Classified ☑

[ chapter 40 ]

Sirens wailed in the distance as Cole and I ran away. The sound was haunting, knowing that Mark was dead and there was nothing anyone could do about it. The sound of people shouting and screaming drifted through the streets just like the sirens.

Following Cole, he rounded a building and collapsed to the ground. Exhaustion had crept into him, burning away what was left of his adrenaline from everything that had happened. His fist slammed into the group repeatedly with his forehead in the dirt, as he screamed out in pain and agony.

I crouched beside him and pulled my legs into my chest, texting Joseph to come pick us up. I didn't know what else to do in the moment. My truck wasn't going to get us anywhere since it had broken down and Thomas was giving Gracie the flash drive. I also wanted to comfort Cole, but I knew he needed to let his rage out.

Just when I thought we were getting somewhere, life had to come slap us in the face and remind me the of the cruel natures of the world.

And of reality.

People weren't born with evil, I believed evil was learned, but it's also our decision on whether we act on it or not. Lucille had. Mark was innocent in all of this and yet, she still killed him because she was filled with evil and hatred.

Cole slammed his fist into the ground again, pulling me from my thoughts.

Seeing him in that state made me want to cry, but for some reason all I could feel was the numbness of watching Mark get shot. It continued to play out in my head over and over like a broken record, not really giving me the chance to comprehend what had just happened.

I knew Mark was dead, but for some reason I couldn't accept the fact. It didn't seem real yet even though I knew that it was.

Half an hour later, Joseph and Dante pulled up with Dante in the driver's seat. The looks on their faces told us they had heard what happened.

Dante's eyes glazed over me before they settled on his brother who laid in the dirt, still crying out in pain from watching his best friend get shot to death. "Cole," Dante whispered, the hoarseness in his voice evident.

Cole finally looked up. Dirt caked his face and his eyes were swollen and blood shot. He looked angry, and he had every right to be, but he surprised me when he threw his arms around Dante and hugged him. Dante looked just as surprised, but hugged his brother back.

Joseph walked over to me and guilt was written all over his face. "I should've listened to him. We might've made it in time," Joseph choked out.

That's when the first tear rolled down my face. It was like my emotions had hit a barrier before but finally broke it down, flooding into every part of me that felt pain. "They didn't hesitate when they shot him," I whispered to Joseph, my voice cracking.

His face grew even more guilty, accepting the fact of what happened even though it wasn't his fault. He pulled me into his arms and I cried into his chest.

*****

The four of us were silent as we drove back to Thomas' house with the soft sound of music that drifted from the speakers filling the emptiness. There was so much we needed to talk about, yet none of us could find the words to say what needed to be said.

After what had just happened, Lucille needed to be stopped. She had gone as low as killing a seventeen year old boy who had nothing to do with what she was doing. He just happened to be at the wrong place and wrong time, getting roped into everything that had happened over the last month.

He deserved better. We all deserved better. But Lucille had to be stopped first.

The song that was on eventually got quieter as it finished, but then a lady's voice came on. "Breaking news. One of the three missing students from Yukon high school was just shot and killed in front of a police station. No one has heard from them or seen any of them until today. Who the victim was shot by, police have no idea. They believe it has something to do with the students' disappearances over the last month. As far as we know, the two other students who are missing have not been found or heard from."

She had to be talking about Cole and Shelly.

That's when my heart broke all over again. How was Shelly going to get through this? Had she even heard by now what had happened to Mark?

"I cannot release details of who the student killed was until the family has been notified. If you have any information on where the two other students are at, please let the police know. The investigation has gone from kidnapping to homicide with a killer on the loose. Please be careful if you live in the area. And if you have any details regarding this investigation, please contact the po-"

The lady's voice cut out as soon as Dante pressed his finger to the radio button a little too harshly.

Silence filled the car again. Dante stared straight ahead of the road while Joseph and Cole both looked out their windows. The four of us were in shock and no one wanted to talk.

A buzz came from my pocket, reminding me that I had my phone still. I hadn't texted Thomas so I wondered if he had even heard the news yet. I'm sure he had though.

When I pulled my phone from my pocket, I saw it wasn't a text from Thomas, but a random number. Unlocking my phone I clicked on the message to read what it said.

My skin prickled as I read it, feeling the color drain from my skin.

I want the flash drive. Bring it to me and your friend here will live. Tell no one or else I will kill your other friend on the spot. And if you think I'm bluffing, you saw what happened to your friend who went to the police station.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. The text had to be from Lucille.

My phone buzzed again and following the text was a picture of Shelly tied up. She looked awful with tears streaming down her beat red face.

They must've gotten her while we had all left her alone at Thomas' house. How did I let this happen? I had left her alone to fend for herself and she'd been kidnapped all over again. Shelly was never going to survive this.

But another thought sent a chill through my spine. How had Lucille found out about the flash drive?

The only people who knew about it were in this car, plus Thomas and Shelly. Shelly was kidnapped, Thomas had taken the flash drive to Gracie, and I'd been with Cole since he heard me talk about it with Thomas. He even saw me give it to Thomas.

The only two other people who knew about the flash drive but didn't see me give it to Thomas were Joseph and Dante.

Every ounce in my body froze in fear. One of them was working for Lucille still. One of them had been deceiving me the entire time. The question was who was it.

Dante or Joseph?

A/N: Sorry for taking so long again...Life has been busy and I ended up getting vertigo last week. Let's just say that was not fun. Hope you enjoy and we're getting close to the ending!