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It was 1:30pm and Brian came to report his failure to the other two.

“I’ve called Nick’s house, my house, Kevin’s house, his parents’ house, and even the local hospital and none of them had seen Nick last night or today.” Brian told them breathlessly.

Their worries for Nick were increasing by the minute and they were all convinced that something happened to him.

“I’m calling the police.” Howie replied; breaking the silence that was filling the room.

He went outside to a pay phone and pressed the numbers that were very familiar to him as a small child. He didn’t imagine in his whole life that he would use this number to report to the police that one of his friends was missing.

“Hello? Yes, I need to talk to the police right now. This is Howie Dorough…”


An hour later, they found themselves in police headquarters filing a missing person’s report.

“So what is his name again?” the detective looked expectantly at them as he sat on his desk ready to type in their answer.

The detective had quite a modern look: sunglasses, gelled hair, and the works.

“Nickolas Gene Carter—Nick Carter.” Howie replied as he wringed his hands nervously.

“from the Backstreet Boys?” he guessed.

“Yes.” AJ responded.

“Okay…” he’s voice drifted off as he searched their directory for that name.

“Blue eyes, blond hair, around 6 feet tall, do these describe Nick?” he asked them.

“Yes. Do you need a photograph of him?” Howie asked.

“No. Apparently, he has a record for drunk driving.” the detective replied grimly as he typed in the details.

“When was the last time you’ve seen Nick?” he questioned all of them.

“We went to a party last night in a friend’s house, that’s the last time we’ve seen him.” Howie spoke for the group.

“What happened during the party?”

“We ate and chatted together. Nick drunk a lot of beer and puked on the floor.” AJ told him.

“I knew it.” they heard the detective mutter as he typed in what he said.

“What happened after the party?” he finally asked them.

All of them became quiet as they waited for one of them to talk.

“We left separately, Howie first, then AJ, then Nick and me.” Brian finally spoke for the three of them.

“Did he ride with you, or did he have his own car?” the detective directed his question to Brian.

“He had to ride with me since his car was in a repair shop.” Brian replied.

Howie and AJ nodded in agreement.

“Tell me,” the detective took off his sunglass, revealing the hazel eyes that were hidden beneath the shades, “do you know what happened to Nick?”

“No, he just asked me to drop him off in a bus stop. I was pretty reluctant to do what he asked but he freaked out at the thought of being dropped in his own house.”

Howie and AJ looked at Brian, stunned.

“Why didn’t you tell this to us?” Howie whispered to Brian.

“Did you know what he wanted to do in the bus stop?” the detective asked once more as he resumed his typing.

“He said he wanted to meet someone. He didn’t want me to be with him when he met that person.”

“Do you know who he wanted to meet with?”

“I have no idea.” Brian responded impatiently.

After ten minutes of uneasy silence, the detective finally spoke, “Okay, I guess we’re done. We might give you a ring in a few days. We hope we’ll be able to get a lead by then.”

“Thanks.” Howie nodded at him as they stood to leave.


“Creepy.” AJ remarked as soon as they left the police headquarters.

AJ’s remark reflected the thoughts that were present in each of their minds. They hadn’t expected anything like this to happen.

“Yeah.” Brian responded as each of them went to their own respective cars.


As Brian entered his house, the aroma of roast chicken filled the air.

He sat down beside the Leighanne in the dining table as he scooped himself a piece of baked potato and roast chicken.

“You almost missed dinner, Brian.” he could sense a hint of disappointment in Leighanne’s voice as she ate.

“Where’s Baylee?” Brian questioned her, noticing that Baylee wasn’t with them in the dining table.

“He’s done eating. He’s upstairs playing.” Leighanne answered.

They ate silently for several minutes picking on their potatoes and chicken when Brian finally resumed conversation.

“I’ll clean up.” Brian told her.

“No, it’s okay. You’ve had a rough day, recording, and all that…” she answered.

“No, I owe you…” he was silenced when Leighanne placed her fingers gently on his lips.

“You don’t owe me anything, say no more.” Leighanne smiled, finally releasing her fingers.


The phone rang from its cradle in the kitchen as Brian wiped the counter.

“Hello?” Brian answered the phone.

He did not hear a response from the person on the other line, and instead heard deep, wheezy, breathing.

“Who’s this?” Brian asked suspiciously.

The line went dead.

Brian replaced the phone in its cradle.

He pondered on what he should do about the call but then decided he should finish up first.


After cleaning up, Brian was about to wearily ascend the stairs when something caught his eye.

A piece of paper was being slipped under the door from outside.

He quietly picked the paper up and read the message typewritten on it,

“Nick is safe with us. Call off the search for Nick or the worst may happen to your family.”

Brian opened the door on impulse upon reading the message. He was greeted by the eerie darkness outside.

After closing the door behind him, he pocketed the note and finally ascended the stairs.

He pondered on his next plan of action when he heard a scream from upstairs.