Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Hacker Zi ❯ Part Ten ( Chapter 10 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Maho 
With David in tow, Brandon heads to the only safe place he can think of.
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Suspense / Sci-fi / Psychological / Cyberpunk / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.19.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.6K | Visits: 176 | Status: Completed
With David in tow, Brandon heads to the only safe place he can think of.
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Suspense / Sci-fi / Psychological / Cyberpunk / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.19.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.6K | Visits: 176 | Status: Completed
DISCLAIMER: While Hacker Zi and its characters were created by me, some of the screen names were taken from actual people. Please DO NOT TRY TO CONTACT THEM. The story is purely fictional
Brandon had no trouble finding the schoolhouse. Over the years he had worked there during the month of October. The owners of the building loved decorating the house so that it resembled a haunted house. He used to do a variety of things – helping with special effects and costumes while also setting up a surveillance room, to make sure things were going smoothly. But all of that ended when the owners were threatened to be sued after an accident sent a child to the hospital. That incident led to the termination of his job.
If the information the girl had given him was trustworthy, then he had nothing to worry about. But then again, even if she was his sister, that didn't mean she wasn't playing him. After several moments of consideration, he decided to take the risk.
Parking his car on a nearby street would attract less suspicion than if he were to park it close to the building. But the downside to that choice was in the event that he was caught, there'd be no easy getaway. Brandon weighed the pros and cons, then decided it was best to choose the street. Before exiting the car, he popped the trunk. After retrieving a lock pick set from the truck and placing it in his back pocket, he headed for the school.
As he was making his way to the building, he saw someone else walking towards it from the main road. Before the person could see him he moved out of their line of sight and watched from the corner of a building. It was the girl, David's sister. She now had a backpack and a plastic bag, probably from the bookstore. He watched as she entered the building, then waited a few minutes before making his move.
Circling around the back of the school he found the old fire escape. The old stairs led to a door on the second floor. The door itself lacked a handle on the outside, but lucky for him the window next to the door had been partially busted. He managed to reach through the window and push the door open. He would have to thank the owners for neglecting the building sometime.
Once inside, he had to stop and think about the layout of the floor. He was in a windowless room....and the entrance to the school was down the stairs to his left, then straight ahead. So the room was at the end of the hall on his right. At least he hoped it was.
Creeping quietly down the hall was a difficult task all on its own. He had questioned whether or not to remove his shoes, but if he were caught it would make escaping harder. When he reached the last door, he gently knocked. There was no answer. Double checking to make sure he hadn't scared his friend into silence, he knelt down and looked under the door. It was pitch black.
Shit. Its on the other side.
Sweat began to run down his face and collect on the palms of his hands as he edged his way closer to the staircase. When he was at the corner, he slowly leaned over, so that one eye could peer down the stairs. It was empty, but he didn't want to think about how long it would stay that way. Instead, he moved as fast as he could while trying to remain quiet. He didn't know if they would be able to hear him, but he'd rather not chance it. When he made it to the other side, he praised the solid wall against his back. Peaking back around the corner, he made sure the stairs were still empty. Once confirming that they were, he continued to the end of the hallway.
When he reached the door his shirt was starting to stick to his body. As previously, he gently knocked on the door. Again there was silence. Glancing down at his feet, he saw that a soft glow was shining through from the other side. He wondered if he would regret his next action, but he went ahead with it.
“....David?”
A few seconds went by, but it seemed like hours. But he was relieved to hear his friend's questioning reply. He hadn't realized how hoarse his voice had been until he heard David's questioning reply. Once satisfied, he tried the door knob. As he suspected, it was locked. Removing the lock pick set from his back pocket, he set to work. It took him a few minutes to pick the lock, but those minutes seemed like an eternity. He was a bit rusty, and failed the first few tries, but he eventually unlocked the door. Before opening the door he looked back towards the staircase. It was still empty.
When he opened the door, he was somewhat shocked at what he saw. David was pale, the healthy glow that was usually in his face had vanished. His eyes were red, whether it was from tears or lack of sleep was beyond Brandon's knowledge. He was sad to see his friend.....sad to see how frail he had become.
“Lets get you out of here. Walk as quietly as you can.”
Brandon decided to re-lock the door to the room in order to keep things less suspicious. David was able to make his way down the hallway without his footsteps being heard, even by Brandon. This was due to his lack of shoes. The only clothes David had on were a pair of jogging pants and a beater, the clothes he had been wearing when he was awoken by Rick.
