Arizona's Zone: Why Not? Part 13

To read part 12, CLICK HERE.

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I sat on the curb long after the officers were gone, and let a few tears run down my face. Nothing was going right! I beat my fists on the sidewalk. What would Natalie and Grace say?

Natalie would say, "Don't worry. It wasn't your fault." I sighed. Not helpful. Grace would say to me, "They were there before, but they aren't there now. They have to be somewhere." I brightened. 

Yes, they must be SOMEWHERE. But where? I thought over my possibilities. They could've run out of the house while I was getting the police. Eagerly, I ran across the street, dodging cars.

I searched around the house for tracks, being sure to stay on the pebbles around the house. Nothing. All the mud around the doorways held no tracks, and neither did the dust under the windows.

I thought again. What was my other possibility? They must be hiding in the house somewhere! I immediately ducked into a nearby bush as I heard the creak of a door opening. My heart was beating a mile a minute.

A figure came into view. It was the man with the gun! I held my breath, praying he wouldn't see me. He instead took off in the direction of the woods behind the house. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Then a disturbing thought entered my head. Where was Willow?! Silently, I entered the house through the door the man exited. "Willow?" I called. No answer. Finding a downward flight of stairs, I thought it logical to go downwards in search of a missing person.

The stairs led into a basement. To my right was a closet. I opened the door, wincing as it creaked. I soon forgot about the noise in a heartbeat. Inside was Willow! And she was tied to a pipe!

"Willow!" I exclaimed. I immediately untied the ropes, and hugged her tight. "Ari!" Willow cried. She was so thin, and weak. "Come on, we're getting out of here," I said, helping her up. 

Then my heart stopped altogether. The back door squeaked open. I froze as I heard a man grumble to himself. I looked for escape, but the stairs were the only way out of the basement. Adrenaline rushed through me as I heard him step onto the staircase.


Stay tuned for Part 14!