Jimmy, Timmy, and Ty stumble through the dark, damp tunnel. Jimmy is forging ahead while Timmy is guarding the rear, their heavy footsteps muffled by the slick earth beneath them. The air surrounding them grows colder as they move through the narrow passage.
Reaching the end, Jimmy plants his boot on a jagged rock and tries to climb up. His foot slips on the cold, damp stone, sending him crashing face‑first into the oversized boulder. The thud echoes through the narrow passage. Moaning, he pushes himself away from the rock. Blood begins to trickle from his nose. He wipes it on the sleeve of his shirt, smearing a dark stain across the fabric. "One of you needs to help me with this," he says, wiping the blood dripping from his nose again.
Ty's brows knit together. A curious expression trickles across his face. He glances over at Jimmy, then up at the ceiling. "What do you need help with?" "Ty asks, stepping closer."
Jimmy shines the light at the ceiling, then angles it at what looks to be a small metal block. He points, turns to Ty, and asks, "See that lockup there?"
Ty squints into the light. "Yeah."
Moving the flashlight to his hand, Jimmy holds out a small silver-colored key. "I need you to use this to unlock the hatch." Jimmy nervously eyes the area they just left. A horrid image pops into his head; shivering, he turns and adds, "So you, I, and Tommy can get out of here before it's too late."
Timmy shifts uneasily. "Where will we end up?" Timmy grumbles, unsure if Jimmy's plan will make their situation better or worse.
"On the other side of town. "Figure we can easily huff it to the hideout from there without being seen."
"Do you think they'll want to go through with this after what happened just now?"
Timmy crosses his arms. "Ty's right, they weren't exactly vibing with the idea to begin with."
Jimmy exhaled sharply. "All we can do is ask."
Squinting at the ceiling, Ty visually measures the distance between the rock and the hatch. Turning towards Jimmy, Ty assesses his capabilities. "Are you sure you can get up there, old man?"
Jimmy glances at the opening again, then says with a huff, "You're right, I may need you two to give me a lift. C'mon—give me a hand getting up there." Each boy takes a side. Jimmy starts to climb up when a sharp pain shoots through his back. He grimaces, turns to the boys, and says, "On second thought, maybe we should call one of them for a lift."
***
Arriving in town five hours later, Tommy's first stop is the Berryville PD. He's met with a great deal of resistance the second he steps through the door. The temperature in the room seemed to drop the moment he stepped into the room.
Joe steps out of his office. "You shouldn't be here, Tommy." His voice thickens with every syllable. Joe runs his fingers through his thin, greying hair and adds, "This town isn't safe for you anymore."
In a steady but firm voice, Tommy says, "I assure you, Captain, I'm only here because of my kid, not to cause trouble. And the second I find him, I guarantee you we'll be out of your hair for good."
Joe runs his fingers through his thinning grey hair a second time, a little rougher this time. He understands Tommy's reasoning, but he also recalls what happened that frightful night nine years ago. The chaos and all the panic, the gunfire that destroyed the town, and the bodies dead in the streets. I'm not having something like that destroy my town again. He then recalls the town's past devastation and how it took decades to rebuild.
The first catastrophe was the aftermath of the civil war, and the second was the 1942 tornado that tore through the town, leaving over 200 injured and 29 fatalities. The property damage was estimated at $500,000. An unimaginable sum for a town this size.
Joe's body tenses as he recalls Berryville's life-changing disasters. "You just being in town is enough to kick off a fiasco." Recalling the bloodbath that he just returned from, the captain adds, "Something this department doesn't need right now."
Tommy's determined expression hardens. He tightens his jaw, and his eyes narrow when he says, "I'm not leaving without my kid." He waves his hand across the room as he finishes. "And if all hell breaks loose, well, that's on all of you for not locking them away when you had the chance."
"We are doing everything we can to find your boy, Mr. Campbell."
He glances across the room to find a horde of officers sitting at their desks. Some were shuffling papers while others were taking a leisurely break. How in the hell can they be looking for my boy when they're sitting on their ass? He thinks, counting a total of twenty heads. Turning back towards the captain, his anger on the verge of boiling over, he asks, "So what is it exactly that you're supposedly doing? Because it doesn't seem like you're doing shit to me."
Joe sees the same familiar spark he'd seen nine years ago. It was the same rage that turned a bad night into a blood bath. Joe decides to try and defuse the situation. He places his hand on Tommy's shoulder. Tommy shrugs it off. "Everyone walking the beat knows to keep an eye out for him, and so do my officers on patrol."
Tommy's face turns a bright crimson color. He doubles his fists at his side so tight that his knuckles turn white as he asks, "That's it?" My nine-year-old daughter could do better than that."
"We're also keeping an eye out on the local kids' favorite haunts, and we've talked to all of Timmothy's friends, but they claim they haven't seen or heard from him in days."
Tommy pulls a cell phone from his pocket. "That's because I have his phone." Tommy recalls watching a show where they used GPS tracking to locate him. He looks down at the small device that has started this whole thing. "I wish he still had it now. " He sighs.
"Can I see that?"
I couldn't find anything useful on it, but maybe Joe's forensic team could recover deleted files and trace something he missed. Tommy eyes the cell again. It's the only thing I have left that connects me to my son, but something on it could save his life. Reluctantly, Tommy hands it over.
"I'll have my team get right on it. Joe starts to head out the door, stops, turns on his heels, and says. "My advice to you is to get out of town while you still can."
"I'm not leaving without Timmy."
Joe's expression softens as he walks back over. "I understand your concern, believe me, I do, being a father myself and all. But you going out looking for him could get you both killed. Joe puts his hand on Tommy's shoulder. In a softer, understanding voice, he continues, "Let us handle it this time, alright?"