"Did Ralph leave anywhere to contact him?" Reed asked his mom, hoping to find a clue to his whereabouts."No, but he did leave me an address once, a place I first met him to discuss about the evidence," Margie said, digging into the glove compartment and pulling out a piece of paper, "But I doubt you will see him there because he told me he was leaving when he suspected Walker might be onto him."Reed took the paper from her, and looked at the address. It was a rundown motel in the outskirts of the city, a place where no one would look for them.He wondered if Ralph had left anything behind, or if he had been captured or killed by Walker's men."Alright, I will start from there," Reed said, putting the paper in his pocket, "Maybe I can find something that will lead me to him, or to the evidence."He restarted the vehicle, and drove away. He knew they had to be careful, and avoid any more traps.He knew they had to find a way to prove their innocence, and to expose Walker's lies.He ch
Mike felt a surge of fear as he walked into Walker's house. He knew he had screwed up, and he knew Walker would not let it go.He had also felt a wave of anger from Walker, who had seen everything on his security cameras.And now, Mike was standing in front of Walker, in his living room, surrounded by his guards.He saw the rage in Walker's eyes, the hate in his voice, the violence in his fists.He knew he had no chance, and he knew he had no choice."I gave you one last chance, and you failed me," Walker shouted at Mike. "I am sorry, I..." Mike said, but he stopped as Walker slapped him across the face. He felt a sting in his cheek, and he tasted blood in his mouth. He tried to apologize again, but Walker punched him in the stomach.He felt a cramp in his gut, and he gasped for air.He fell to his knees, but Walker kicked him in the face. He felt a crack in his nose, and he saw stars in his eyes.He groaned in pain, but Walker grabbed him by the hair and threw him on the couch. He fe
Reed and Margie arrived at the address Anna gave him and they entered the cabin. It was a cozy place, with a fireplace, a sofa, and a small kitchen.Reed felt a surge of relief as he saw Anna sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of tea. She looked up and smiled when she saw them."Thank God you're here," she said, getting up to hug them. "I was so worried about you.""We're fine, Anna. Thanks for giving me the address," Reed said, returning her hug."Of course, Reed," Anna said, hugging him as well. Reed nodded, but he didn't feel brave. He felt exhausted, sore, and guilty. He had barely managed to escape from Walker's men, who had kidnapped Margie.Reed glanced at his mother and felt a pang of anger and sadness. He wished he could have prevented her from suffering."Where's Mandy?" he asked, looking around for his daughter."She's in the bedroom. She was sleeping, but she should be awake by now. She'll be so happy to see you," Anna said.Reed felt a lump in his throat. He hadn't seen
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