When they reached the edge of the wall, Brandon motioned for David to stop. A small murmur was audible from the stairwell. Slowly glancing around the corner, Brandon saw that hallway was as forlorn as it had been when he first walked past it. However, he knew it wouldn't stay that way for long. Motioning for David to follow him, he tried to make his way to the other wall as quickly as possible. As the two of them reached the other wall, Brandon saw a shadow proceeding up the stairs through the corner of his eye. Trying to give his friend a warning, he tapped David on the shoulder. He had noticed it too. They both decided to walk as fast as possible.
As they reached the door, they saw the shadow at the top of stairs. They quickly exited the door before the figure turned the corner and walked down the hallway. Not bothering to see who it was, they jumped over part of the fire escape. The two of them broke into a sprint as they hit the ground. David followed Brandon to his car, and the two of them jumped into the car. Brandon found that his hands were somewhat shaky as he tried to start the car. He quickly put it into drive and sped off down the road.
Neither of them spoke for the first few minutes. Brandon was too busy trying to stay focused on the road, occasionally looking back to make sure they weren't being followed. David seemed just as shaken up as he was. After enough distance was between them and the school, David finally broke the silence.
“You.....came....I owe you my life.”
“Don't thank me. I wanted to leave your ass. But that damn sister of yours.....”
“.....she used to always get what she wanted when mom lived with us. I guess I should be thankful that its still that way....where is she?”
“She went into the building right before I did.”
“What!?! You mean she's still back there?!!? We have to go back! She'll be dead for sure!”
“Relax. As far as they know, she was at a bookstore. Its better that she was there while I got you out. Makes her less of a suspect.”
“But....they might try to use her to get to me!”
That was something he hadn't considered. Rick wasn't like anyone else he had met before. Brandon could usually read people pretty well, but this guy had always mystified him. He was unpredictable. A trait that could be either a blessing or a hindrance. In Rick's case, so far it seemed to be his blessing. There was no way to safely contact the girl. When it was discovered that David was MIA, she would probably be put under even tighter surveillance.
“.....we just have to trust that she can take care of herself. If we try to contact her, we'll all be at risk. I told you in the beginning, not to get involved.”
“I didn't have a choice!!! If I had refused he would have blackmailed me!”
“.....I guess its partially my fault. If I hadn't have dragged you into the thing with Achates, Rick probably never would have found you.”
“Yeah, but if it hadn't of been me, it would have been Zeke.”
“But you had a lot more to lose. By getting involved with Rick, you put not only yourself in danger, but also your sisters and possibly even Nicks.”
“....So she found Virgil.”
“Not exactly. Neo had her stop by after your buddies crashed her computer. As far as I know, she's still partially in the dark. Doesn't even know where you're at, although she suspects you're still alive. What kind of clues did you leave her?”
“.....thats what they were doing. I left three notes on an ipod I gave her before I disappeared. She's probably found vague one, it wasn't as well hidden as the others.”
“Rick's probably pissed about that.”
“Thats what got me in that room......so, where are we going?”
“....the shops not an option, same goes for your house. There is one place....you're probably not going to like it, but its the only other option we have.”
“Where?......wait, no. No, you can't!”
“Its the only place left. I don't like it anymore than you do.”
“But what if he shows up there! Its not like he can't find it. He's a fucking hacker!”
“Yeah, but he doesn't know shit about the kid.”
“That doesn't mean he can't find out. Dammit....if it wasn't for that fucking ipod.”
“Hey, shit happens. As far as we know, they still haven't discovered the empty room. This gives us a little bit of time to come up with a plan. We can keep them from finding you.”
David ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to think of an alternative. But there was nothing else he could do. In defeat he looked over at Brandon and spoke.
“.......do you know where its at?”
“No. I was going to call and ask Neo....unless you're willing to give me the directions.”
“....take the next left.”
With his head down, David directed Brandon to their destination. He didn't like it, but Brandon was right. There was no where else he could go. Like most ideas, this one had seemed foolproof. It seemed like nothing could go wrong, but as always, master plans were never foolproof. So many things had gone wrong. He thought he could let go of his past, but in truth, he was entrenched in it. The notes he had left were proof of that. Rick would be out for blood once he discovered he was missing. All of his friends, well the majority of them, believed that he was six feet in the ground. To show up at their doors would probably scare them half to death.
