Chapter ~ 11 # ~ Runner

Ethan ~ POV

I sighed as I sat down in the basement with grandpa. It had been a day or so since Noah's dad approached me. He seems like one of those parents that jumps in head first without thinking. I was sitting down here with grandpa mostly because I was one of the few things keeping him from hunting Noah's dad. Word quickly spread about his dad; some people think Noah's being abused, and honestly, I'm on the fence about it. Mostly because the old man looked like he wanted to fight me while we 'talked'. Though it was mostly him just rambling stuff he might have heard online. I was soon pulled out of my thoughts when I heard grandpa call me.

"Ethan, what do you think of this?" Grandpa asked as he reached into an open cabinet and pulled out an old wooden box.

Opening it, he showed an old revolver set. A big plate sat on the underside of the lid reading. 'Colt Walker, Made April 5, 1848' it was an old revolver my grandpa usually kept locked up with the others. I smiled as I walked over and looked at it; it still had the black powder pipe and all.

"I think it would be good in the historical display. Maybe next to that old revolver rifle?" I asked as I pointed to the rifle that sat in a display case with a few other rifles.

Grandpa nodded, liking the idea. The town was going to put on an old wild west show in a few months. The mayor thought displaying some of the Edward's family treasures from the time period might draw people in.

After a few minutes I made my way to the stairs.

"I'm gonna run to the bathroom." Called out to grandpa.

"Don't run; walk." He said, which got me to smile.

Walking up from the basement, I noticed most lights were out. Guess everyone went home now.

Hunter's Holiday was around the corner; it was to celebrate the town's history. The mayor and everyone are planning on turning the ghost town into a wild west setting. Shooting booths, where people can learn about the guns used in the wild west and shoot them at a safe range. Horse riding; camping followed by a show. The town does it every year like it's own personal holiday. This year the mayor asked if grandpa could pull a few things to display during the fair. He agreed but that they would need to be safely displayed.

I was still sore from the fight as I walked through the halls. I looked up at the paintings of all my relatives; I gotta say it's a little intimidating when you compare their lives to mine. I mean, I couldn't stop comparing my life. They all did something unique, yet I am getting into trouble with the law. After finding the bathroom, I noticed it was sectioned off by the janitor's cart. I was a little annoyed mainly because I'd need to find the one on the second floor. But I didn't mind, it was just a little inconvenient is all. I walked through the halls to the stairs. Elevators shut down after closing. Not sure why but I can't complain; it's only a two story building.

As I walked upstairs, I made my way to the bathroom. I have to say this place always gives me the creeps at night; not sure why. After I stepped out of the bathroom, I rolled my shoulders; without the self-defense club, I felt like I was growing stiff. As I twisted from side to side, I noticed something. There was a dim light coming from down the hall. I saw it was coming from an office door. That was a little weird; I thought everyone had gone home. I looked at it; it came from Mrs. O'hara's office. She's the one that usually handles most of the I.D. making for the city. I walked up and noticed a shadow moving in the light. I knocked on the door catching whoever was inside's attention.

"Mrs. O'hara, is that you?" I asked; the shadow stopped moving, and I didn't get an answer back.

I felt uncomfortable; I was going to step away, but suddenly the door to the office flew open, hitting me and sending me into a wall. I looked over to see a hooded figure running down the halls. I quickly got to my feet and chased after them. Even through the aches and pain, I chased after them. Thinking it was that woman again, I was going to get her and win this time. I watched them rush to the stairs; I was hot on their tail as they jumped to the last set and kept running. They looked back at me, not noticing the trash can they crashed into. I managed to close the distance a little before they returned to running.

The only usable exit at the Museum was near the front. They were running towards the back of the building. I tried thinking of where they would go until I watched the hooded figure crash through the back glass doors of the city hall. They stumbled a bit but kept running; I stood back in surprise as I watched them run to an awaiting car. They jumped into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. It looked like an old beat up SUV; the engine roared to life before speeding off. I caught a glimpse of the license plate; though it was only a partial, the plate looked aged like the rest of the car. I watched as the car sped through town out of sight. I kept staring at it, even as I heard grandpa call out from behind me.

"Ethan,… you ok!?" He asked; I looked back to see him running towards me with a pistol in hand that he kept pointed to the ground.

I didn't notice now, but my body ached from me running after a door slammed against me. I leaned against the wall as I gave grandpa a smile.

"I'm fine… I'm fine… I think someone broke in." I said as I felt grandpa wrap an arm under my shoulder to help me up.

