Chapter 8: Where's Rachel? But Who's Rachel? part 2

Marcus Bennett laying on his bed with his eyes wide open, shocked by what transpired last night. He comes to his senses and check his bearings, blinking his eyes, the sting that they feel, wondering has he closed them at all, all throughout the night, as he sits up he recognizes that the blanket that has been covering him and the posters on his wall, all removed from its previous place and is now right on the ground, He notices he's wet, but not water wet, a clear, sticky, viscous goo that is surrounding his whole body. He mumbles a name "Rachel" and then begins to stand up, he goes to the phone that is in his bedroom and proceeds to call the local police station.

Operator: "Hello, Kollok Police Station."

Marcus: "Yes hi, I know this is gonna sound weird but, I was just wondering... have you heard or seen anything happened at the Jewel residence?"

Operator: "...Can you repeat that?"

Marcus: "The Jewel residence, like has anything happened over there, t-this is odd, I just have this thought or belief that something happened."

Operator: "We had a call from an individual earlier, a young Billy Baker maybe the two of you are in cahoots on this. He claims that the Jewel family's "daughter" has somehow been taken over by the bridge but the jewel family does not have a daughter as i'm sure you're aware sir?

Marcus: "Wait what? say that again?" distracted by what the operator said, saying that the Jewel family has no daughter.

Operator: "Your name sir?"as they say this Marcus panics and puts down the phone to cut the call

As he tries to make sense of everything he remembers he and Rachel would take pictures of polaroids everywhere around Kollok, he approaches his bedside table and looks through the drawer to find those photos and see them, only something is odd about them, he only sees himself, by himself and some only a background seeming to have been taking for the intention of having someone been taken a picture, he raises one that is just a blank wall, his hand shakes and drops the photo. Marcus rushes to clean himself of the goo and dashes out of his room, as he makes his way down the stairs, surprisingly, his parents Sam and Leela are still here, knowing that they are usually gone by the time he wakes up, going to work and would just leave a note that have gone for work in Synchroneity.

Sam: "Marcus, are you going to school early today?"

Marcus: "Oh you're here? I-"

Leela: "Well yes we usually leave by eight."

Marcus: "Well sometimes you work late and something like that-"

Sam: "We do work late, yes and we leave early, that's what's gonna pay for your college son."

Marcus: "I know, I know."

Sam: "Have you been turning your applications by the way?"

Marcus: "Yes, yes I have filled all my applications-"

Leela: "How come we haven't gotten your acceptance letters yet?"

Marcus: "They take time! They process, it takes weeks sometimes okay."

Sam: "Weeks?"

Marcus: "Yes."

Sam: "Okay, do you need us to write a recommendation letter we haven't been asked to do these things Marcus."

Marcus: "I'm sure when the time comes I'll ask you to write one okay. I'm trying alright, i'm trying, I know i'm gonna end up to some school, i'm trying."

Leela: "Okay well eat some breakfast before you go please, if you're gonna be going to school this early-"

Marcus: "Wait, I have to ask you guys something, I know this is gonna sound stupid, i know but like you've seen her so i'm sure you're aware like... you know who Rachel Jewel is right like, my girlfriend, she's been here a couple of times when you've come home."Leela Bennett Marcus's mother lets out an unexpected laugh and immediately tries to cover it up.

Sam: "Sorry son she's just a little surprised to hear you say girlfriend, are you dating someone now?"

Marcus: "Yes, Rachel you met her, remember you came one night and we were hanging out watching a movie?"

Leela: "No we haven't met anyone named Rachel honey, but I can't wait to." Marcus getting aggravated went back to his rooms and collects the used to be photos of him and Rachel and goes back down and throws them at the table.

Marcus: "Look, these were pictures that we took together, the two of us are in here together, she was in this photo by herself and now there is nothing there!"

Sam: "Alright son so you like taking pictures of empty street corners or something."

Marcus: "Okay this is gonna sound-"

Leela: "You know you're not going to art school, we've talked about this."

Marcus: "This is not about art! This is about- no one knows that this girl exist anymore, this is someone that I have seen and hang out with and dated, she's friend with other people I know, and know I'm talking to you and you don't know who she is, I'm looking at these pictures and she's not there anymore, I'm calling the police, they have no idea- they're saying that the Jewel family does not even have a daughter!"

Sam: "I mean I don't know the Jewel family son, I haven't heard of them, I don't remember them having a daughter. Look, I don't know what's going on with you on school, just keep up the good grades and everything in school-"

Marcus: "I'm talking about a missing girl! I figured you two would understand me ever since..."

Leela: "Look honey, I don't know what to tell you... you seemed to be all mixed up about somebody, but bring her home when you find her."

