We only had to ride for another thirty minutes. I was thankful that Roxane decided to stay in Lynchburg for whatever reason. Sofia pulled up on a large two-story concrete building. A large chainlink fence around it cut it off from the rest of the surrounding neighborhoods. This was an abandoned elementary school that was set to be demolished in the near future. For now though, it was where ‘our friend’ claimed that Roxane was.
The only evidence of possible habitation when we arrived was a single old red 2009 Toyota Camry parked on the side of the road outside of the fence. Sofia hopped off the bike and put her helmet on its handle without wasting time. I was placing my own helmet on the seat as she was digging through the small items compartment in the back of it. I watched as she pulled out a bowie knife and a Glock 19. She put the Glock 19 in her back waistband and carried the knife over to the car. She quickly popped its four tires. I only watched as she neutralized the vehicle.
“So we’re killing her?”
I asked what seemed to have an obvious answer. But I was hesitant to join her if that was her plan. I wasn’t a fighter, at least compared to a professional like Sofia. I had been in fights but it was always in school with a bunch of angry teenagers. Sofia was currently holding a 12-inch blade and had in her waistband a firearm, I had never used either in combat. She didn’t even bother offering me a weapon.
She turned towards me when she finished. In the dark night, her silhouette made me realize how scary she was. A passing car’s lights highlighted for only a second her dark stare. Sofia wasn’t friendly but after a few hours, she seemed to be nice enough. This look of her definitely forced me to reconsider that thought and remember that I was being escorted by a murderer to help her hunt down a rival.
She looked towards the abandoned building. It had no power but a few cameras across the street saw Roxane enter and she had yet to leave. Sofia moved her head in a hypnotic circle, the bones in her neck cracked loudly. Facing the school, she spoke.
“The boss wants her alive to be questioned. But, that’s not going to be easy. So if I kill her, it will be more fun.”
She turned to face me again. I could barely make her face out in the dark but I could tell she was speaking with force and a serious expression.
“Your job is to be the lookout. If someone shows up, say something while I bring her down. If you get in my way or help her, I’ll be happy to leave you on the side of the road without any skin on your bald fucking skull.”
I could only nod in response. My throat was becoming dry and I didn’t speak or fear failing to get it out. That was enough for Sofia though. She turned towards the fence and began to climb. It was an easy task for her as she easily threw herself over its zenith and landed on the other side. She looked back towards me, her look giving the wordless command, ‘follow’.
I did my best and managed to enter as well. Sofia wasn’t waiting on me though and I had to run to keep up. The entrance was a simple pair of double doors. The glass on the front doors would likely be bulletproof if it weren’t already shattered. Sofia’s heavy boots easily crunched the glass while I had to walk carefully because of my bare feet. I was still in my sleeping outfit. Good thing I don’t sleep naked.
I was falling behind as Sofia moved into the building. To watch her back, I was constantly looking behind us, into empty rooms, and out the window. She would stop every few halls and check to see if I was able to keep up. She never yelled at me to move forward, but she was clearly pissed at my slow pace. I couldn’t help but feel more nervous as we moved through the place.
It still held many of its elementary school charms. There were tiny desks which only children could sit in. There were some cute decorations in the classrooms. But it was first and foremost abandoned. Graffiti marked a large section of the hallways. It made me feel at ease to see the signs of recent human activity, as if this place was somewhat safe without the apex predator inside of it.
We found our way to a large gymnasium after a little bit. It was a simple cube room with windows on one end and a stage on the other. Sofia immediately moved towards the stage and began to investigate for signs of Roxane while I looked out the windows to see what could be happening outside. It was another stretch of fence at the edge of the property but there was a large playground between. When I looked back at the stage, Sofia was walking back towards me. I decided to ask a question.
“What are the odds she’s not here?”
We had been quiet so far. Sofia never bothered to explain why, but when she stopped talking and focused on searching, I did the same. I suppose if we did have the jump on her, being quiet would be the best strategy. Sofia didn’t respond immediately and took a moment to look through the window at the overgrown and neglected playground. She signed before speaking wistfully.
“I guess she could have. It would be hard to avoid the cameras, but it could be done.”
I nodded along as she spoke.
“We know she was here, but it's clear she didn’t plan on staying long. She’s left no mark of ever being here. Either she’s trying to make it seem like she’s not here, or she already left.
Sofia turned around and began to scan the large gym once again. She looked up towards the roof. It was far too dark for me to tell if any panels in the roof were unusual but Sofia looked regardless. An idea crossed my mind.
“If she is here, why hasn’t she shown herself? By now, she is long past the point where a sneak attack is most effective.”
Sofia turned back towards me, a little curious in her expression. I continued.
“Think about it. She would’ve had the best chance when we were in small classrooms or isolated hallways. If she’s here and knows we’re here, then that would’ve been the best chance.”
Sofia shifted her position to a lean on one half, giving her body a nice curve to it. Her bowie knife remained in her hand as she put her hands on her waist. She was putting her guard down as I spoke. She wondered.
“So what? You think she’s not here?”
I shook my head. With all the information I had, something felt missing. Missing person cases always were the most frustrating as well as most satisfying. The clues were imperfect or incomplete. A feeling of deception existed as all suspects testified. I always knew I could feel that missing aspect of a case. I felt an identical feeling here. As if there were a missing page in a book. I postulated.
“What if she’s not waiting on us? She’s waiting for something or someone?”
Sofia shifted immediately and her guard rose. Her grip on the knife tightened. I finished my thought out loud.
“She’s waiting for backup.”
Sofia’s eyes went wide. But not at me, behind me. I turned around. I forgot to watch outside. While I was busy thinking, someone parked across the road from the school in an old jeep. This person had just landed on the grass inside the fence. In the darkness, I didn’t know if she could see us. In the moonlight though, I could see her silhouette.
She was skinny. Her waist seemed unnaturally tight and her chest, hips, and thighs held no genetic power to offset this unnatural weight. Her hair was long and possibly auburn but the dim light made it impossible to say for certain. With certainty though, was her pale complexion that shone in the moonlight like that of a vampire or other pale beast of the night. Her arms and legs felt unnaturally long and the way she walked seemed to hint of an uncomfortability. As she approached the large children’s playground, she stopped for a moment.
Sofia reached into her pocket and pulled out the flip phone. She tossed it to me without breaking eye contact with the figure. I tried to ask why, but I was cut off.
“If it rings, pick it up and listen to whatever she says.”
Before I knew it, Sofia was off. A one way door that exited to the playground at the side of the gym flew open as Sofia began to charge at the figure. She held the handgun in one hand and fired shots at the figure. The figure jumped, it was an inhuman vertical she reached, perfectly landing on top of the jungle gym portion. She flexed her hands and I saw knife-like shapes appear. They resembled Freddy Krueger's weapons but seemed far more animalistic. The woman’s animalistic appearance matured as she sliced the air in front of her and landed on all fours on top of the climbing structure. I didn’t realize why immediately until I saw a bullet hit the glass. That woman just sliced them out of the air and sent them flying.
The phone rang in my hand. I fumbled with it for a moment then opened it. The voice I heard was shrill and high-pitched. It was almost like a cartoonish anime girl the way it sounded on the flip phone’s lesser quality. It only spoke one word.
“Run!”