"Jake, Jules. You guys check around the place for any surprises, kay?"
The two nodded in agreement to Ben's authoritative tone, which made Scarlett chuckle under her breath.
"Oh yeah." Ben started, fishing into his pocket.
"Catch." He then threw something at Jake, who barely caught it.
"Ooo, shiny." Jake chuckled, looking at the switchblade intensely.
"You brung a switchblade?" Scarlett asked with a raised eyebrow.
"And you let him take it?" Juila added, crossing her arms.
"Hey, you never know!! Better safe than sorry."
"Then why don't you get a weapon too?" Juila asked, crossing her arms even though her eyes exposed her true worried nature.
"It's not wise to use force against someone who could kill Holly, Jules." Scarlett reasoned.
"Plus, we'll be fine." Ben added with a half-smirk.
"Are you sure, be-"
"Jules!" Jake interrupted, effectively shutting the girl up.
"You guys stay safe up there, we'll meet you eventually." Jake said, pocketing the weapon.
All four of them shared small, but meaningful glances before Scarlett looked at her phone.
It was 10:53.
She tugged on Ben's arm, and just like that they were off, running up the stairs as fast as they could.
For time was swiftly running out, and neither they -- nor Holly -- had a second to waste.
₩|¤___________________¤|₩
"I gotta admit," Ben started in-between pants as their footsteps thundered through the area.
"Under different circumstances, this would be a pretty cool place."
Scarlett was many steps ahead of him, the fear of losing her sister enough to make her footsteps more determined and rushed than ever before.
However, in the midst of her panic, she couldn't help but agree with Ben on the matter.
The building was freezing, all the concrete on the outside not letting any natural heat in.
However, the inside was a lot more elegant than the outside let on.
The floor was marble -- like one would see in a hospital, Scarlett noted absent-mindedly -- and the stairs were in wonderful condition despite the place being abandoned for however long.
"Yeah. It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be."
"Exactly. It seems we've been walking up these stairs forever now."
"It's only been a minute!" Scarlett argued, taking a quick look at her phone.
"How high do we have to go anyways?"
"The text said the fourth fl.." Scarlett trailed off, stopping in her tracks.
"The what? Scar?" Ben asked concerningly, quickly catching up with Scarlett and following her gaze down.
YOU ARE READING
The Family Mission
Mystery / Thriller17-Year-old Scarlett Anderson has been haunted with the exact same nightmare for 5 years. Except, it's not just a dream. It's a memory. When her mother died tragically, police think it's just an suicide. No signs of struggle. No blood. Her mom han...
