Read Online The Ones by Daniel Sweren-Becker - Free Book Online
Authors: Daniel Sweren-Becker
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a map and directions to an address outside town.
Within a minute, James was on the road, gunning Joanneâs car out of Shasta and toward wherever Cody had been lured. Even as he was desperate to find her, James couldnât help but be angry with her, too. She was always running straight into trouble, and every reckless decision put her in a new, unpredictable bind. James had no idea what this current one would be, but he had a terrible feeling about it. Joanneâs car was a piece of junk, and even while stomping down on the accelerator, he felt like he was barely moving.
Miles later, when James saw that he was getting close to the address that heâd written down, he began to recognize his surroundings. He was near Cal StateâRedding, the university where his father worked. But instead of taking him onto the familiar campus, the directions led him to an area heâd never been before, which was run-down and seemingly deserted. He stopped the car near a crumbling church and double-checked the address. This was it. James got out of the car and walked up to the entrance of the church. The front doors were padlocked, but he could see some light coming from the windows just above the basement. James walked around to the back of the building and found a rusted metal door that was cracked open.
James stood frozen outside the church, and as he felt a cold sweat start to cover his skin, he wondered if he was about to break his own rule. Wasnât walking blindly through this doorway just as foolish as anything Cody had done? Perhaps, he rationalized, but at least he had a legitimate reason. Cody was in trouble; he was sure of that much. And she wasnât very good at getting out of it on her own.
He pulled the door open and grimaced at the grating screech of its hinges. There was a staircase directly in front of him, dropping down into pitch darkness. He started to walk down, the metal stairs echoing with every step, and reached a dank hallway that had a single lightbulb hanging in it. Then he saw the girl, seated in front of a doorway, staring at him.
James froze and tried to conceal the fear pulsing through him. After a second, though, he relaxed just a bit. All things considered, he realized, his descent into this abyss could have yielded a lot worse. Instead, there was a girl, maybe a couple of years older than him, sitting in a chair. She didnât look very niceâthat much was trueâbut she didnât look like a serial killer, either. Serial killers didnât usually have cute pixie cuts that swooped down over big brown eyes like that. At least that was what James was counting on.
âHi,â he said.
She didnât answer, so he began to walk cautiously toward her. James started to see her more clearly now, struck by the extreme contrast of her jet-black hair against her fair complexion. And she had a few piercings on her face that he didnât even think were possible. When James got halfway down the hallway, she held up her hand to stop him.
âWhat do you want?â she said.
James didnât really know how to answer that. âIâm here to meet my girlfriend.â
âDid she tell you to come here?â the girl asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
âWell ⦠yeah. She did.â
âAll right,â she said. âThen tell me which way the wind blows.â
âHuh?â James said, not even meaning to speak. Had he heard her correctly? Because if so, he had no idea what she was talking about. And as she stared at him, waiting for an answer, it didnât seem like she was going to repeat the question. âI donât understand. Iâm just going to go in there and get my girlfriend, okay?â James took a step forward, but the way the girl stood up from her chair made him stop in his tracks.
âGet the hell out of here,â she said, and if she had merely seemed cold and grumpy before, her tone now was downright chilling. James
Within a minute, James was on the road, gunning Joanneâs car out of Shasta and toward wherever Cody had been lured. Even as he was desperate to find her, James couldnât help but be angry with her, too. She was always running straight into trouble, and every reckless decision put her in a new, unpredictable bind. James had no idea what this current one would be, but he had a terrible feeling about it. Joanneâs car was a piece of junk, and even while stomping down on the accelerator, he felt like he was barely moving.
Miles later, when James saw that he was getting close to the address that heâd written down, he began to recognize his surroundings. He was near Cal StateâRedding, the university where his father worked. But instead of taking him onto the familiar campus, the directions led him to an area heâd never been before, which was run-down and seemingly deserted. He stopped the car near a crumbling church and double-checked the address. This was it. James got out of the car and walked up to the entrance of the church. The front doors were padlocked, but he could see some light coming from the windows just above the basement. James walked around to the back of the building and found a rusted metal door that was cracked open.
James stood frozen outside the church, and as he felt a cold sweat start to cover his skin, he wondered if he was about to break his own rule. Wasnât walking blindly through this doorway just as foolish as anything Cody had done? Perhaps, he rationalized, but at least he had a legitimate reason. Cody was in trouble; he was sure of that much. And she wasnât very good at getting out of it on her own.
He pulled the door open and grimaced at the grating screech of its hinges. There was a staircase directly in front of him, dropping down into pitch darkness. He started to walk down, the metal stairs echoing with every step, and reached a dank hallway that had a single lightbulb hanging in it. Then he saw the girl, seated in front of a doorway, staring at him.
James froze and tried to conceal the fear pulsing through him. After a second, though, he relaxed just a bit. All things considered, he realized, his descent into this abyss could have yielded a lot worse. Instead, there was a girl, maybe a couple of years older than him, sitting in a chair. She didnât look very niceâthat much was trueâbut she didnât look like a serial killer, either. Serial killers didnât usually have cute pixie cuts that swooped down over big brown eyes like that. At least that was what James was counting on.
âHi,â he said.
She didnât answer, so he began to walk cautiously toward her. James started to see her more clearly now, struck by the extreme contrast of her jet-black hair against her fair complexion. And she had a few piercings on her face that he didnât even think were possible. When James got halfway down the hallway, she held up her hand to stop him.
âWhat do you want?â she said.
James didnât really know how to answer that. âIâm here to meet my girlfriend.â
âDid she tell you to come here?â the girl asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
âWell ⦠yeah. She did.â
âAll right,â she said. âThen tell me which way the wind blows.â
âHuh?â James said, not even meaning to speak. Had he heard her correctly? Because if so, he had no idea what she was talking about. And as she stared at him, waiting for an answer, it didnât seem like she was going to repeat the question. âI donât understand. Iâm just going to go in there and get my girlfriend, okay?â James took a step forward, but the way the girl stood up from her chair made him stop in his tracks.
âGet the hell out of here,â she said, and if she had merely seemed cold and grumpy before, her tone now was downright chilling. James
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