The Coworker

Chapter 9

I jump and turn around at the door, slamming.

There's no one there, so it must have just been the wind. These older houses often have a draft.

I continue rummaging through the drawers until I hear the beep of a car locking. I rush and try to put everything back where I found it before running out of the room and closing the door. 

I take a breath then walk slowly down the stairs, acting casually. I meet them at the bottom of the stairs as they walk in the door. 

"How was the store?" I ask. 

"Good. It was surprisingly busy, though, so it took a bit of time. I hope you didn't die of boredom without us." Chase answers.

I follow them to the kitchen as they start to unpack. 

"I was thinking burgers for dinner. Does that sound good?" Jason says.

"Sounds great," Chase says, and I nod in agreement. 

Jason starts grilling the burgers while Chase and I chop up some vegetables. 

"Are you feeling okay Alexa, you are quieter than usual?" Jason asks. 

"Yeah, just tired from earlier." 

"You should have taken a nap. Getting enough sleep is important."

I don't answer. It's weird that he is so caring all of a sudden. 

We finished eating dinner, which was delicious, but I decided to head off to bed. It's only 9 pm, but I am tired and need some alone time to think about what I saw earlier. I say goodnight to the boys and head upstairs. 

I fall asleep for a couple of hours before waking up. I need to pee again. I get up and go to the bathroom but notice that the photo room's door is cracked open. I look in and turn the light on. 

Everything is gone. 

The whole room is empty, and I get a sinking feeling in my stomach. They know that I saw it.

I forgot to turn the light back off. How could I be so stupid?!

"Looking for something, sweetheart?"

I turn around to see Chase and Jason standing in the doorway. 

"You know, you shouldn't be snooping around someone else's house. It's pretty rude." Jason says. 

They both start walking towards me, and I start backing up. 

"You're a smart girl Lex. I love that about you." Chase continues.

I hit the wall and had nowhere else to run. 

They kept getting closer, but I decided to risk it all, and I ran through them. I sprint down the stairs and run to the front door. I try to open the door, but it's locked and needs a code to be unlocked. I don't have time to figure it out as I hear their footsteps coming down the stairs. I run back to the kitchen as there is a large window above the sink.

I can't believe I have to try and escape through a window again. An alarm blares again as I open it, but I can slip through. I jump down and land on the grass. My feet are already freezing since I'm not wearing any shoes. I sprint quickly, trying not to slip. It's raining, so the dirt has turned into mud. I get into the forest and start running at more of an angle to throw them off my path, hopefully.  My lungs began to burn, and I almost tripped over a rock, so I decided to hide behind a large tree for a moment. I try to gain control over my breathing, but it isn't easy to do while remaining silent. 

I hear a twig break to my left. I can't tell if it's a human or an animal, but I am unwilling to take any chances. I get up and take off again. I make it out to a road. At this time of night, out in the middle of nowhere, I doubt anyone would be driving by, but I think it is my best bet to get help. I start jogging down the road when headlights come around from the curve. 

"Help me! Help!" I start yelling while waving my hands and jumping up and down. 

The car slows and rolls the window. I start walking up to the window.

"Please help me. I need to get back home and just escape from some dangerous people." I plead.

"Hey Adam, look who I found?"