The Secret

Chapter 27

Every time I open a file, it feels like a punch in the stomach, turns out this guy is really insane and I'm not the only one who has been affected. There's files upon files about girls, every scrap of information is in them. From which hospital they were born in to what their favourite food is. There's always a sheet of paper at the very end, it's a descriptor of how he took advantage of them. Whenever I read it my stomach churns and I have to hold back on vomiting all over the place. Jax is right behind me, leaning his back to mine and I do the same. I feel secure this way, it's a little stupid but at least I'm not having a weird episode as I read the files. All of the files that are currently circling around Jax and I,were neatly packed away in a black metal file cabinet in the corner of the basement.

"This is insane." I feel Jax's back vibrate a little as he speaks.

"I know." I look at the picture of a sweet blonde haired girl, her face full of freckles. The date is written on the top of the cover of the file. This one says nineteen-ninety-six. The file holds so many descriptions of each killing that baby-face has done to this girls family and friends. All of them were killed off and she was left. I flip the page and attached to the page is a picture of a cabin by the lake. I've seen that before. I root through another file, I flick a few pages and see the picture of a cabin but it's different from the last one, there's no lake. I look at the cover. Two-thousand and six. Another file, a picture of a building, in an enclosed area. No buildings are the same but there's a picture of a building in every file.

"Jax" I turn around, leaving our back to back formation. He turns around to face me. "Ok, so there's a picture of a building in each of these files. Did you notice?"

He nods.

"No place is the same. But why would there be a random building there for no reason? There's no writing on the pages of the pictures that show any connection to the place except..." I pause to grab a random file beside me. I flick to the page with the image of a building. "Except it's written about the deaths of all the family members and friends." I remove my gaze from the file and instead I look at Jax. "I think this is where he kills them."

"Do you think he's that stupid?"

"I don't know you tell me, you've been the one living with him, hell you're related to this guy." I spit out.

"We're not related, Maya."

I narrow my eyes at him. "What are you on about? You said he's your uncle."

"Every one of my parent's friends are aunties and uncles. They're not blood that's just what we say. All of my blood-related Aunties and Uncles are still in Italy."

"Thank God." I can't even describe how happy I am to hear that.

"We need to find your file," Jax says suddenly. "To see if there's a building attached."

I nod, standing up and going to the file cabinet again. "I'll search here and you search the ones on the ground."

"Ok," Jax says before searching.

"Found it." I smile at the file with my name, Maya Lynn, on it with two-thousand and eighteen written on it with black marker. I frown realising that this is probably not a good thing. Jax gets up off the floor and walks over to me, standing by my side. We're both just looking at the file.

"Can you open it?" I ask handing over the file.

He takes it out of my hand and nods. He looks at me for confirmation I give a slight nod and he opens it. He flicks through the pages. He stops at one. I can't see it due to the fact that he's holding it up to himself and he's also taller than me.

I hear him gulp. "Found it."

"Let me see."

He lowers the file down and lets me take a look. Shivers run through my spine and goosebumps rise on my arms. The building in the picture is the same one we're in now. Instantly, Jax grabs my hand and we rush up the stairs into the kitchen. It's dark, no lights are on. The sun has set. We run towards the door. Jax tries to open the door but fails. He lets go of my hand to pat himself down. I look around the hallway, scared that he'll pop out. My heart races with every second that passes.

"Shit," Jax mutters under his breath. I look at him to see him turning his head frantically trying to look for an escape. He runs into the kitchen, I follow right behind him, scared to be left alone. Jax tries to open the sliding glass doors that lead into the kitchen. He pulls on it but it doesn't budge. He grabs a dining chair that was lying sideways on the tile floor. He raises the chair. "Step back, Maya," he says. I step back a little, my arms wrapped around myself in a hug. Jax swings the chair back. I close my eyes, prepared for the sound of glass shattering but it never came. "What the fuck!" Jax yells. I open my eyes to see him swing the chair once more and bash it against the glass, it doesn't smash, instead, it almost bounces back and forth as the chair comes in contact. Jax tries again, and again it doesn't break.

"It won't work, it's bulletproof." My head feels light when I hear the voice that has been haunting me for so long but this time it's not in my head, it's in the room. My heart starts to beat so fast, faster than it ever has. I turn my head sideways at the doorway where a middle-aged man stands. His eyes meet mine. The dark grey eyes that are seen in my dreams. But now, he's right in front of me. I'm trapped.