Haley's Adventure, Part 12
There is only one more chapter after this one! :)
Part One/Part Two/Part Three/Part Four
Part Five/Part Six/Part Seven/Part Eight
Part Nine/Part Ten/Part 11
Early that morning, Carl awoke, showered for the first time in two weeks, and immediately went downstairs to check his e-mail. Nothing. This whole situation was frustrating him to no end. He wanted to find Haley...No, he needed to find Haley. He had no choice. Someone out there had her, and he would do everything in his power to get her back.
He sat there and stared at his computer screen. He had no way of knowing how or where to look for Haley. He kept thinking about the last e-mail he had received from this unknown sender. 'Be careful who you confide in. Someone very close to Haley is the commander of this betrayal'.
"Someone very close to Haley?" Carl said aloud, "That's not possible. The Maroulis family is a tight, loving, caring, devoted family. It doesn't make any sense. Maybe someone she works with? No, she works alone and has never mentioned any problems. A friend, maybe?" Carl continued to suggest possiblities in his head, but none of it made any sense to him. He was more blind to this situation than he thought.
Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by his front door flying open. "What the??" Carl screamed as he stood up to face who was breaking and entering.
"Oh Carl!" Helayna screamed out.
"Carl! You're here! Oh my God!" Rayanne cried.
"Carl!! You're alive!!!!!!!!!" Gretchen screamed.
"What in the world are you guys talking about? Of course I'm alive!!" Carl answered confused by his sisters-in-law's actions.
"Oh Carl," Rayanne said softly, "We...we thought......we thought....."
"We thought you were dead!!" Gretchen cried out.
"Thank God, you're ok!" Helayna said as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Helayna.....?" Carl began but couldn't get a word in edge wise.
"I mean, if you.....were not here anymore, Carl, I think we'd all go crazy. It would be too much. First Haley, now you. It's just, unimaginable!!" Rayanne sobbed.
"Ok, please...slow down, and tell me what is going on. Why in the world would you ladies think I was dead??" Carl asked afraid to hear the answer.
"Oh Carl," Helayna said softly.
Gretchen walked up to Carl and looked into his eyes, "Carl........there was an explosion. At Sim City Hall. No survivors."
Carl stood there, motionless. His heart began to race, his stomach began to quiver. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, "My work?" Carl asked barely managing to get the words out, "There was an explosion at.....my work? And there were no survivors?"
"Weren't you supposed to go to work today?" Gretchen asked curiously.
"I was fired. Yesterday."
Gretchen's throat closed up, "Well I guess, lucky for you, you lost your job!"
"Carl!!" Bobbi screamed as she ran into the living room, "Carl!! Oh my God!!!"
"There was an explosion, Bobbi," Carl said, "An explosion. At the hall."
"I know, Carl. Thank God you're alright! Thank God you didn't go to work today!!!" Bobbi said relieved he was standing in front of her, "Why didn't you go to work today?"
"Bobbi, I was let go yesterday. They let me go. And now....they're all....and I'm....." Carl said, still in shock.
Bobbi backed away from him, "Do you have any idea what I would do if I lost you too?"
"I know, Bobbi. But I'm ok. I'm ok," Carl said reassuringly.
Pause.
"What if something is going on, Carl?" Bobbi suggested quietly.
"What do you mean?" Carl asked curiously. She was onto something. He knew it.
"Well maybe the explosion was...meant to happen. Meant for you," Bobbi said finding it was difficult to even say those words.
"Maybe you're right, Bobbi. Maybe someone is trying to....," Carl swallowed, "kill me."
"Don't say that, Carl. Please...," Bobbi said trying to force the image out of her head, "Have you received any e-mails?"
"One more. They told me that someone very close to Haley is in on this whole thing!" Carl said anxiously, trying to whisper as best he could,"Which means....."
Carl leaned in towards Bobbi, "Someone in this room could be...."
Bobbi gasped, "You don't think?"
"I don't know. But we should consider every possibility, don't you think?"
"Yes, I do. This should be kept between us, then."
"Are you telling secrets?" Gretchen asked as the sisters glared at them.
"No secrets," Bobbi answered quickly, "Carl is a little upset right now. He kind of just found out that his horrendous job performance is the reason why he is not in little tiny pieces everywhere. So give him a break."
"Thank you for that," Carl said sarcastically, noticing how lovely Bobbi always worded things.
