Keith's POV
September 4th, 2019
11:45 p.m.

I haven't heard from Claire in hours. Mom and Dad called the police, but nothing has come up yet. I sat in my room, looking out my window. I quietly hummed a song from a musical that I was currently into.

'It's quiet uptown.' I hummed. The song itself was depressing, but it showed how the main character made up with his wife after cheating on her.

My room was dark as midnight crept closer. It's not like Claire to not come home. I thought about the people she hung out with before texting Charlie.

Hamilfan: Hey, have you seen Claire?

Charlieeeee: No? The last time I saw her was after school when we went to the lab. Why? Is something wrong?

Hamilfan: Okay, well, I was wondering if she went over to your house after work. She hasn't gotten home yet, and it's not like her to stay away from home this long.

Charlieeeee: Yeah, that's not like her. If you want, I can pick you up and we can head to the lab to look for her. Maybe she stayed late?

Hamilfan: Okay. I'll have to check with my mom though. I'm not sure if she'll want me to go.

I set my phone down before walking downstairs. My mom sitting at the dining room table, her phone next to her. She had been crying earlier, but the tears were stained to her cheeks now.

"Hey mom? I asked Charlie about Claire. He hasn't seen her since they were at the lab." I said gingerly, walking over to her.

I heard her sigh before continuing.

"So.....Charlie is going to go back to the lab to check for her. I was wondering if I could go with him?" I asked. I was kind of expecting her to say no anyways.

"I don't know......what if something happens to you as well? I just don't know if I can loose two kids in one day." My mom said, beginning to cry at the thought.

"Hey.....hey it's okay. I promise I'll be back, and with Claire. Besides, I'll be with Charlie, so I'll be safe. I promise." I said, rubbing her back gently. Wherever Claire is, she better have a good reason for making Mom worry so much.

"Alright. Just please be safe. I don't want to loose you too." She said softly, bring me in for a hug.

"I will mom, I promise. And we will find Claire." I said firmly, hugging her back.

After she let go, I walked up to my room to text Charlie.

Hamilfan: Hey. My mom said I can come. When will you be here?

Charlieeeee: Five minutes. Just getting into the car now.

I locked my phone and looked outside again, thinking quietly to myself.

'We push away the unimaginable.' I thought to myself. If something did happen to Claire, then I have to be here for my family and not sucked into grief. The past few months have been hard already.

Charlie arrived around midnight. I got into the car, and was surprised that he hugged me. I could tell he was trying to hold it in. I was trying to hold it in too, but with him embracing me, I couldn't. I cried into his shoulder, hugging him back. He cried into mine.

We sat there for five minutes before he let go and began to drive towards Lynn Labs. I had stopped crying, and could feel the tears drying up on my cheeks.

"Where do you think she would've gone?" I asked, my voice cracking a bit as I tried to regain myself.

"I honestly don't know. When we went, she was pretty interested in the spiders we saw....." he said slowly. I watched as he eyebrows knitted together and his face lit up with shock and fear.

"What is it??? What's wrong?" I asked, now worried because of his facial expression.

"She went to go see the spiders again. She could be in danger!" He muttered before stepping on the gas. We lurched forward as he drove at speeds that weren't good to drive at in a big city.

It took us about two minutes to get to Lynn Labs. Once Charlie made sure the car was parked, he jumped out of the car. I followed him, running as well. I don't know what happened, but he looks like he has an idea.

He quickly scanned his card and we got in. We then ran into the elevator. He jammed his finger on the button that read 31.

"Okay, since we have to wait, can you PLEASE explain to me why the spiders are so dangerous?" I yelled, clearly annoyed.

"Yes. Sorry. The spiders are genetically modified so they have a poisonous bite and can paralyze you if you aren't wearing any goggles." He panted, his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his posture

I groaned to myself before pressing myself against the elevator wall. What has she done?

842 words

Welp, I'm gonna leave this here. It's kinda a cliffhanger, but the next chapter is super interesting 👀

Also, thank you guys for reading this! I have 7 reads (it's not that much, but I do appreciate that you guys are reading this book 😂)