Dawn of the Others

Chapter 11 - POV 2

- 72 hours later -
A knock echoed off the thick door, taking our attention off of each other as we turned towards the sound.
"Give me a minute." O'Connor boomed, leaning forward to rest his hands on his desk as he thought. I had come to talk to him about Harley, she was only caught up in all this because of me and I owed her my life, there was no way I could just sit here and do nothing.
"Listen, I understand that you want to do something, you have been going stir crazy for days, but until Tyson gets back there's nothing we can do." He said, his eyes softening as he watched my face fall. "Don't look at me like that, as soon as he gets back we'll figure out how to get your girl back." He reassured me with a crooked smile.
"She's not my girl." I defended even though it made my heart jump a little when he said it. I did want her to be mine, in a consensual way of course, but I wasn't sure that she would even want anything to do with me after all this. The only thing I wanted was to make sure she was okay and it was driving me nuts not knowing where she was.
I had thought I was going to have a heart attack when I saw them grab her but at least they hadn't killed her, it was the only thing that gave me hope. We had followed them through the woods the best we could, but with the rain of bullets they had unleashed behind them it had been almost impossible to get anywhere close. Then they were gone, easily peeling down the road and disappearing out of sight. That's where Tyson came in, he was on foot and slowly tracking them but I had no doubt that he would be able to do it. If he couldn't find them then we'd have nothing to go on, but he hadn't let us down before so he still had my faith.
"Whatever she is, it's clear you care about her." He teased causing me to roll my eyes.
"Whatever." I mumbled, trying to avoid any sort of conversation about my feelings.
"Don't be afraid to care about her." He said, the sincerity in his voice catching me off guard for a moment. "You never know how much time you have with people." A sad smile danced across his face but he wiped it off almost instantly.
He ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair and cleared his throat before calling out to whoever was on the other side of the door. "You can come in." He called, signalling the end of our conversation and leaving me to let myself out.
The door swung open and Dean took a couple of steps into the room, trying to stand tall as he addressed the club president. He was reaching eighteen but his short curly hair and round face made him look even younger than that. "Uhh, sorry to interrupt but there's a kid here and we put him lock up but he says he'll only talk to Riley." He explained hesitantly, fiddling with the edge of his shirt a little as he spoke.
My forehead furrowed in confusion, I had no idea who could possibly be here requesting my attention even as I wracked my brain. The only people that I knew were inside of the compound or had been exiled from the club.
O'Connor looked at me curiously but didn't probe, "Go take care of it?" He requested.
I nodded and replied easily, "You got it, boss." I gave him a little salute causing him to shake his head at me as I turned to follow Dean to the holding cells. It was a quick walk down the hall and outside to the shed like building that sat separate from the rest of the compound.
"He didn't say anything else?" I asked as we walked.
"Nope." Dean answered smoothly, "Just that he wanted to talk to you. Honestly, he seems harmless though." He reassured me.
I chuckled at his comment as we walked across the frosty grass, I found the slight crunch under my boots extremely satisfying. Dean looked at me with questioning eyes as we reached the shed and I nodded at him to open the door, letting the serious look return to my face. The shitty wooden door swung open easily on its worn hinges, revealing the dark room with its four separate holding cells. Blood stained the floor and up the walls and the only light in the whole place came from the grimy window beside the door. I let my eyes adjust to the dim room as Dean closed the door behind us, but it didn't take long for me to notice the angry looking boy that was standing by the bars of the first cell.
"You must be Riley." He said flatly, his eyes narrowing as he watched me cross the room. His facial features made him strikingly familiar to me and I had figured out who he was before he even opened his mouth again. His eyes had given him away, I knew those eyes just as well as my own. "Where's my sister?" He almost yelled, glaring at me as he did.
"Let him out." I instructed Dean, motioning to the cell door. He looked at me a little incredulously but did as he was asked, opening the cell door and allowing Chris to step out. "Your sister told me a bit about you, but it's nice to finally meet you. Come on and I'll tell you everything I know." I offered, I felt like it was the least I could do and if Harley found out I had imprisoned her brother, even for a moment, I was sure she'd be mad about it.
Chris continued staring daggers at me as we walked back to the main building, looking as though he would be happy if I had dropped dead right there. I took him inside and down the long hallway till we reached a spare room. It was bright and clean, with only a small bed and table with two chairs.
I smoothly pulled one out and sat down, motioning for him to do the same as I began. Dean moved to take a spot on the wall where he could keep watch but not seem overbearing. "Your sister helped me get back here, but we were ambushed and some not so great people took her before I could stop them." His face dropped a little as I spoke, changing from angry to upset and worried more than anything.
