a message from Lana inviting me to meet her at her house. I try calling her, but she doesn’t answer. Checking Facebook, I can see she hasn’t been online for a few hours, but remember she sent her address on Messenger. She probably put her phone down.
Typing the address into Google Maps, I see her house is only ten minutes away, just outside the city. Driving toward the address, I have to cross a bridge over a river; she wasn’t wrong when she said it is peaceful out here. I haven’t driven past a single house, and most of the road is dirt. In fact, it isn’t that far from Imogen’s house. Instead of turning at the intersection, you just keep going straight. After driving for another twenty minutes, I finally pull up to a house. It looks more like a cabin. It has a porch out the front, and gardens; April loves gardening, so I’m not surprised to see it has cottage-style gardens everywhere, though it would wreak havoc on my hay fever.
The place is secluded, and from the road, you wouldn’t even be able to see the property because trees surround it. There’s even a tire swing hanging from the tree beside the house. Getting out of the car, all I can smell is plants and fertilizer.
Closing the car door, I walk toward the house, and April walks out. “Hey Evie, she is inside,” she tells me with a bright smile.
“Sorry it took me a while to find the place,” I tell her, and she nods.
“Yes, I like the privacy out here; Lana is a bit under the weather today, so I thought it would be best if she stayed inside. She is in the living room down the hall,” she says, pointing in the direction.
The house is nicely decorated, but as I move further into the house, my stomach drops; there are pictures of Derrick all over the walls and furniture. There isn’t a single wall or surface that doesn’t have a picture of that vile man.
I thought I would never have to see his face again, yet the house looks like a shrine; photos of their wedding, photos of them together looking like the perfect couple, and I feel sick when I see a huge photo of the day Lana and I came to live with them.
Stopping, I look at the photo. That was the happiest day. I finally thought I found somewhere we could call home. Little did we know when we took that photo with Derrick’s arms draped over both our shoulders, that it was the beginning of the worst year of my life.
“That is Lana’s favorite. Thank God for Google Photos; I thought we lost all our memories,” April says. I nod, feeling bile rise in my throat. I follow the hallway to the end but don’t see her.
Stepping in, I find the room dark; the curtains are closed, and the TV is off. The house is eerily quiet and cold, considering the temperature outside. Something feels off. Really off, and I feel goosebumps rise on my arms and legs.
“Where is she? She isn’t in here,” I call out to April as I turn towards the hall when I feel a pinch in my neck. My hand goes to my neck as I feel a needle stuck in my skin. I pull it out and look up just in time to see her swing a wooden object at me, my head snaps to the side by its force when she cracks me in the head. My vision is turning blurry, and I feel blood trickle down my face from my temple. I see the ground rush toward my face and see darkness; my head starts pounding, and my ears ring.