Rayanne walked over to Carl and placed his head in her chest (not in a dirty way, I swear), and attempted to comfort him. At that point, Carl trusted no one except Bobbi.
"Carl, everything will be ok. I promise you. Time is the only thing that can make all of this go away. We just have to be patient."
Carl stood upright and hugged Rayanne, "I know, Rayanne. You have to remember that too, ok?"
"I know."
Much later that night, Carl signed on to check his e-mail. He had one of those funny feelings in his stomach again. Something was going to happen that night. He felt it in his blood.
'YOU'VE GOT MAIL'
Those words frightened Carl with everything he had in his soul. He slowly proceeded to check his e-mail. Sure enough, there was one, from an unknown sender. He double clicked.
You're lucky you're alive, Carl. They were after you.'
Carl stopped reading. Bobbi was right. They were trying to kill him. His heart was beating out of his chest. His mind was full of mixed emotions. He felt terrified, yet very angry.
Carl attempted to read the rest of the e-mail. Things have gotten out of control. You need to do something now. I know where Haley is, and you must find her.
Carl took a deep breath. He was going to find out where his wife was.
She's in the basement of an old warehouse. They've sedated her. Hurry, Carl. Or I'm afraid, you might just be too late.
Carl felt himself gag. He controlled himself as he thought of all the horrible things these people could do to Haley, whoever they were. He needed to get there. Fast.
The only warehouse in Sim City was the one on Burger Blvd. It had been abandoned for thirty two years. Until now. It was damp down there with a considerably amount of four legged creatures. Carl had a phobia of spiders, but he didn't let that stop him from getting to his wife.
Carl slowly followed the silent hallway of that basement. With every step he took, he knew he was getting closer to Haley. He felt it in his gut.
Carl began to get very jumpy, the further he made it through the hall. He kept hearing noises that weren't there. He would never admit it, but he was absolutely horrifed. He had no idea what he was going to find behind those walls. But he continued on his way. For Haley. He needed to find her. He needed to be her hero.
The further he got, the darker it became. Just then he turned the corner, and heard some noises. This time, he wasn't imagining them. They were voices. Very very very.....familiar voices.
Part One/Part Two/Part Three/Part Four
Part Five/Part Six/Part Seven/Part Eight
Part Nine/Part Ten/Part 11
Early that morning, Carl awoke, showered for the first time in two weeks, and immediately went downstairs to check his e-mail. Nothing. This whole situation was frustrating him to no end. He wanted to find Haley...No, he needed to find Haley. He had no choice. Someone out there had her, and he would do everything in his power to get her back.
He sat there and stared at his computer screen. He had no way of knowing how or where to look for Haley. He kept thinking about the last e-mail he had received from this unknown sender. 'Be careful who you confide in. Someone very close to Haley is the commander of this betrayal'.
"Someone very close to Haley?" Carl said aloud, "That's not possible. The Maroulis family is a tight, loving, caring, devoted family. It doesn't make any sense. Maybe someone she works with? No, she works alone and has never mentioned any problems. A friend, maybe?" Carl continued to suggest possiblities in his head, but none of it made any sense to him. He was more blind to this situation than he thought.
Just then, his thoughts were interrupted by his front door flying open. "What the??" Carl screamed as he stood up to face who was breaking and entering.
"Oh Carl!" Helayna screamed out.
"Carl! You're here! Oh my God!" Rayanne cried.
"Carl!! You're alive!!!!!!!!!" Gretchen screamed.
"What in the world are you guys talking about? Of course I'm alive!!" Carl answered confused by his sisters-in-law's actions.
"Oh Carl," Rayanne said softly, "We...we thought......we thought....."
"We thought you were dead!!" Gretchen cried out.
"Thank God, you're ok!" Helayna said as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Helayna.....?" Carl began but couldn't get a word in edge wise.
"I mean, if you.....were not here anymore, Carl, I think we'd all go crazy. It would be too much. First Haley, now you. It's just, unimaginable!!" Rayanne sobbed.
"Ok, please...slow down, and tell me what is going on. Why in the world would you ladies think I was dead??" Carl asked afraid to hear the answer.
"Oh Carl," Helayna said softly.
Gretchen walked up to Carl and looked into his eyes, "Carl........there was an explosion. At Sim City Hall. No survivors."
