Dead End

The three teens stared at the frozen frame on the screen showing the tall, blonde, older teen, leaving with a young woman with straight brown hair, stealing a fishnet bodystocking she’d changed into in the fitting room. They all recognised her, and they all knew that Shawn Lewis likely wasn’t far behind.

“If Kendra was here, then Shawn is likely involved. She doesn’t even breathe these days without his consent, and we know they’re still in touch because it was Kendra who informed Dustin that we would be at the cabin this week…oh god…” Ashley raised a hand to her mouth, realising who she’d just sent Victoria on a date with. “You don’t think Dustin is involved?”

“Taylor always said that Dustin and Shawn never got along. Shawn might be feeding him information, but I don’t think Dustin would actually be in league with him,” Zack replied, a finger to his chin.

Heather nodded, picking up on Zack’s point as soon as he was finished, “I agree, Dustin wouldn’t do anything to hurt Victoria. But…maybe you should call her just in case? Maybe Dustin will know where Shawn is?”

“Good idea,” Ashley exclaimed, already pulling her phone from her pocket and exiting the office for some silence before she’d even finished speaking.

“The real question is what do Kendra and Shawn want with Kurt?” Heather tilted her head, her dark hair hanging over her shoulder, a half frown on her face.

Zack’s finger moved from his chin to his lips as he stared at the screen and the faces of Kendra and Kurt. Heather had a point. It didn’t make sense that they would lure Kurt away. Did they even know who he was? Not that Kurt was a nobody but his only connection to the group was through Heather and he’d only met most of the teens this week at the cabin. If anyone would know a reason that Kurt would be targeted it’d be Heather, but she seemed as baffled as he was.

His train of thought was interrupted by Ashley’s return, entering and swearing at the same time. “Shit,” she said. “Victoria’s phone is turned off.”

“What?” Zack’s eyes went wide. “You…you don’t think they’re picking us off one by one? That they might have Victoria, Dustin and Kurt all tied up somewhere?”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Heather soothed their fears, replying calmly and then turning to the manager. “First, would it be possible to show us how they might have left through the staff exit?”

“I can. The only exit out this way is the delivery bay,” The manager said, her face hard and serious. “But if these people have **** your friend or friends, you really need to go to the police. This isn’t a situation for a ragtag bunch of teens to think they can solve.”

“You’re right,” Heather agreed, smiling. “But, I’d also like to have as much information to give the police when I speak to them as possible. So, can you show us the delivery bay?”

The flame haired manager nodded, standing and leading the trio from the office and down the hall, away from the shop floor. The corridor was long and filled with boxes of clothes and hangers and tags and unassorted junk. The Manager navigated her way through it all, the teens following, until they reached the delivery bay. There were no trunks or lorries, the deliveries having been made earlier but there were still a couple workers sorting out all the stock that had come that day.

“Do you mind if we ask those workers some questions?” Heather asked.

“You can try but I can’t make them answer,” The manager replied coolly. “And I can’t let them stop working to get distracted by your interrogating them. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to get back to the shop.” She paused as she left, looking over her shoulder, her expression softening. “I hope you find your friends.”

Zack leaned in to Heather as soon as the Manager was out of earshot and asked, “We’re not really going to the police, are you? After what happened with Lisa, I don’t trust them, and who knows how dirty they are.”

“Of course not. But I had to tell her that,” Heather assured her dark haired friend. “Now, let’s find out what these two know.”

Unfortunately, the workers knew nothing of note. They had either been too busy or just didn’t care enough to pay any attention, though one employee insisted that he’d remember if a girl in a fishnet bodystocking had passed by. Finding it fruitless to question them any further, Zack and the girls exited onto the alleyway, walking along and checking up and down all the off-shoot avenues for any hint or sign of Kurt or Kendra. In the end, there was nothing.

“Fuck,” Zack kicked at the ground. “First Lisa, then Kurt and now maybe even Victoria. It feels like someone is trying to tear us all apart.”

Ashley bit her lip, restraining herself from telling them what she’d discovered. Now was not the time to drop that bomb. That piece of information had to been given to Heather first, and alone, before anything else. Right now, she had to prioritise. If what was going on with Kurt was connected to Lisa and her father, and therefore to Robert Ravers, she’d deal with that then. Something, just a hunch, told her that this was something different. At least Zack wasn’t still blaming her for what happened to Lisa, so, small victories, she told herself.

“I hate to say it, but I don’t know how we’re gonna find Kurt,” Heather said, her voice anxious for the first time. “We know he left this way, but Kendra and Shawn didn’t leave anything we can use to track them. He could be anywhere. And the one person who might know where he is, we have no way of contacting.”

“Maybe we could drive around and look for them,” Zack suggested, ****. “If Shawn hasn’t gotten to them, Victoria and Dustin can’t have walked far.”

“Except they didn’t walk,” Ashley hesitantly admitted. “They have your car.”

“My car?” Zack repeated, blinking, unsure how that was possible.

“How did you think we got into town?” Ashley quipped with a sheepish smile. “Since it was for Lisa, we didn’t think you’d be mad.”

Zack shook his head, and gave a short, light laugh. “I’m not angry, it just makes this considerably more difficult. Dustin could literally be anywhere with Victoria then. Heather’s right. We’re stuck with no way out.”

The three teens milled about the alleyway, eyes searching, **** for any small clue they hadn’t seen two seconds ago when they looked. But despite their best hopes and wishes, nothing changed. Kendra had spirited away Kurt and all they found in his absence were questions. Where was he? Why was he taken? And how in the hell were they ever going to get him back?