He led me to a small sitting area before he began calling the Sheriff's department. A few minutes passed before Sheriff Olivia arrived with another deputy. The deputy questioned my grandpa while Olivia stood in front and looked down at me. I looked up to her wanting to tell a joke, but from the brutal cold look she gave, I'm guessing that would have been a wrong move.

"Ethan… what's going on?" Olivia asked me as she placed her hands in her pockets.

"I went to the bathroom and noticed lights in the upstairs office. I thought…." I began to say before Olivia interrupted me.

"Ethan… I want an honest answer…." She said, looking me straight in the eyes.

I was silent for a moment; honestly, I don't blame her for thinking I had a part in this. Not only once, twice, but three times I've run into the creeper. I took a deep breath to calm myself. I stared Olivia in the eyes as I spoke with her.

"If I was working with the creep, why would I fight and get my ass kicked by them?" I asked back; I was honestly a little offended.

Olivia looked me in the eyes; I could understand where her suspicions come from but still. The first time was by accident, the second time she came to us, and this time was caught breaking and entering again. Though, the part about her having a partner was new; maybe they were hiding out of sight back at the house break-in. Olivia and I looked at each other, wondering if one was lying or the other was really listening. Finally, she let out a frustrated sigh before placing a hand on her face.

"Ok… but you gotta admit…." She begins as she sits down next to me.

"I know, I know… truth be told, I'm a little worried now too," I said as I knew where she was going with this.

Suddenly I heard a voice on Olivia's radio.

"10 ~ Star, this is 13 ~ Duck. I've lost track of the vehicle. Northbound along 31st avenue. Guess whoever they were skipped town." He said; which caught me off guard.

"I saw them heading West," Olivia gave me a smile and stood up.

"Might have doubled back along a skeleton road. Don't worry it happens to the best of us." She said as she patted me on the shoulder.

I winced a little as I was still bruised from the last fight. I gritted my teeth, trying to hold back my groans of pain. Olivia pulled her hand back, giving me a sympathetic smile as her apology. I smiled back at her before she walked off and spoke over the radio. I sat there thinking; that something didn't feel right; granted, I'm not the most observant one comparatively speaking. But grandpa taught me basic navigation when I was a kid. I could have sworn that the car went west. I didn't overthink it as I watched grandpa walk over to me; he had his pistol holstered as he helped me up. We went home; grandma was freaking out as I stepped into the house.

That night I mainly just lay in my room thinking about everything that happened. Something isn't adding up; first, the creeper comes to town. Breaks into the local high school to try and find someone. Then they broke into the house of my missing friend, and now they broke into city hall. None of this added up; I couldn't get much good sleep throughout the night. Today Grandma forced me to stay home; she was starting to think that the creeper might be coming after me. Grandpa tried talking to her, but she wasn't budging; she did say I could go outside as long as I was with grandpa or her. Though that presented a problem since grandpa mainly works in the Museum, I just had a close encounter with the creep. Grandpa patted me on the shoulder.

"Why don't you and grandma do a little antique hunting today," Grandpa suggested, which wasn't a bad idea.

Grandma had a hobby of collecting antiques and selling them online. Can't tell you how many times she accidentally sold a family heirloom. Hence why, grandpa moved all those to the Museum's basement. Grandma keeps her antiques in the garage now. She makes decent money selling them online. It honestly wasn't that bad of an idea. Today grandma mostly had appointments to visit; some of the items she deals with can get very big. She still hasn't broken her record of selling the old pioneer wagon. She ended up selling it to one of those interactive theme parks where actors dressed up as people from that time.

Riding with grandma was challenging, mainly because she rarely uses the brakes. We ended up coming to one of the older houses. I smiled as Deputy Ben's wife, Mrs. Harasen, smiled as she waved to us from the porch. I climbed out of Grandma's car. I was mostly here for muscle, so I kept to myself and texted with Noah. Mrs. Harasen led us into the house, offering grandma and me some water. I took the offered cup as I looked around the house. I saw a few old pictures hanging from the walls. Most of them seem to be from their old days. That was when I noticed something in one of the pictures.

The picture that caught my attention was Deputy Ben in a uniform. He stood with another officer; from their uniforms, it looked like they had just graduated. But what surprised me the most was who the other officer was. It looked like Mr. Davis; I mean, he looked just like Mr. Davis; but these two held up certificates with their names in the picture. One said the word Benjamin Harasen; the other read Theo Williams in the same thick bold lettering.