Carl stood there, motionless. His heart began to race, his stomach began to quiver. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, "My work?" Carl asked barely managing to get the words out, "There was an explosion at.....my work? And there were no survivors?"
"Weren't you supposed to go to work today?" Gretchen asked curiously.
"I was fired. Yesterday."
Gretchen's throat closed up, "Well I guess, lucky for you, you lost your job!"
"Carl!!" Bobbi screamed as she ran into the living room, "Carl!! Oh my God!!!"
"There was an explosion, Bobbi," Carl said, "An explosion. At the hall."
"I know, Carl. Thank God you're alright! Thank God you didn't go to work today!!!" Bobbi said relieved he was standing in front of her, "Why didn't you go to work today?"
"Bobbi, I was let go yesterday. They let me go. And now....they're all....and I'm....." Carl said, still in shock.
Bobbi backed away from him, "Do you have any idea what I would do if I lost you too?"
"I know, Bobbi. But I'm ok. I'm ok," Carl said reassuringly.
Pause.
"What if something is going on, Carl?" Bobbi suggested quietly.
"What do you mean?" Carl asked curiously. She was onto something. He knew it.
"Well maybe the explosion was...meant to happen. Meant for you," Bobbi said finding it was difficult to even say those words.
"Maybe you're right, Bobbi. Maybe someone is trying to....," Carl swallowed, "kill me."
"Don't say that, Carl. Please...," Bobbi said trying to force the image out of her head, "Have you received any e-mails?"
"One more. They told me that someone very close to Haley is in on this whole thing!" Carl said anxiously, trying to whisper as best he could,"Which means....."
Carl leaned in towards Bobbi, "Someone in this room could be...."
Bobbi gasped, "You don't think?"
"I don't know. But we should consider every possibility, don't you think?"
"Yes, I do. This should be kept between us, then."
"Are you telling secrets?" Gretchen asked as the sisters glared at them.
"No secrets," Bobbi answered quickly, "Carl is a little upset right now. He kind of just found out that his horrendous job performance is the reason why he is not in little tiny pieces everywhere. So give him a break."
"Thank you for that," Carl said sarcastically, noticing how lovely Bobbi always worded things.
Rayanne walked over to Carl and placed his head in her chest (not in a dirty way, I swear), and attempted to comfort him. At that point, Carl trusted no one except Bobbi.
"Carl, everything will be ok. I promise you. Time is the only thing that can make all of this go away. We just have to be patient."
Carl stood upright and hugged Rayanne, "I know, Rayanne. You have to remember that too, ok?"
"I know."
Much later that night, Carl signed on to check his e-mail. He had one of those funny feelings in his stomach again. Something was going to happen that night. He felt it in his blood.
'YOU'VE GOT MAIL'
Those words frightened Carl with everything he had in his soul. He slowly proceeded to check his e-mail. Sure enough, there was one, from an unknown sender. He double clicked.
You're lucky you're alive, Carl. They were after you.'
Carl stopped reading. Bobbi was right. They were trying to kill him. His heart was beating out of his chest. His mind was full of mixed emotions. He felt terrified, yet very angry.
Carl attempted to read the rest of the e-mail. Things have gotten out of control. You need to do something now. I know where Haley is, and you must find her.
Carl took a deep breath. He was going to find out where his wife was.
She's in the basement of an old warehouse. They've sedated her. Hurry, Carl. Or I'm afraid, you might just be too late.
Carl felt himself gag. He controlled himself as he thought of all the horrible things these people could do to Haley, whoever they were. He needed to get there. Fast.
The only warehouse in Sim City was the one on Burger Blvd. It had been abandoned for thirty two years. Until now. It was damp down there with a considerably amount of four legged creatures. Carl had a phobia of spiders, but he didn't let that stop him from getting to his wife.
Carl slowly followed the silent hallway of that basement. With every step he took, he knew he was getting closer to Haley. He felt it in his gut.
Carl began to get very jumpy, the further he made it through the hall. He kept hearing noises that weren't there. He would never admit it, but he was absolutely horrifed. He had no idea what he was going to find behind those walls. But he continued on his way. For Haley. He needed to find her. He needed to be her hero.
The further he got, the darker it became. Just then he turned the corner, and heard some noises. This time, he wasn't imagining them. They were voices. Very very very.....familiar voices.