Reed parked his car in front of the cabin and got out. He looked around and saw no sign of anyone. He hoped that Anna and her parents were still there. He had something important to ask them.He walked up to the door and knocked. He heard a voice from inside."Who is it?" Anna asked."It's me, Reed. Can I come in?" he said.There was a pause, then the door opened. Anna stood there, looking surprised and nervous. She was wearing a simple dress and a cardigan, her brown hair tied in a ponytail.She looked different from the last time he saw her, when she was wearing a leather jacket and jeans, her hair dyed red."Reed, what are you doing here?" she said."I need to talk to you. And your parents. Where are they?" he said."Uhm.. they are at the back. They're gardening," she said."Let me talk to them," he saidReed stood awkwardly, his eyes scanning the room as his shifted brows furrowing in concern as he glanced at Anna, who was fidgeting near the door."Uhm... they're at the back," Ann
Mark stared at his daughter, Anna, in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He wondered if she had used her tuition money to run her own investigations into her brother's murder. "Is that why your tuition money was gone?" he asked, his voice rising. "Did you use it to run your investigations?""Yes, Dad," Anna said, her voice low. "I'm sorry. I had to do something. I couldn't just sit and wait for the police to catch Matt's killer. They weren't doing anything. They were bought off by Walker and his gang."Mark felt a surge of anger. He wanted to yell at her, to scold her, to punish her. But he also felt a pang of guilt. He knew he had failed her as a father.He had been too busy with his work, too distant from his family. He had neglected her, and Matt. He had let them down.He looked at his wife, Sarah, who was sitting next to Anna. She looked shaken. "I just wished that you could have told us about all this before," Sarah said, her voice breaking. "We could have h
Kayla scrunched her face as she treated Mike's wounds in her house. He had come back from his failed attempt to capture Reed and his mother, who had escaped from Walker's clutches.He had been beaten up by Walker's men, and had barely made it out alive.He was bleeding and bruised, and he was crying like a baby.He wallowed in self-pity, vowing to exact his revenge on Reed, who had always been one step ahead of him.He cursed Walker, who had finally cut him off, saying he was useless and worthless. He lamented that he was about to lose the house, the car, the money, everything.Kayla scrunched her face in irritation at Mike's display of self-pity, her patience wearing thin as she cleaned his wounds. "You need to stop wallowing in self-pity and start thinking about what you're going to do next," she said, her voice laced with frustration.Mike's eyes narrowed at her words, his anger simmering beneath the surface. "Reed has always been one step ahead," he muttered bitterly, his fists cl
Slam! Slam! Kayla felt a hard slap to her cheek as Mike gave her a hard slap across the face. Without warning, another searing pain exploded across her cheek as Mike's hand connected with her skin in a vicious slap. Kayla staggered backward, her hand instinctively flying to her face to cradle the stinging sensation. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at him filled with rage."You don't ever talk to me like that!" Mike screamed, his eyes red with rage. "You've gone and done it now, stupid! Get out of my house!" Kayla screamed.Kayla felt a surge of pain and fear, but also anger. She clenched her fists and spat back, "No, you get out! This is my house, not yours! You have no right to be here!""I said shut up!" Mike shouted, and hit her again, this time on the other cheek. Kayla staggered back, but quickly recovered and hit him back, hard.She felt her nails dig into his skin, drawing blood. Mike cursed and grabbed her by the hair, pulling her towards him. Kayla kicked and scra
Reed checked the address on his phone again. It matched the one his mom had given him.He had no idea why Ralph would check into this rundown motel in the middle of nowhere, but he hoped it had something to find.He swayed through the road, dodging potholes and broken streetlights and silence, except for the occasional howl of a stray dog or the roar of a passing truck.Reed felt a knot in his stomach as he drove. Reed’s mind then wondered to Mecca and the secret organization of scavengers.Were they really under attack by the mysterious enemy? And if so, why hasn’t he heard of anything?But that has to be something for another day, now he has to focus on finding Ralph,Reed reached the motel, a shabby two-story building and rundown building that looked like it could collapse at any moment with a neon sign that flickered "Vacancy". He parked his car in the empty lot and got out.He saw a few people around, mostly old folks and weary-looking who had nowhere else to go, sitting on the
As Reed sat on the bed, his eyes darted through the trash can to a receipt. He went to pick it up, hoping it was a clue.He scanned through the receipt and saw that it was a bus ticket.It had Ralph's name on it, and a date that was five months ago. "He probably paid cash to avoid being tracked," Reed thought. He read through the receipt and saw the name of the bus terminal: ABC MOTORS. He also saw their address, and it was not that far from the motel.Maybe he could catch up with Ralph there, or at least find out where he went.Reed decided to leave the motel right away. He grabbed his jacket and the receipt, and headed to the door.He did not bother to pack up Ralph's stuff, or to lock the room.He figured no one would care, or notice. He just wanted to him before it was too late.As Reed ran down the stairs, the clerk shouted, "Hey, you find anything?" He had seen Reed enter Ralph's room, and he was curious what he had found.He also wanted to make sure Reed did not steal anything,
Reed knew he had gotten somewhere. He had finally found a clue that could lead him to Ralph, but he also knew he had to see his daughter and mother before he went on this new lead. So he took his car and drove back to the cabin, where they were staying, he owed his daughter and mother his presence, his attention, his time,So he decided to stop at a convenience store on his way to the cabin, to grab a toy for his daughter.He wanted to surprise her, to make her smile. He knew she loved stuffed animals, especially pink ones. He hoped he could find one that she would like.He parked his car by the store and got out. The neighborhood didn't seem like a good place. It was filled with graffiti walls and people buying drugs in broad daylight, courtesy of Walker's drug trafficking syndicate.Reed cursed under his breath. He hated Walker, he hated what he had done to the city. He had to stop him, he had to expose him, he had to put an end to his crimes.He entered the store and greeted the ca
Reed slowly approached the cabin, his eyes scanning the dark woods for any sign of movement. He had been driving for hours, avoiding the main roads and the checkpoints. He parked the car behind a thick cluster of trees and he checked his pistol, making sure it was loaded and ready and a toy he had bought for Mandy.He didn't expect any trouble, but he couldn't afford to be careless.Walker was still on the prowl, Reed got out, then walked to the cabin.He then stood before the rustic cabin, its wooden exterior blending seamlessly into the darkened forest backdrop.The only sounds were the occasional rustle of leaves and the gentle symphony of nocturnal creatures and the annoying sounds of crickets.He moved with a cautious step, mindful of the tranquility that enveloped the surroundings.His movements were deliberate as he approached the cabin, his breath barely audible in the stillness of the night.The soft glow emanating light in the windows from within suggested that everyone was