As they pulled up to the driveway, they found that there were no cars in front of the house. Deciding it would be better to park a few houses down, just in case. Making sure no other cars were coming down the street, they made their way to the house. David chose to go around back, partly out of fear, and because he didn't want to be there when the door was answered. Brandon watched as his friend practically sprinted around back. After he was out of sight, Brandon knocked on the door. A few minutes later it was opened, and he was met with the questioning look of his employee.
“Hey Nick....mind if we talk?”
“....not at all, you can come in.”
“Thanks.”
Nick stepped aside to allow her boss to enter through the doorway. She offered him a seat and a drink, he accepted the offer for a Mountain Dew, but remained standing. He did however move away from the door and into the living room. Returning to the living room, she handed a can to him, and then opened one for herself. Nick couldn't help but notice how shaky his hands were as he opened the can. This was a side of him she had yet to see. After taking a long drink, he held the cold can to his forehead. He began to drift off, deep into thought. Nicks voice however, brought him back. He had missed the question, but she repeated it.
“.....are you alright? You took off after that girl showed up, Ryan wasn't really sure what to do, so he just decided to lock up.”
“Just a little out of whack, I'll be fine. The reason I'm here, it has to do with why I left. I hate to come to you like this, but I need a really big favor.”
“....um...sure. What do you need?”
“....I need you to look after a friend of mine, he's outback right now. We both hate to come to you like this, but this is the only place we had left.”
“Your friend's....outback? Why didn't he come in with you?”
“....well....”
Brandon didn't answer. Instead, he moved towards the door in the kitchen. He motioned for her to follow. She stopped at the kitchen table and watched as Brandon made his way to the door. It was locked, so he looked back, she gave a nod of approval, so he turned the latch and slowly opened the door.
Nicks grip on the can seemed to loosen as her eyes met with the figure on the other side of the door. The sweat on the can made it even more difficult to hold, and it soon slipped from her grasp and hit the table, then fell to the floor. Yellow soda began to run out of it and onto the kitchen tile. She couldn't speak.....words seemed to flee her mind, and her voice seemed to fail her. Nick just stared back at the ghostly figure, at her long lost friend. His appearance had changed. He was extremely pale, and thinner than the last time she had seen him. His hair was longer, and his eyes seemed different. They had become icy, the warmth they once possessed had disappeared. He had become something else....he had become another person. He was a stranger to her.
Brandon had no trouble finding the schoolhouse. Over the years he had worked there during the month of October. The owners of the building loved decorating the house so that it resembled a haunted house. He used to do a variety of things – helping with special effects and costumes while also setting up a surveillance room, to make sure things were going smoothly. But all of that ended when the owners were threatened to be sued after an accident sent a child to the hospital. That incident led to the termination of his job.
If the information the girl had given him was trustworthy, then he had nothing to worry about. But then again, even if she was his sister, that didn't mean she wasn't playing him. After several moments of consideration, he decided to take the risk.
Parking his car on a nearby street would attract less suspicion than if he were to park it close to the building. But the downside to that choice was in the event that he was caught, there'd be no easy getaway. Brandon weighed the pros and cons, then decided it was best to choose the street. Before exiting the car, he popped the trunk. After retrieving a lock pick set from the truck and placing it in his back pocket, he headed for the school.
As he was making his way to the building, he saw someone else walking towards it from the main road. Before the person could see him he moved out of their line of sight and watched from the corner of a building. It was the girl, David's sister. She now had a backpack and a plastic bag, probably from the bookstore. He watched as she entered the building, then waited a few minutes before making his move.
Circling around the back of the school he found the old fire escape. The old stairs led to a door on the second floor. The door itself lacked a handle on the outside, but lucky for him the window next to the door had been partially busted. He managed to reach through the window and push the door open. He would have to thank the owners for neglecting the building sometime.
Once inside, he had to stop and think about the layout of the floor. He was in a windowless room....and the entrance to the school was down the stairs to his left, then straight ahead. So the room was at the end of the hall on his right. At least he hoped it was.
Creeping quietly down the hall was a difficult task all on its own. He had questioned whether or not to remove his shoes, but if he were caught it would make escaping harder. When he reached the last door, he gently knocked. There was no answer. Double checking to make sure he hadn't scared his friend into silence, he knelt down and looked under the door. It was pitch black.
