As Her World Falls Down

I crossed the darkening street, my flats slapping against the ground as the rain continued to pour down around me. I looked up at the dim bar sign that glowed with the words Guiller's in the twilight and adjusted my bag across my shoulder before yanking open the hefty door. I ran a hand through my hair as I strode towards the bar across the room, only too aware of the squelching sound that came from my now drenched shoes. It was an old bar the floors wooden and beaten with age, the walls decorated with odd memorabilia, rock music coming from a worn down jukebox in the corner. I took a glance around noticing that only a few other patrons were scattered throughout the room nurses their pints of beer, this could be convenient or troublesome depending. An older gentleman approached me from the other side of the bar, asking me what I wanted to drink.I pulled my notepad and pen from my page placing them on the counter in front of me reading the pen as he placed the pint in front of me. "What can you tell me about the disappearance that occurred late last Friday night?" I asked placing my money for the beer on the worn counter. "Nothing to tell" he answered his voice gruff. He gave me a narrowed look and turned to walk away. "But the woman Amelia Northing was last seen here by eye witnesses before disappearing with a young man later on in the evening, she hasn't been heard from in over a week now" I pushed taking a hearty sip of my pint while he turned around to face my. "I already answered questions for the police, ain't nothing more I can tell ya unless you're looking for trouble" he warned.... not a threat, but a you're going to get yourself into trouble kind of look. "I willing to risk trouble to uncover the truth at play here" I challenged keeping his gaze. "I'm sorry miss but I can't help you" he said shaking his head as he walked away. I went to pose another question but he cut me short "I won't have your blood on my hands miss, finish yer beer and head on home" leaving me to my beer and my thoughts. I continued working over my notes that I had on the case, trying to puzzle out where else might be a good target to scope out. I tried to talk to the other patrons in the bar but each one had some cryptic excuse for why they couldn't answer my questions. I downed the rest of my beer and threw my notepad back into my bag marching out of the bar and back into the pouring rain. Damn! This has happened with every missing persons case that fits into the profile, every place refuses to discuss it, every person seems to be afraid of something bigger. I pulled my jacket around me and marched down the street, destination nowhere. I walked for 10 minutes when I noticed a shadow tailing me, I marked it and took a turn down an alleyway a minute later and waited in the dark. A dark figure stepped into the alley a minute after and cursed as they thought they had lost me, and that's when I struck. I launched out from my hiding and slammed the figure into the wall, pulling the hood down to unveil my stalker. A young man, maybe early twenties, stood there with a sheepish look on his face with a cross of what looked to be be fear. His shocking white hair plastered to his face in the rain, his dark eyes glinting in the shadow of the alley. "You have 10 seconds to explain why you have been tailing me for the last 5 minutes before I do something you're really not going to like" I growled giving him a another shove against the wall. "I heard you talking in the bar and decided to give you a tip about where you might want to try your luck interrogating people" he said holding his arms up in innocence. I narrowed my eyes at him "And why not just get my attention instead of stalking me for 5 minutes?" I questioned. A serious look crossed his dark eyes in that moment, the same I had witnessed in every other person I had questioned. " I can't risk being seen talking to you, hell I can't even tell you anything only point you in the right direction. You have to figure things out for yourself." he spoke his voice getting lower as if he feared being heard. "The place you're looking for is The Wyld, it's a club in the middle of nowhere. That's were that girl was taken last week after she left Guiller's last week. I can give you directions if you promise not to mention how you found the place should anyone ask." he said staring intently waiting for my agreement. I nodded my head. "I won't try to tell you not to go as you've clearly made up your mind, I told you so you might find peace with the fact that the people you're looking for are gone. Forever." the seriousness of his face gave me pause, a shiver coursing down my spine. I released him from the wall as he gave me an address to write down. "Don't stay long, don't get caught, don't drink anything and good luck... gods know you are going to need it" and with that he swiftly walked back down the alley and was gone. I stayed there for a moment pondering whether I has just had a bout of the strangest good luck or the beginning of the worst luck I'd ever had. I strode out of the alley now a goal within my grasp, a new found motivation fired through my veins as I hopped into my car. I took a glance at the address and braced myself for what soon hoped to find, the answers to my questions. I would soon find out all to soon what kind of luck plagued me.