Kate

My feet pounded against the concrete as I ran towards the road. I knew exactly where I was headed.

I reached the jail before I could think twice about what I was about to do. Valerie needed me. We needed each other. At least that's what I kept telling myself.

I knew I could get in major trouble for my actions, but if it helped Valerie, then I would do anything.

I walked into the lobby of the jailhouse. I immediately noticed the large, heavy-looking steel doors that most likely kept the prisoners confined inside. There was an old, wooden desk in the corner and three plastic chairs on the right wall. The concrete floor and white, bare walls gave the room a drab feel.

I walked over to the desk where an older man sat typing at a computer. Even the computer looked ancient. "Excuse me," I said politely, after I had been standing there for a couple minutes.

The man looked up at me. I glanced at his name tag that read Jake. "Yes, ma'am?" he asked. I detected a hint of a Southern accent mixed with a bit of annoyance.

"I'm here to visit an inmate. Her name is--" I began to say, before Jake interrupted me.

"Visiting hours are closed for today. You can come back tomorrow at noon," Jake said with a sigh.

"Yes, I understand. But may I please see her? It's very important," I said, starting to get desperate. If he refused again, I already had a Plan B ready.

Jake looked at me suspiciously. Suddenly, another cop walked up to the desk. His name tag read Paul. "Sorry to interrupt, but I think we can squeeze in one more visit. What is your name?" Paul asked.

My previous disappointment turned into happiness. There was still hope. And, quite honestly, hope was pretty much all I needed. "My name is Kate. I'm here to visit Valerie Rose."

A brief look of panic flashed across his face before he replaced it with a smile. "Of course. Right this way," Paul said, leading me through the steel doors.

We walked through a long hallway filled with empty cells. Occasionally, we passed a couple inmates who were moping around in a common room but Officer Paul ordered them to go back to their cells.

We finally reached the cells where the inmates were kept. Out of everyone, I spotted Valerie immediately. She was sitting cross-legged on a bed, facing the opposite wall. As we got closer, I noticed that she was deep in conversation with another inmate who was sitting on the other bed. The girl Valerie was talking to looked familiar, but I couldn't place her.

"Valerie, you have a visitor. I will escort you to the visitor's room," Paul said. Valerie looked up and met my eyes. Despite the warm temperature in the jail, I shivered. Valerie was glaring at me with pure hatred.

"I'll be back soon," Valerie told the girl. She hopped off her bed and walked towards us. We were led to a small room with a long table and two folding chairs. The officer stood outside the room, keeping an eye on us from a grimy window that sectioned us off from the cells outside.

"Valerie, I am so sorry that things turned out this way. I had no idea that Susan had sent the police to your house. I should never have let that happen," I apologized. I looked at Valerie to gauge her reaction but she was just staring at me blankly.

When Valerie didn't reply, I asked, "Val, are you okay?"

Valerie shook her head slowly. "You should have never let that happen," Valerie repeated. Her voice sounded hollow and her face was pale and ghostly in the dim lighting.

"I know. And I'm really sorry for that. But I have a plan to get you out of here," I added, lowering my voice. I was practically whispering.

When Valerie didn't reply, I continued. "I could sneak us out through a window I saw at the end of this hallway. It opens up into the side parking lot. If you listen to my instructions--" I explained before Valerie cut me off.

"I want to stay here. I don't want to go with you. And, anyway, I made a new friend," Valerie said simply. "She is a much better friend than you."

"Valerie, what are you saying? You're not thinking straight. Come on, you will be out of here in no time," I pleaded with her.

Valerie smiled eerily. She glanced back at the cop, who was still watching us. When he noticed Valerie looking, he held up five fingers and began counting down.

What? How could my visiting time be up so soon?

"We're supposed to shake hands at the end of our visiting time," Valerie said. That made no sense whatsoever, but I didn't question it. The guard held up one finger just as Valerie shook my hand.

I felt Valerie press something into my hand. When I looked down, I noticed that I was holding a crumbled piece of paper. I unfolded it and read it. The words sent a chill down my spine. I finally knew why Valerie had been acting strangely.

This isn't over. I am coming for you, Kate.

I looked up to ask what the note meant but Valerie and the cop were gone.

∆

I balled the note in my fist and stuck it in my pocket. I would evaluate it later. Right now, I needed to hail a cab to Brooklyn.

Suspended or not, I was going to find Jack and defeat his spy organization.

I trudged over to the curb, feeling less than stellar. When I noticed a cab coming my way, I stuck my hand out to signal it to stop. Following my command, the cab pulled up in front of me.

I clambered inside and told the cab driver to take me to Flatbush. To my surprise, he shook his head firmly. "I can't take you there," the man said. "Flatbush is a dangerous place. It's definitely not a place for a girl like you. Now please get out."

I exited the cab and paced around the sidewalk, angry that my plan had been hindered by a scared taxi driver. The cab drove away faster than it appeared. I was pacing back and forth for a good fifteen minutes before a small Mercedes pulled up in front of me. I tried peering inside the car but the windows were tinted.

Suddenly, the passenger side window rolled down. I was greeted by Bethany, who was smiling from ear to ear.

"Oh, hey! I'm so glad you're here. What's up with you?" I asked her. Bethany's smile was growing bigger by the minute.

"Get in the car. I have some good news," Bethany said excitedly. I did as I was told. Once I was nestled inside the car next to Caitlin, I looked at them expectedly.

"You're not suspended anymore! We talked to Susan and she understands that your outburst was mainly from being stressed out over Valerie. She said that you could come back, but if she gives you three warnings, you're out again," Caitlin explained.

"That's amazing! Thank you guys so much," I said excitedly.

"If you don't mind me interrupting, we should start heading to Flatbush. It's very dangerous at night, so I would like to leave beforehand," a voice said. That's when I finally noticed the police escort in the driver's seat.

"Okay. I made you a copy of the map," Bethany said, handing one to me as the police escort started driving.

I studied the map carefully. "Where should we head first?" I asked.

"There's an abandoned warehouse on the left. See that X there? I say we go there first, then work our way in," Bethany said, pointing to the map.

I nodded, agreeing. We arrived at the warehouse in twenty minutes. That had given us enough time to plan our strategy.

We decided to head through the side entrance. We carefully exited the car and made our way towards the door.

Strangely enough, the door was slightly ajar.

Caitlin took out a small pocket knife. It was our only weapon, so it would have to do.

I opened the door as quietly as I could, but a loud creak emanated from the rusty hinges. We stepped inside, making sure to leave the door open behind us.

I took a look at my surroundings. The room was filled with dusty black sheets that were draped neatly over empty cardboard boxes. No one was in sight.

We made our way to the middle of the warehouse, peering into every box and shining our flashlights into every corner.

I noticed that Bethany had her flashlight trained into one corner in particular. Then I saw why.

A rope ladder was hanging from a hole in the ceiling.

We made our way over to the corner, being careful not to step on anything. As we got closer, we noticed that the ladder was missing a few rungs. It also looked dusty, like it had not been used in years.

Bethany grabbed the ladder before we could stop her. She cautiously made her way up, checking every rung to make sure it was stable.

When she reached the gap in the roof, she heaved herself through it. It took her eyes a second to adjust before she let out a blood curdling scream.