Shit. Its on the other side.
Sweat began to run down his face and collect on the palms of his hands as he edged his way closer to the staircase. When he was at the corner, he slowly leaned over, so that one eye could peer down the stairs. It was empty, but he didn't want to think about how long it would stay that way. Instead, he moved as fast as he could while trying to remain quiet. He didn't know if they would be able to hear him, but he'd rather not chance it. When he made it to the other side, he praised the solid wall against his back. Peaking back around the corner, he made sure the stairs were still empty. Once confirming that they were, he continued to the end of the hallway.
When he reached the door his shirt was starting to stick to his body. As previously, he gently knocked on the door. Again there was silence. Glancing down at his feet, he saw that a soft glow was shining through from the other side. He wondered if he would regret his next action, but he went ahead with it.
“....David?”
A few seconds went by, but it seemed like hours. But he was relieved to hear his friend's questioning reply. He hadn't realized how hoarse his voice had been until he heard David's questioning reply. Once satisfied, he tried the door knob. As he suspected, it was locked. Removing the lock pick set from his back pocket, he set to work. It took him a few minutes to pick the lock, but those minutes seemed like an eternity. He was a bit rusty, and failed the first few tries, but he eventually unlocked the door. Before opening the door he looked back towards the staircase. It was still empty.
When he opened the door, he was somewhat shocked at what he saw. David was pale, the healthy glow that was usually in his face had vanished. His eyes were red, whether it was from tears or lack of sleep was beyond Brandon's knowledge. He was sad to see his friend.....sad to see how frail he had become.
“Lets get you out of here. Walk as quietly as you can.”
Brandon decided to re-lock the door to the room in order to keep things less suspicious. David was able to make his way down the hallway without his footsteps being heard, even by Brandon. This was due to his lack of shoes. The only clothes David had on were a pair of jogging pants and a beater, the clothes he had been wearing when he was awoken by Rick.
When they reached the edge of the wall, Brandon motioned for David to stop. A small murmur was audible from the stairwell. Slowly glancing around the corner, Brandon saw that hallway was as forlorn as it had been when he first walked past it. However, he knew it wouldn't stay that way for long. Motioning for David to follow him, he tried to make his way to the other wall as quickly as possible. As the two of them reached the other wall, Brandon saw a shadow proceeding up the stairs through the corner of his eye. Trying to give his friend a warning, he tapped David on the shoulder. He had noticed it too. They both decided to walk as fast as possible.
As they reached the door, they saw the shadow at the top of stairs. They quickly exited the door before the figure turned the corner and walked down the hallway. Not bothering to see who it was, they jumped over part of the fire escape. The two of them broke into a sprint as they hit the ground. David followed Brandon to his car, and the two of them jumped into the car. Brandon found that his hands were somewhat shaky as he tried to start the car. He quickly put it into drive and sped off down the road.
Neither of them spoke for the first few minutes. Brandon was too busy trying to stay focused on the road, occasionally looking back to make sure they weren't being followed. David seemed just as shaken up as he was. After enough distance was between them and the school, David finally broke the silence.
“You.....came....I owe you my life.”
“Don't thank me. I wanted to leave your ass. But that damn sister of yours.....”
“.....she used to always get what she wanted when mom lived with us. I guess I should be thankful that its still that way....where is she?”
“She went into the building right before I did.”
“What!?! You mean she's still back there?!!? We have to go back! She'll be dead for sure!”
“Relax. As far as they know, she was at a bookstore. Its better that she was there while I got you out. Makes her less of a suspect.”
“But....they might try to use her to get to me!”
That was something he hadn't considered. Rick wasn't like anyone else he had met before. Brandon could usually read people pretty well, but this guy had always mystified him. He was unpredictable. A trait that could be either a blessing or a hindrance. In Rick's case, so far it seemed to be his blessing. There was no way to safely contact the girl. When it was discovered that David was MIA, she would probably be put under even tighter surveillance.
“.....we just have to trust that she can take care of herself. If we try to contact her, we'll all be at risk. I told you in the beginning, not to get involved.”
“I didn't have a choice!!! If I had refused he would have blackmailed me!”
“.....I guess its partially my fault. If I hadn't have dragged you into the thing with Achates, Rick probably never would have found you.”
