Diamond In The Dark

Struggling to breathe, Justin stops for a moment. Blinded by his tears, he tries to focus: to think. Where could she be?! His mind spins with nightmarish thoughts and his knees begin to wobble. Leaning against the wall, Justin looks around. He has no idea how far he ran, and where exactly he is. But none of that matters. What matters to him is finding Molly and making sure she is safe. Did she run off? Did someone take her? Is she lost? Hurt? Scared? …or worse? Swallowing with difficulty, Justin chokes back a sob as he covers his mouth with his shaky hands. Breathe…breathe… If he had a phone, he’d call Brian. But he didn’t, and therefore couldn’t. “Shit,” he mutters to himself. This was going from bad to worse. Walking at a quick pace, Justin scans his surroundings. Molly couldn’t have gone too far: unless someone took her. The tightness in his chest presses deep against his spine and he begins to feel light-headed. Focus…focus and breathe… He couldn’t help but think the worst. And what if the hit men are waiting back at the hotel?!..Oh God, not Brian!! Covering his mouth again, he thinks he might throw up, but manages to keep it down. He starts to run. He isn’t sure where he’s going, but he knows he’s losing time. **************************** “I’m lost,” Molly finally admits to herself. She had wanted to go out for a walk and spend some time alone with her thoughts. Unfortunately, she unintentionally wandered too far from the hotel and took a wrong turn somewhere. Frowning, she looks up at the street sign above her head, but it doesn’t look familiar. Where am I? Biting her thumbnail, she can only imagine how pissed Justin will be when he finds out she’s missing. “Hercules Road?” she ponders out loud. Yep; she was definitely lost. ************************ “Justin? Molly?” Brian calls out as he knocks the door. He had wanted to give Justin some time to talk to his sister without interruptions. Opening the door, he is surprised to see the room empty. “What the fuck?” Leaving the room, Brian heads down to the lobby and looks around. They were no where in sight. Noticing the concierge, Brian walks over to him and asks, “Have you seen Justin and Molly Taylor?” He nods, “Yes, Miss Taylor left over half and hour ago. I must say that Mr. Taylor was quite upset when he discovered that she had left. He ran out of here about fifteen minutes ago.” **************************** Justin turns another corner. The streets were looking too similar. His head hurt, his heart hurt, his eyes burned. It hurt to breathe… yes, he was on the verge of a panic attack. “Molly?” He calls out, his voice ragged. Looking up at the road sign, he smiles slightly, “Hercules?” ****************************** “Cosser Street? How did I get here?” Molly curses to herself. Exasperated, she stops and sits down on a step in front of a building. She was tired, hungry and annoyed. “Do you need some help, little girl?” Looking up, Molly jumps to her feet, “No, thank you!” she answers the intimidating stranger and quickly starts to run. Justin, please find me!! ************************ “Bent Street?” Justin shakes his head. He was lost, and it was actually rather comical. Sighing, he comes to the conclusion that he was losing his mind. Stopping for a moment, he wishes he had a phone on him, or at least some money so that he could call Brian and tell him what was going on. Closing his eyes, he forces himself to believe that Molly is back at the hotel eating a plate of fries and wondering where the hell he is. ************************* Exhausted, Molly stops running and sits down on a bench. Her legs were shaking; her face was wet from crying. This wasn’t good. Looking around, she looks up at the street sign and smiles suddenly, “I’m back on Hercules!” Standing up, she feels hopeful. “If I can just figure out where Thames River is, I can follow it back to the hotel!” She walks cautiously, trying to see if anything looks familiar. She doesn’t notice the car that has begun to follow her. ************************** Brian is pacing. “What the fuck am I suppose to do?” he asks himself. Back in the hotel room, he was torn: did he leave the hotel and search on foot? Get a cab? Or sit here and wait for them to return? Maybe Justin was familiar with the streets of London… Brian had no idea. ********************** “Molly?!”Justin calls out again as he aimlessly walks down Carisle Lane. Stopping suddenly, he realizes he’s back on Hercules. Scowling, he sits down on a bench. “I’m going in fuckin’ circles!” Leaning back, he decides that if Molly is okay, he’s going to give her absolute hell. ********************** “Molly?” Molly stops and turns towards the car in surprise... and then panic sets in.