Chapter 27: Chapter 27
The entire ride there, my leg bounces up and down nervously. I strain to look out of the windows, inspecting everything around me. I'm sat in the passenger seat and Woody's in the back, twirling the bat around in his hands.
"It's dark out here." I mumble to no-one in particular, noticing how the street lamps have disappeared. It gradually turns pitch black as we drive through wide country roads, the only light coming from the cars headlights. Tobias clears his throat and leans forward, narrowing his eyes to better his vision.
"You scared of the dark Melvin?" Woody asks playfully from behind me. I scoff and turn to look at him from over my shoulder —
"I haven't been scared of the dark since I was two. That shit gets old." I respond. Beside me, Uncle Tobias sighs.
"Language." He mutters under his breath.
"I'm sixteen." I tell him, fully expecting him to tell me off further. My suspicious are spot on.
"That doesn't automatically exclude you from swearing Ruby, you know better than that." He says firmly, his eyebrows frowning in frustration.
"Okay, I'm sorry. You're right." I tell him, sliding down into my seat. Beside me, Uncle Tobias turns to give me a small smile and I replicate it. He turns to look at the road again and gradually slows the car down. The sound of tyres on gravel fills the silence in the car as we slowly drive towards a large metal warehouse that looks like it's seen better days. I can't make out the entire size of it due to the dark so I sit up straighter, narrowing my eyes in hopes they'll adjust.
"Is this it?" Woody asks from behind me. I nod my head, feeling chills run through my body. I don't know whether it's the cold night air or a bad feeling settling into my stomach.
"Yes Cowboy, this is it." I respond quietly. The car comes to a slow halt a few feet away from the side of the warehouse and Tobias turns the engine off, engulfing us into darkness. Silence surrounds us and an eerie presence fills the air.
"I'm not scared of the dark either but this is a little creepy." Woody mutters from behind. I reach down into the bag lying beside my feet and shuffle around in it, retrieving two torches. I pass one to Uncle Tobias and hand the other to Woody.
"What about you?" Woody asks. I shrug my shoulders.
"I'm with you guys, I won't need one." I reply. Tobias turns towards Woody and I, his face a neutral expression.
"If anything bad happens, you both return to the car and drive away from here. You understand?" He says firmly. I shake my head in protest —
"We're not leaving you here." I respond back quickly. His hands grip around the steering wheel tighter and I know he doesn't like my answer.
"You have to Ruby. I need to keep you both safe so if anything bad happens, you both go. I can take care of myself." Tobias repeats. From behind me, Woody remains silent and I scoff, frustration building up inside of me.
"You honestly think I'm going to leave you behind? No way Uncle Tobias, family doesn't do that." I shoot back at him, opening the car door. His head snaps towards me and I watch his eyes narrow as I leave the car, shutting the door softly behind me. I watch him scramble on the other side to exit the car and Woody does the same.
"He has a point." Woody murmurs quietly, appearing by my side. I turn around to glare at him —
"No he doesn't. I will never leave without him."
Woody slowly shakes his head, his eyes flashing with concern. I breathe in sharply and calm my nerves, turning to inspect the warehouse in front of me.
There's no light anywhere, no clear walking pathway, no sign of life.
"It's probably a bust." I mutter, heading towards it. Uncle Tobias and Woody follow closely behind, their torches shining ahead on the long blades of grass to light the way. The grass is wild and overgrown, looking like it's been neglected for years. As we approach the building, Woody shines his torch on the metal structure, searching for an entrance.
"Stick together, no exploring on your own." Tobias says behind me, his words spoken in a hushed whisper. I nod my head, my heart thudding inside my chest in anticipation. We continue walking around the structure until eventually, we find a small opening a few feet high that appears to have once been a window. Half of the glass is broken, sharp shards sticking out dangerously.
"Stand back." Woody mutters, placing a hand over my front and gently judging me backwards. I watch as Tobias walks up to the window, wrapping his arm in his jacket before using it to forcefully break through the rest of the glass. The sound echoes into the cold night air, fading away into nothing after seconds.
He turns towards me, signalling for me to come towards him. I nod my head, zipping my jacket up and hovering my hand over the gun inside my pocket as a reminder.
"Woody will go first, then you and I'll follow afterwards." He tells me firmly. I nod and stand aside as Woody grips onto the window ledge, grunting softly as he hoists himself up and into the warehouse. I watch his feet dangle from a second before they disappear and a soft thud can be heard from the other side. Several tense seconds later, we hear him speak —
"Clear."
I breathe in sharply and mimic his previous actions, pulling myself up into the window ledge. I pass through it easily and feel Woody's hands wrap around my legs to carry me down and place me firmly on the floor.
"I could have jumped but thanks." I say softly, making a conscious effort to remain as quiet as possible.
"You're welcome," Woody responds, a smirk present in the tone of his voice. Seconds after I'm in, Uncle Tobias follows, effortlessly dropping inside. From his smooth actions, I'd guess Uncle Tobias has done plenty of mysterious building breaking in's. He glances over Woody and I, his eyes scanning us —
"Okay?" He asks and we both nod our heads in unison. He nods in satisfaction before pulling the torch out of his pocket and shining it around us. The room is completely abandoned and disgusting. Several broken pieces of furniture litters the floor and the amount of cobwebs dangling from the walls makes this place the perfect setting for a horror movie. I shudder and tighten my jacket around my body. Beside me, Woody's free arm automatically snakes around my waist, pulling me in towards his body.
Usually I'd protest but I'm grateful for his calming presence. I subtly lean in closer and all three of us begin to move forwards, searching for the exit to explore the rest of the building. Tobias shines the torch on a metal rusted door opposite us and signals for us to follow him.
The entire time my heart rate increases, thudding softly in my chest. I remind myself that I'm safe, especially with Tobias and Woody but despite the company I have, goosebumps erupt over my arms and the back of my neck.
Focus on the end goal Ruby.
Focus on finding your parents.
Nothing is more important than that right now so I inhale sharply, subconsciously pulling on my big girl pants and getting ready to do some serious detective work.