“Yeah, but if it hadn't of been me, it would have been Zeke.”
“But you had a lot more to lose. By getting involved with Rick, you put not only yourself in danger, but also your sisters and possibly even Nicks.”
“....So she found Virgil.”
“Not exactly. Neo had her stop by after your buddies crashed her computer. As far as I know, she's still partially in the dark. Doesn't even know where you're at, although she suspects you're still alive. What kind of clues did you leave her?”
“.....thats what they were doing. I left three notes on an ipod I gave her before I disappeared. She's probably found vague one, it wasn't as well hidden as the others.”
“Rick's probably pissed about that.”
“Thats what got me in that room......so, where are we going?”
“....the shops not an option, same goes for your house. There is one place....you're probably not going to like it, but its the only other option we have.”
“Where?......wait, no. No, you can't!”
“Its the only place left. I don't like it anymore than you do.”
“But what if he shows up there! Its not like he can't find it. He's a fucking hacker!”
“Yeah, but he doesn't know shit about the kid.”
“That doesn't mean he can't find out. Dammit....if it wasn't for that fucking ipod.”
“Hey, shit happens. As far as we know, they still haven't discovered the empty room. This gives us a little bit of time to come up with a plan. We can keep them from finding you.”
David ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to think of an alternative. But there was nothing else he could do. In defeat he looked over at Brandon and spoke.
“.......do you know where its at?”
“No. I was going to call and ask Neo....unless you're willing to give me the directions.”
“....take the next left.”
With his head down, David directed Brandon to their destination. He didn't like it, but Brandon was right. There was no where else he could go. Like most ideas, this one had seemed foolproof. It seemed like nothing could go wrong, but as always, master plans were never foolproof. So many things had gone wrong. He thought he could let go of his past, but in truth, he was entrenched in it. The notes he had left were proof of that. Rick would be out for blood once he discovered he was missing. All of his friends, well the majority of them, believed that he was six feet in the ground. To show up at their doors would probably scare them half to death.
As they pulled up to the driveway, they found that there were no cars in front of the house. Deciding it would be better to park a few houses down, just in case. Making sure no other cars were coming down the street, they made their way to the house. David chose to go around back, partly out of fear, and because he didn't want to be there when the door was answered. Brandon watched as his friend practically sprinted around back. After he was out of sight, Brandon knocked on the door. A few minutes later it was opened, and he was met with the questioning look of his employee.
“Hey Nick....mind if we talk?”
“....not at all, you can come in.”
“Thanks.”
Nick stepped aside to allow her boss to enter through the doorway. She offered him a seat and a drink, he accepted the offer for a Mountain Dew, but remained standing. He did however move away from the door and into the living room. Returning to the living room, she handed a can to him, and then opened one for herself. Nick couldn't help but notice how shaky his hands were as he opened the can. This was a side of him she had yet to see. After taking a long drink, he held the cold can to his forehead. He began to drift off, deep into thought. Nicks voice however, brought him back. He had missed the question, but she repeated it.
“.....are you alright? You took off after that girl showed up, Ryan wasn't really sure what to do, so he just decided to lock up.”
“Just a little out of whack, I'll be fine. The reason I'm here, it has to do with why I left. I hate to come to you like this, but I need a really big favor.”
“....um...sure. What do you need?”
“....I need you to look after a friend of mine, he's outback right now. We both hate to come to you like this, but this is the only place we had left.”
“Your friend's....outback? Why didn't he come in with you?”
“....well....”
Brandon didn't answer. Instead, he moved towards the door in the kitchen. He motioned for her to follow. She stopped at the kitchen table and watched as Brandon made his way to the door. It was locked, so he looked back, she gave a nod of approval, so he turned the latch and slowly opened the door.
Nicks grip on the can seemed to loosen as her eyes met with the figure on the other side of the door. The sweat on the can made it even more difficult to hold, and it soon slipped from her grasp and hit the table, then fell to the floor. Yellow soda began to run out of it and onto the kitchen tile. She couldn't speak.....words seemed to flee her mind, and her voice seemed to fail her. Nick just stared back at the ghostly figure, at her long lost friend. His appearance had changed. He was extremely pale, and thinner than the last time she had seen him. His hair was longer, and his eyes seemed different. They had become icy, the warmth they once possessed had disappeared. He had become something else....he had become another person. He was a stranger to her.