Sam: "No honey this is not the time to joke around he's obviously-"

Marcus: "No you know what , it's fine, it's fine okay I get it, you've already been through this before, so you don't want to go through this again, even though this is real, this is actually happening, okay? I'm sorry- just whatever." He lets go of the conversation and goes toward the front door and leaves the household, he breathes in the fresh air and thinks about the conversation with the operator of the police station, they mention Billy calling earlier, he thoughts that maybe he has answers to everything he is questioning, he approaches his bicycle and rides out to find Billy Baker.

The Assisted Income Living Complex, where out of towners have been residing, where locals with low income lives and where Mickey Jones and her father Michael Jones resides. A small apartment, two bedrooms, living room/kitchen combo, Michael lays asleep on the couch with the television on with a beer on his hand. In the bedroom of Mickey Jones she lays on the bed finally awaking from the horrors she have seen last night, she finds herself looking at her destroyed room, things shifted tumbled around, curtains dragged down to the ground, and her seeming to look wet, but not water wet, a sticky viscous goo that is covering her whole body from head to toe gripping through her clothes.

Mickey: "What the hell was that? What is this!?... I should be quiet or he's gonna wake up, he's gonna kill me for sure." she stands and walks to the shower to clean herself up, as she exits the shower fully clothed and about to head out, her father wakes up with a hangover seeming to notice movement in the apartment.

Michael: "Ugh, Mickey? is that you?"

Mickey: "Yeah dad I was just about to-"

Michael: "No Mickey-"

Mickey: "I'm just heading to school, you can go back to sleep."

Michael: "Mickey, I'm sorry I couldn't help you, just got real fucked up last night, I didn't yell at you did i?"he's saying with a slur in his voice still clearly in a drunken state.

Mickey: "No... not this time."

Michael: "Oh I'm so sorry, Mickey can you hand me some milk on the fridge before you go?"

Mickey: "Yeah, and how about some water and then just sleep."

Michael: "Yeah I'm calling today, I'm not going in today, okay thanks Mickey uh..."

Mickey: "Just get some rest dad I'll see you later." as she leaves, she looks at her dad and sighs noticing that what he was wearing he has worn for over two days and haven't yet changed, as he closes his eyes she sets foot outside of the apartment and locks the door, when she reached the front desk she sees an individual talking to the police.

Mickey: "Um... excuse me, did something happen? was there a break in or something?"

Old Man: "No, we had some kid come through here, prank calling the police, I guess he ran off, we told him to wait right here , his parent were on the way but, kid ran off."

Mickey: "Which kid was it?"

Policeman: "Which was it? Oh was it Billy Baker?"

Mickey: "Hmm, I don't know Billy very well."

Old Man: "He said something about a girl being taken or whatever over the bridge."

Mickey: "What girl?"

Policeman: "I'm sorry what?"

Mickey: "What girl, did he say?"

Policeman: "Well that's the problem, what girl."

Mickey: "Well did he mention a name at all?"

Policeman: "I'm not at liberty to tell you that miss unless you have information that could help in this situation."

Mickey: "I mean would it- a wild guess would it have been Rachel?" the police officer makes eye contact with the old man standing next to the desk seeming to look for any reaction whatsoever.

Policeman: "Uh, what did you say your name was?"

Mickey: "Um, Mickey, Mickey Jones."

Policeman: "Jones's girl, that's right, how's your dad doing by the way is he upright?"

Mickey: "Uh he's fine, it's fine."

Policeman: "Not giving us any trouble lately?"

Mickey: "No but do you know anything about Rachel?"

Policeman: "Well that's a question that i have to ask you missy, this Billy Baker mentions something about a Rachel Jewel."

Mickey: "Yeah Rachel Jewel-"

Policeman: "The Jewel family doesn't have a daughter miss Jones I find it quite rude that-" the police officer eyeing the old man still hearing the conversation, he grabs Mickey's arm and pulls her to the side with him and whispers.

Policman: "Look the a... Jewel family... I know it has been a long time, it's been a while, but they're not really in a position for the people to be putting this kind of hurt on them."

Mickey: "Wait, I don't know what you're talking about? Rachel she works at the movie theater with me, she goes to school, she clocked in last night, she must have clocked out, she closed up, you can check the books."

Policeman: "The books?"

Mickey: "Yes."

Policeman: "The books of the Movie theater?"

Mickey: "Yes we clock in and we clock out-"

Policeman: "For a girl that doesn't exist works at the Movie Theater?"

Mickey: "She exists, I saw her last night."

Policeman: "alright miss Jones why don't you hop in the cruiser we'll head over there together, we'll clear this all right up okay?"

Mickey: "Okay..."

Policeman: "Okay."

The police officer leads Mickey Jones by the arm, out to the front of the apartment complex and into the old police cruiser, he let her sit in the back as the door closes Mickey looks up at the building and sees where her apartment window in and sees her father looking down at her seeming confused on what is happening to her daughter at the moment, as the car drives away towards the Movie Theater.