Chapter 286 - 286 A Trip in the Middle of Nowhere

286 A Trip in the Middle of Nowhere

Hans shook his head. “No, I’m sorry.” He looked at me with sad eyes, which made my heart sink even further into despair. He knew that Brie was probably in trouble and we had no idea where she was. I could feel my hands starting to shake as the reality of the situation sank in. Brie was missing, and we had no idea where she was or what had happened to her. My mind raced with all sorts of terrible possibilities, each one more horrifying than the last.

“What are we going to do?” I asked, my voice trembling. “We have to find her.”

Hans put a hand on my shoulder, trying to steady me. “I know, and we will. But we need to stay calm and think logically. Panicking won’t help anyone.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. Hans was right, of course. We needed to approach this situation with a clear head if we were going to have any chance of finding Brie.

“Okay,” I said, nodding. “What’s the plan?”

Hans gestured to his phone. “I’m going to look up cafés in the area.”

“Uh…yeah,” I muttered. I completely forgot Hans thought her actual name was Jamie.

As Hans started typing on his phone, I looked around at the chaos that surrounded us. TSA spies were rushing around, trying to put out fires and contain the damage from the explosion. Glass littered the ground, and the air was thick with smoke, which was making it hard to breathe. I felt light-headed, like I’d get dizzy if I didn’t sit down soon. But there was no way that I could sit down while Brie was still missing.

“You know what, let’s go down further on the street and see if we can find a ride,” Hans said. “We’ll figure out what to do next.”

.....

I looked up at the sky, still filled with smoke and debris from the explosion. I felt skeptical about Hans’ plan; with all of the damage, it seemed unlikely that anyone would be willing to take us anywhere. And even if they did, what would we do once we got there? It all seemed so futile – like trying to find a needle in a haystack. And yet, I knew I had to try.

I took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

We started down the street, weaving through the ruined cars and broken glass. It felt surreal, like something out of a nightmare – like I was in a different world entirely. I was too scared to even think clearly, my heart pounding against my rib cage as my mind raced with all sorts of bleak possibilities.

As we kept walking, I kept scanning the area, searching for any sign of Brie. I knew the odds were slim, but a part of me still held onto the hope that we’d find her – that she was still alive and out there somewhere. We had to find her. We just had to.

Talk about night slowly approaching, which they saw a black car arriving, although they don’t that its the TSA coming to clean up the mess.

The car drove slowly down the street, eventually stopping right in front of us. I held my breath as two people stepped out of the car.

The two people in the car were dressed in uniforms – TSA uniforms. We had been found.

My heart immediately sank. I looked at Hans, who had a look of resigned acceptance on his face.

The first agent, a man, stepped toward us and gave us a curt nod. “What are you two doing here?”

Hans quickly stepped forward and put on his best convincing face. “We were driving by and heard an explosion. We were just trying to help.”

The second agent, a woman, narrowed her eyes. “Help? It looks like you were trying to get away.”

“No, no, we were just curious,” Hans quickly continued. “We were worried about anyone who might have been hurt.”

The two agents exchanged a look and seemed to consider our story. Finally, the man slowly nodded.

“We understand,” he said. “We’re here to take care of the clean-up.”

He looked at us sympathetically. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to find any help here.”

The woman stepped forward. “You two should go back to your cars and go home. It’s not safe for civilians to be here right now.”

I could feel a terror pounding inside of me, but I tried to remain calm and collected. As I heard the agents’ words, my mind raced to think of a way to talk our way out of this – to find a way to find Brie.

Hans looked pleadingly at the agents. “We understand,” he said. “We’ll leave. We just wanted to make sure no one was hurt.”

The man nodded, understanding in his gaze. “I understand,” he said. “But you best go now. Things are very dangerous here.”

He stepped back as the woman opened the passenger door of the car. “Please,” she said. “Leave the area as soon as possible.”

We quickly nodded and backed away, not quite believing our luck. As the car drove away, I let out a long sigh of relief, feeling a wave of emotion wash over me. We had been so close, we could have been caught.

I shot a glance at Hans, a pit forming in my stomach. We were so close to finding Brie. But obviously, it was a stupid plan, and one that had almost gotten us in serious trouble.

“You okay?” I asked, my voice low.

Hans nodded but didn’t meet my gaze. We kept walking, silently, until we had reached the edge of the woods. Only then did Hans finally break the silence.

“We could have been caught,” he said, his voice full of regret.

“I know,” I said, my voice somber.

Hans ran a hand over his face. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I thought it was a good plan, but it obviously wasn’t.”

“It’s okay,” I replied. “It was a bit of a gamble. We were lucky we weren’t spotted.”

Hans nodded, his expression solemn. We stood in silence for a few minutes, contemplating what could have been.

“We need to find a different way to find Brie,” I finally said. “Maybe there’s something we haven’t thought of yet.”

Hans looked up, a spark of hope in his eyes. “Maybe,” he said. “We have to keep looking.”

I nodded, determined. We’d find a way to get Brie back. We just had to keep trying.

My heart sunk when I saw the bus, a large, hulking machine filled with unkind people. Thugs, criminals, and also civilians — all crammed together and guarded by armed guards. It was our only chance.

“This is it,” Hans said, his voice tense. “We can’t turn back now.”

I swallowed and nodded. We’d have to take a chance, no matter how slim.

We approached cautiously, trying to keep out of sight. The guards eyed us suspiciously, but let us pass. I don’t know if it was dumb luck or if they didn’t think we posed any threat, but I was grateful nonetheless.

The bus was dark and dingy, filled with a heavy air of tension. I kept my head down, trying to make myself as small as possible. I could hear the men talking in hushed voices, obviously plotting something.

I glanced at Hans, trying to get his attention, but his gaze was fixed on the ground. I barely breathed as the bus lurched forward, the motion rocking us back and forth.

As I settled into the worn seat next to Hans, I couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that washed over me. The dim lighting and the strange noises echoing through the bus only amplified my discomfort.

“Hey, Hans. Is it just me, or is this bus giving off some seriously creepy vibes?” I asked, trying to gauge whether my friend shared my unease.

“You’re not alone, Connor. I’ve been feeling uneasy since we got on. The dim lighting and the strange noises aren’t helping either,” Hans replied, confirming my suspicions.

I wrinkled my nose, bothered by the bus’s peculiar smell. “Yeah, and what’s up with the weird smell? It’s like a mix of old socks and something rotting,” I said.

“I noticed that too. And have you seen the graffiti on the windows? It’s like someone’s been trying to send a message,” Hans added, gesturing to the cryptic messages etched onto the glass.

I nodded in agreement. “I was just thinking the same thing! The messages seem cryptic, like they’re part of some bigger story.”

“Right? I’m glad we’re on the same page. I just hope we get to our destination soon. This place is giving me the chills,” Hans admitted, shivering slightly.

“Me too, buddy. Let’s just keep an eye out for anything suspicious and be ready to react if things take a turn for the worse,” I suggested, my voice firm and determined.

Hans nodded. “Agreed. Stay alert, and we’ll get through this together.”