The Zone

Another person missing. Police still have no leads but have not given up yet. If you know anything please contact the police ---"

The tv anchor droned on with news. Her voice captivating yet filled with despair. I leaned against the cash register, chin in hand, and eyes glued to the tv screen across the lobby. Customers chatted while munching on their lunch. The door swung open, the cold winter air snapping me out of my trance.

My best friends, Leilani and Brooks walked in. Leilani looked drained, her normally wild, curly, blonde hair was drenched from the rain. Her green eyes were red like she was crying. She mustered up a smile nonetheless.

"Hey, Lani. Any luck?" I asked knowing the answer.

She shook her head, " No. I've got nothing. But I have work in an hour so I came by to grab a bite." I nodded and typed in their orders.

"I'm sorry, Lani. I'm sure you'll find her." I threw in a couple cookies in the to go bag. Lani's twin sister, Linsey, was one of the 128 missing people. She went missing a month ago and Lani has been looking for her since day one. Of course Brooks and I help whenever we can, although neither of us could imagine what she's going through.

"We'll find her," Brooks promised, running his fingers through his wet dirty blonde hair. He also looked exhausted, but his eyes shone with hope. "We won't stop looking until we do. Now's not the time to give up hope." I nodded in agreement and Lani gave a grateful little smile.

"Thank you, guys. I don't know what I'd do without you." I gave her a hug from over the counter and before she and Brooks walked out.

Time ticked by slowly as the sun descended from above the horizon. There was an hour left until closing. I tapped my fingers on the counter impatiently. An elderly couple entered the restaurant and talked at the door for a moment before the lady waddled her way toward the bathroom.

I forced a smile and greeted the man as he approached me, "Hello, sir, welcome to Burger Barn. What can I get for you?" He told me his order and I waited for him to put in his credit card. His blue eyes pierced me.

"The pos terminal is ready for your card, sir," I said, motioning to the keypad in front of him.

"You know, you're a pretty young lady." The man leaned against the counter.

Eyes wide, I took a step back. "Oh um thank you but I'm actually not a---"

"It'd really be a shame if you went missing too. If you were my wife I wouldn't let you out of my sights."

"You have a very lucky wife," I mumbled.

"Well you know---" The man's wife walked out of the bathroom and we finished the transaction. A minute later I called their number and they took the tray of food and sat in the lobby. The man made sure to wink at me as they walked away.

I powered through the last hour of work. I closed up shop and went out the back door to my car. I drove to Brooks' house and parked my car outside his house. I knocked on the door. The door swung up.

"'Sup, Robby." My face heated up and turned red. Barker, Brooks' brother, answered the door. Robby was his nickname for me.

His dirty blonde hair was wet, like he just got out of the shower and he was only wearing a pair of shorts. His sharp blue eyes looked amused as my face reddened. I tried to keep my eyes on his face. My heart pounded in my chest and I managed to sputter out, "Oh... uh... hey Baker. I was um... is uh..."

Barker grinned, "Brooks is down in the basement." He stepped aside and let me in. I shyly mumbled incoherantly and made my way to the basement. I could hear him chuckle. I found Brooks sitting in a bean bag.

"Hey Brooks," I greeted taking a seat on their couch.

"Wassup, tomato face," he winked at me and my face reddened even more. I fell back on the couch, covered my face with my hands and groaned.

"That obvious, huh?"

Brooks laughed, "Oooh hell yeah." I groaned again. "Okay let's focus on Lani's surprise party."

"Are we sure she'll be happy with a party," I asked sitting up. "I mean her twin sister is missing."

"Lani needs a break. She deserves a break. She's been working nonstop between her job and finding Linsey. She could use a distaction." I nodded and Brooks opened a notebook. I watched him as he scribbled down a couple words. I knew he was just trying to take some stress off of Lani, but I didn't think this was the way. I didn't say anything though and we took an hour planning her party. We agreed on throwing it at the bowling alley, blue decorations, and chocolate cake. We were texting out invites when Lani came down the stairs.

"Guys you'll never guess what just happened." Lani called as she came into view. Brooks tucked the notebook under his bean bag. "Olivia just asked me to go to a movie with her this Saturday."

Brooks winked at me and I chuckled, "You said yes right?" I asked

Lani rolled her eyes, but smiled, "No Robin, I've been trying to ask her out for two years just to say no when she makes the first move. Of course I said yes, dumbass!" We all laughed. Lani had met Olivia in our high school drama class and fell for her hard. We weren't sure if Olivia was actually gay, but we knew she'd be a good diversion until the party started.

Lani plopped down on the couch next to me. We hung out and played games for a few more hours before we decided to call it a night. Brooks and I agreed to meet Lani at the mouth of the woods at the edge of town the next morning to help her in search for Linsey. We said our goodbyes Lani and I drove off.

The next morning, I took a quick shower and got dressed. I pulled a hat over my short, thick, dark curls. I put my shoes and socks on and threw on a jacket. Brooks texted me that he and Lani were waiting outside. I trotted down the stairs and slid into the back seat of Brooks' grey hatchback. The fog was thick and the roads were basically empty. We drove at 10 mph. Music blaring, we quietly bopped our heads to the beat. The weather definitely made it the mood gloomier.

It wasn't long until we pulled until we pulled into a gas station at the edge of town. Brooks turned off the car, and we sat there for a moment.

"You okay, Lani?" Brooks asked. She took a deep breath but shook her head. I reach over the center console and squeezed her hand. She squeezed my hand back before stepping out of the car. Brooks and I shared a look before we joined her. Lani lead the way into the woods. The woods were eerily quiet. No birds chirping, no rustling of leaves, nothing. It was as though there was no sign of life at all. A shiver went down my spine. I didn't know what we were looking for exactly, but I was definitely afraid of what we could find. Or rather, what could find us. Still though, I ventured off a little ways from my friends. I tripped on a rock and summer salted into a steep, muddy ditch. I groaned as I landed face down. My eyes widened in horror.

"L-LANI! BROOKS!" I screamed." I heard their footsteps running toward me.

"Robin? Are you okay? Where are--" Lani stopped at the edge of the ditch as she spotted me.

"What happened?" Brooks asked. I just shook my head and pointed ahead of me. There was a pool of blood and what looked like tracks of a body being dragged. The blood followed.

"We have to go now," Brooks stated. They helped me up out of the ditch and we ran as fast as we could back to Brooks' car. We drove to the police station and lumbered into the old brick building. The lady sitting at the deck behind the glass smiled and greeted us.

"How can I help you?" she asked politely.

"T-there's... um ... in the... uh..." I couldn't muster out any words. Brooks described what we saw and the lady's eyes widened. She called for cops. We got back into the hatchback drove back to the woods. The rain had started coming down fast and the wind picked up. Thunder cracked across the foggy sky. The ground was soggy and hard to walk through, but we trudged back to the ditch.

When we made it, the ditch was flooded with rain water, about waist deep. One of the cops apologized and said that there was nothing they can do now.

"We can try to come back when the rain and flooding has subdued, but there won't be much luck now," the cop stated somberly. Brooks nodded and thanked them for coming out here. Lani sank to her knees and as soon as the cops were out of ear shot she sobbed. All Brooks and I could do was kneel next to her. We wrapped our arms around her and let her cry.