The Starling Vigilante [Watty's 2015 Award Winner]

Chapter 14

Driving through the streets of Central City, I desperately tried to remember what I was going to say to Barry. Unfortunately I didn't have a great memory, the things I had planned to say vanished from my mind.

Finally deciding to look at my notes on the case, I scanned my musings and tried to plan my 'speech' to the boy, worrying about how I would present our project without sounding insensitive or uninterested in Barry's wellbeing. I didn't feel prepared or confident enough to interview him, but to get the information I wanted, I'd have to do it myself.

But the thing is, I didn't know what information I wanted.

As we pulled up outside Barry's abode, I crossed my fingers in hope that I would succeed. If I failed, I would be the one to take the blame and face my penalty.

I was going to have to improvise.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my pocket, a sense of dread filling my head. Was it Merlyn? He hadn't contacted me since our last... meeting. And now would be the perfect time to stop what I was about to do.

'Stop,' it read.

Just as I thought. Rolling my eyes, I continued with our pursuit.

As I climbed out of Matthew's battered, second-hand car, my phone alerted me again.

'Stop,'

Knocking on the wooden door of the house, Matthew and I exchanged nervous glances as we awaited our recipient. I felt rather... uneasy; Merlyn had just threatened me again and I had a feeling something was going to happen.

For a third time, I felt my phone vibrate.

'Now,'

Suddenly, darkness blocked out the doorway as I felt a rough material against my face, my mouth unable to move and my hands stuck together. I couldn't shout for help or see if Matthew was alright. It felt such a familiar scenario. Most definitely Merlyn's work.

Dragged through the uncertain darkness I was binded in, I blindly tried to fight off my unknown captor, but with no prevail. I needed to see them to aim a punch or a kick, and my skills I had picked up in a few self-defence classes at school were useless in these circumstances. I had no chance. Nor did Matthew if his captor was as skilled as mine.

I really regretted not listening to those messages.

Through the muffled sounds of my struggle, I attempted to communicate with my captor to find out where I was headed. But no words came. Hot-headed and closing my eyes in hope that it would be over soon, I felt myself being thrown though the air as if I was weightless, the sound of a heavy door being shut ricocheting off a considerably larger object. Sensing movement towards my left side over lumps and bumps, I realised where I was.

The boot of a car.

It may not seem dramatic now, but it was pretty scary at the time. Not only my motion sickness kicking in, I was trapped in a confined space, and although I couldn't see anything, I could... Sense it. And if another car crashed into the end of the car I was situated in, surely I would have no chance.

Finding the strength to keep fighting, I tried my best as to undo the ropes and find sight again. Darkness is a lonely, lonely place.

After minutes, if not hours, of deliberation, I finally managed to undo myself, my face flustered and hands wrought with pain. My eyes straining to figure out my surroundings, I could just make out a lock system on the inside of the door. Exasperated, I tried to think of a way to get out of my situation.

As soon as I ran my fingers over the lock however, to my surprise, the door opened as easy as anything, my escape simpler than first anticipated. The concept of it all was almost comical.

Tumbling out of the boot rather indecently, I looked up to see Merlyn, his face plastered with that smug look he always wore when he was up to something.

'Your resilience was outstanding,' Merlyn praised me. How did he know what I was doing in there? Creepy.

'Was this some sort of... test?' I asked, outraged. Why did he think he could just do something like that when he wanted to test my 'resilience'?

'No,' he replied darkly, his voice sounding on the edge of laughter. 'You have no idea of the bigger picture, Aria.'

The bigger picture? What exactly was I involved in? It was something to do with the Allen case, I knew that for sure; he definitely was involved in the case if he needed to go to the trouble of doing all... this.

'You have been warned.'

And with that, he left.