He ran a hand over the back of his neck and I couldn't help but think back to when I had seen Harley do the same thing. "Where is she?" He finally asked, almost afraid of the answer.
I frowned, wishing I could tell him, "I don't know." I said honestly with a sigh. "We have someone out looking for her but right now, I don't know."
I could see his jaw clench as he tried to conceal his watery eyes, glancing down at his hands where they sat in his lap. We stayed there for a long moment as I waited for him to compose himself, I had been just as emotional after they had taken her. I wanted her back more then anything and I hoped that he knew that, it hadn't been my intention for her to get involved but I was willing to take responsibility and do what I could to fix it.
Chris seemed deep in thought for a long time before he finally spoke again. "Okay." He said softly, more to himself than me. "As much as I hate you for putting my sister in so much danger, I also need you if there's any chance of her getting out of this." He reasoned, accepting the fact that I was just trying to help. "There's no one else looking." He admitted.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
His mouth turned down slightly in frustration. "No one else even knows where to look and they think it's too dangerous to try, half of them just assume that she left on her own anyway. Whoever you have out there is the only one looking." He told me, desperation lacing his words.
I found it a little hard to believe that no one wanted to even try, she was incredible and it couldn't just be me that saw that. "No one cares?" I asked, the anger barely concealed behind my words as I waited for his answer.
"I wouldn't say no one cares." He said slowly, "Just that the people in town haven't had the best experiences with us. Not many of them are willing to stick their necks out for us and the ones that are have their own families to think about." I could see him thinking about his words as he said them, taking moments to search for the right ones.
I didn't like what I was hearing but I wanted to know at the same time. He could see the questions on my face though and before I could open my mouth he stopped me. "I'm not going to say anymore because that's for Harley to tell, not me." He said seriously. "I just need you to know that you're the only one left that can help her."
I don't think he understood just how ready and willing I was to throw myself to the wolves if it meant she would be okay. "I'll make sure no one gives up till we find her." I said, even though it was out of my hands to make a promise like that but I could guarantee that I wouldn't give up.
He nodded, seeming to understand that I was completely serious about what I said. He had calmed down quite a bit since he first arrived so I decided to ask some of my own questions while he was open to talking. "How'd you find this place?" I asked suddenly.
He laughed a little and his smile very closely resembled Harley's, "I was looking for Harley and you guys left your little map at the cabin, it wasn't hard to find." He explained simply.
I thought back to the detailed instructions that we had left hidden under things in one of the kitchen drawers. In hindsight it hadn't been the most secure hiding place and I probably should have just made Harley take it with her. I was glad that her brother had been the one to find it and I could give him some information that he wouldn't otherwise have though.
"Wait, how'd you get here?" I suddenly thought, we had driven but it would have been a long way if I had been doing it on my own.
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I walked." He admitted. "It took all day but I made it."
My eyes widened a little as I realized just how far he had come on his own in order to find his sister. "That's like 8 hours of walking." I said incredulously.
He hummed in response, "Closer to 7 and a half but ya." He corrected with a chuckle.
I laughed with him, Harley had been right when she said he had a great sense of humour. I turned to tell Dean to get the poor kid some food but the door burst open and someone stepped in before I got the chance. I stood so fast I thought the chair was going to flip as it scraped back. Chris looked unsure but stayed put and listened intently, waiting to see what was happening.
Tyson simply nodded with a half smile as I stared at him expectantly. "I found them." He confirmed.
My heart felt like it jumped into my throat and I could hear Chris stand up from his chair behind me. "My sister?" He asked quietly, hope pulling at his words.
Tyson looked at me, waiting to see if he should answer Chris or not but I motioned for him to speak freely. "I'm not positive but yes, I believe that it is very likely she's there." He informed us.
That was all I needed to jump to action, if she was there I wasn't going to let her stay any longer then I needed to. "Get whoever you can ready, we leave in 20." I commanded smoothly, keeping my excitement and desperation out of my words the best I could.
"I'm coming too." Chris stated, looking like he was willing to fight a whole city if need be to get to his sister.
I immediately started shaking my head, "Oh no, you're not." I corrected him. "If you get hurt Harley will have my head on a stake. It's better if you stay here." I didn't give him time to argue before turning to Dean, "You keep him here, make sure he gets food and he's comfortable but don't let him out of your sight." I commanded sternly. I waited for Dean to nod before I headed for the door, I could hear Chris complaining as I walked but I didn't have time to think about him. I was going to get my girl back, that's all that mattered.