Curtain Call - An AJR Fic (Everything Clicks - Book 3)

Bang! (Ryan)

I felt numb as I silently climbed into Adam's car for a third time. I guess, in part, I couldn't entirely process everything that was happening. It'd had a two-year buildup; the pain, rage, and misery stewing within all of us only until we had an excuse to get the revenge that was deserved. What that revenge was going to be...I was still trying to figure that out. And in the deepest parts of my conscience, I was fighting urges I knew were wrong.

The car hummed to a start and Adam drove out onto the street. I hoped he could figure out where we needed to go. I looked out my window at the street. Surprisingly, the sidewalks were nearly empty. It wasn't normal to see the streets this desolate, especially at this time of day. It didn't feel right.

I glanced at Jack in the rearview mirror. He was looking down at his feet, fidgeting with his hands nervously. I started to remember several of the moments over the course of the past few years. I hadn't even realized it before, but so much of it had revolved around him. He had always blamed himself for agreeing to go to the party, and on our end, we blamed ourselves for losing him on the train. I felt terrible for putting him through all of that. I hoped what we were about to do would put a stop to it. Permanently this time.

Next to me, I heard Adam's sigh. Something was up with him. We were all anxious and on edge, but something was particular about him.

"What if..." He blurted, watching the road blankly. "What if this ends up being nothing? I mean, how do we know that this van we're following is really the same one, and not just a lookalike?" He blinked slowly. "What if this...doesn't lead to anything at all?"

"There's only one way to know for sure," I replied. "But it just doesn't feel like coincidence..." I exhaled sharply. "We've been wrong before, but I hope for our own sake that we're right about this."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack slowly look up from the floor, his brow furrowed with discomposure.

"Everything okay, man?" I queried.

"...I'm fine," He responded, turning his attention to the window emotionlessly. "It's...you. You just seem...eager...about all of this..."

I scoffed. "What are you talking about...?--"

"Hey, guys?" Adam intervened. "Hate to interrupt, but...I think we found our place..."

I turned my attention back out of the front windshield. Immediately, my eyes widened with curiosity. Standing grandiosely on the right side of the road was a luxurious casino hotel, shining a bright gold against the dark greys of the New York streets. Fancy limousines, cabs, and luxury cars lined the entryway, dropping off passengers by the group. I hadn't noticed the sign at the entryway until Jack began to read it aloud.

"Hotel Joseph welcomes medical conference members! The future is bright."

"The future is...bright?" I repeated to myself. "Bright...like 'luminant'..."

"Didn't The General close a few of his entries with that phrase?" Jack added. "We must be in the right place."

"A medical conference..." Adam muttered.

"I guess, technically, they are part of a medical company," I recalled. "That was what Dr. Atwood told us."

"How else would they learn the chemistry to make a drug?" Adam agreed. "Especially one...like that."

"I don't think that's anything that can be learned at a medical school."

Adam gradually slowed the car down to a stop and parked on a side street within view of the building. He glanced between the two of us intently.