Agony

27

Dallas shook his head. "Cher, you can't go back to your apartment. Venom will be there, or the cops, or someone. They'll see you and then you'll get caught."

"I need to go! I need to help them." I paused. "It's my fault they're in this mess."

The car was abruptly pulled to a stop at the side of the road. Dallas looked over at me, annoyance filling his features. "You need to stop being so hard on yourself. It's not your fault. Hell, we don't even know if Venom has anything to do with this! I won't let you put yourself in danger unnecessarily!"

"He's right," Ellie nodded.

"I can't just ignore this!" I argued, my mind wandering to all the horrible things that Blake could be experiencing. "Stacy called me. She needs me."

"Well, you certainly aren't going to go anywhere away from us," Ellie snapped, but her eyes were filled with concern, not anger. "I'm not losing you, I refuse."

"But Ellie," I spoke to her, "Stacy and Caleb must be worried sick. I need to ask them what's going on, or else who knows what will happen."

"Cher, you don't have to be the hero all the time." Ace sighed. "What is going to the apartment going to do for anyone? Just talk to your roommate over the phone."

I shook my head. If it was Venom behind Blake's disappearance, it was my fault. And I couldn't live with that.

"Please, let me go, it'll be okay. Stacy called me. If anything was wrong, she'd have told me." I tried reasoning.

None of them were on board with the idea, but after pestering them for a few more minutes, mentioning how we might learn something about Venom, they finally gave in.

* * *

After driving for thirty minutes with the radio music playing to fill the stressful silence, the roads became familiar and I caught sight of my apartment building.

Dallas pulled the car into the little roundabout at the front of the building, allowing me to step out of the car.

"I can come with you." Ace offered.

"No, you draw too much attention, I should go alone, I live here, no one will be suspicious," I told him, glancing at the other two before shutting the car door.

Dallas rolled down his window, "If you're not back in fifteen, no, ten minutes, I'm coming to get you."

"We'll be right behind him," Ace promised.

Ellie sent me a hopeful smile.

Everything was going to be fine.

I would comfort Stacy, ask her some questions and perhaps get a lead on Venom.

"Thank you." I nodded at the three of them before heading into the building.

Luckily, no one seemed to be worried when I walked in. I supposed the news hadn't really spread, or perhaps people were too busy to think about me being a wanted suspect. The front desk lady even smiled and said good afternoon.

My heart rate sped up as I headed up in the elevator.

I knocked on our apartment door, no answer.

Panic rose. I turned the knob to find the door unlocked.

As I looked around, a strong feeling of deja vu hit me.

My apartment was trashed, the same way Ellie's had been countless nights ago.

"Stacy?" I called tentatively.

No response.

I rang her cell.