Ping
1844 Words
DRUN
“Araya it’s Drun again, call me back please, I am worried… I love you.”
It has been two days since I heard from Araya. I called and texted her over and over again, but she does not pick up or respond. I am worried something happened to her, but I also fear she left me. I feel like I am out of options.
Knocking on Ayesha and Sela’s door I hope one of them is home, but I really need Ayesha. However, her wife answers, “Hey Drun is everything okay?” She looks worried and I know my face looks stricken with grief and worry.
“Is Ayesha home?”
“No sorry she is at work, what is going on?” She looks around, not seeing Araya and I can see when it hits her. “I am so sorry Drun.”
“I think something happened to her. She was with this ass wipe, and I am pretty sure he beat her.” She nods in understanding. “I think maybe he got a hold of her somehow.”
She looks torn, “How could Ayesha help?”
“She can get her address from the hospital, so I can go to Araya’s house.”
Frowning, she takes out her phone and calls her wife, with a small smile on her lips. “Well, you are basically her husband, and we can use that gray area to get that information. Hello? Hey, baby can you get Araya’s address, for her husband,” she winks at me, “Is requesting it.” There is a long pause, but she is able to get it and relief floods through me.
“I owe you one.” I tell her overjoyed
She nods, “You do.”
I drive to her house, and I noticed the apartment complex she lives in is gated, “Fuck.” Parking my bike, I start looking for a way inside, everything is closed up tight, but I see someone walking their dog and as they unlock the gate, I pull it, opening it up for them. They thank me and keep walking while I enter the complex.
It takes me a while to find her building, she is in the middle of the complex and I don’t see her car anywhere. I walk around a bit more to see if she had to park it further away, but I cannot find her red car. Defeated, I start walking back to her building, but I keep looking for her as if she would just walk up to me. Her apartment building is three stories high, with no elevator. I start my search at the ground level floor searching for her apartment number.
No luck, the second floor, no luck. The third floor. I see her apartment number shining like a beacon for me. I try the door to see it’s locked and kick myself for not assuming it would be locked. Ringing the doorbell, no one answers. An ominous feeling washes over me, making me panic. I ring it a few more times. I panic even more and start knocking.
She never comes.
With a heavy sigh, I look at the lock to see that it’s magnetic so I can’t pick it. Sitting on the steps I feel defeated and reach out to a few people who I think can help.
No one can. I feel as though I lost her for good. That she was taken from me, and I have been stripped of love for the rest of my life. Tears escape my eyes and fall down to the concrete steps below.
I feel undone… No, I am undone by the loss of Araya and our child.
I call my nephew; Imen to see if any of his teenage friends know how to break in. I both hope they do and don’t. He is not a bad kid, and I don’t want him hanging out with friends who know how to break into people’s homes. But right now, I hope he is friends with at least one.
“Hey Drun, what’s up?” He picks up the phone.
“Hey Imen, do you know anyone who knows how to unlock a door that has a magnetic key?” The phone is quiet, so I press on, “I need help getting into an apartment, I won’t tell your mom.” He sighs loudly.
“Yes, I have some things here that can get us in.” A sob escapes my lips and I feel relief for the first time today.
“Whoa, Drun… did you just cry?” Imen sounds taken aback.
“Yeah, I will text you the address. How soon can you get here?”
While I wait for Imen I can’t stop my mind from running.
What if she doesn’t want me and that is why she is not answering?
What if she had an accident and is laying on the floor?
What if she is not even here?
These questions swim through my head on repeat until Imen calls, letting me know he is here.
When I get up to walk to the front to let him in the gate, I see him already closing his door in the parking lot.
“How did you get in the gate?”
“I just tailgated someone in.” He says it like it should be obvious to me. We walk to her apartment up the stairs, and he never asks why I need this or whose apartment this is. I am grateful I don’t have to explain myself, but I am sure he knows. He has met Araya and knows what she means to me.
I watch him as he crouches down by the key whole, pulling out an array of tools. I wonder where he learned this from and why he has the tools, but I don’t ask. He has his life and if I see him doing something bad, I will tell his mother. However, today he is helping me, so this never happened.
He pops open the door and we take a look inside, “Oh my god!” he says as we step in the apartment. The walls have the word ‘w***e’ spray painted all over them and are filled with holes. We both walk in shocked horror and notice that the couch is shredded to pieces and the dining room furniture is broken as well. The bedroom shows the same and the bathroom shows a shattered mirror and more spray-painted profanities. I turn to look at Imen.
“Leave, I am going to call the cops, I think something happened to her. I don’t want you to be involved.” He nods, taking off.
DRUN
The cops finally arrive after two hours, and they take a look at the apartment.
“How did you get in?” They demand.
“I have a key,” I lie, “her and I are together, and I have not seen or been able to get ahold of her for two days.”
“Two days? Why did you not report her missing earlier?” I try to think fast, I don’t want to be taken into custody but now seeing this apartment I know she is in trouble.
“I think she was mad at me or needed some time.”
“So, you guys had a fight?” Anger blooms in me, it seems like they are trying to blame me for this.
“No,” I bite out. Annoyance crawls up my body and I regret calling them. They are worthless.
“Sure, we will file a missing person’s report.” They say it like it’s a chore and I want to strangle them. When they finally leave, I take a moment to cool down. I know orcs are known for their rage and we have fought so long to control it and fix our image. I don’t want to destroy it by beating the s**t out of a useless cop. I know they will blame this on me.
When the anger deceases I leave Araya’s broken apartment and because I have no way of locking it, I leave it unlocked and head home.
When I arrive, I see Ayesha waiting outside my house.
“Have you heard anything from her?” I rush to her side.
“No, she is not in any hospitals that I can see. What is going on?”
“Come inside, I will tell you what I know.”
DRUN
“Drun, she may have left on her own free will. You know how humans are.”
I shake my head not wanting to accept that as a fact.
“I feel something different with her like I am one with her.”
“We are not fae and we don’t share each other spirits. It is just the ash’mon bond, a mostly s****l one but that is what we orcs have, and you humans have nothing like that. I have seen many humans come into the hospital with babies from different fathers and multiple lovers. I am sorry to say this Drun, I like her, but Araya is no different.”
I flare my nostrils as anger spikes within me, I can’t believe she would say something about that, about her.
“You saw the bruises on her in the hospital, and her head was cracked open. I know that little s**t that was at the hospital that day had something to do with her missing.” She nods taking in this information.
“I think she was in an abusive relationship, and it is very rare for people to get out of them, even orcs fall prey to them. It has to be her choice to leave. I know you care for her, but I think it’s best to file paperwork with the courts for your baby. We have a DNA test showing it’s yours.”
I look up at her finally recalling it, “Why was there a DNA test done?”
“The male human who was with her requested it; I think. He never knew about the results until the day nurse said that you were the dad in front of him.” She laughs, “We should not have done that, but he was an asshole to us and her. I wish I was there to see him leave.”
“Could you get me his contact information?”
“No, I looked at her paperwork and he was not listed. I know he came in with a broken nose and I think his name was Eric. That’s all I have, sorry Drun.” She looks sad giving me the news. I let out a breath and try to calm down.
“No, you have done more than I could have ever hoped. I hope the police can find her.”
“Fat chance.”
I nod in agreement, “Fat chance.”
- Writer
