“This is crazy,” Brian muttered as they continued up the musty smelling stairwell.

“You could have sat in the car and waited,” Kevin hissed, stopping to look down at his cousin.

“C’mon, lets not fight…we’re supposed to be a team,” Howie pointed out.

“D’s right. We have to keep our heads in this,” Kevin agreed. “The good thing is that the first door we opened was nothing but total darkness. I’m betting that there is something a few flights up.”

“And how are you coming to that conclusion?” Brian started to say quickly changing his tone when Kevin tossed a glare his way. “I mean why are you thinking that?”

“Because when we approached the building in the car, I saw two floors that looked all lit up and that would mean that they would be occupied floors.”

Thinking about what Kevin said, Brian nodded as he continued walking up the flight of stairs.

“Makes sense to me,” Howie agreed. “We’d be lucky if we find Nick on the first occupied floor and get the heck out of here. This place already gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

Brian smiled. “Running out of conditioner for your hair gives you the heebie-jeebies.”

“Ha ha,” Howie replied in a sarcastic manner.

Just as the trio approached the landing for the fifth floor, the loud banging of a door a few flights above them caused the men to go into an instant panic mode. They looked at each other with wild eyes; Kevin quickly tried the door to the level they were on. “Shit, it’s locked,” he whispered.

“Maybe whoever it is will be going into another door,” Howie quietly observed.

The footsteps from above were growing closer and at a faster pace.

“Let’s go back to the last floor, at least that door was unlocked,” Brian said urgently as he turned to head back down.

“Good idea,” Kevin and Howie agreed simultaneously as they quickly followed Brian down the stairs. Once they slipped through the door, Kevin positioned himself as a lookout keeping the door barely open.

The footsteps were drawing closer; Kevin immediately held his breath as if it would make him invisible to whoever was running down the stairs.

“Holy shit!” Kevin flung the door open, shocking Brian and Howie at his sudden action.

”KEVIN!” Brian whispered harshly as he grabbed his cousin by the arm.

Kevin flung Brian’s hand off his arm and immediately grabbed the intruder, turning him around, wrapping his arms around the man.

Brian gasped when he got a better look at who Kevin nabbed in the stairwell. ”AJ?”

“We thought you were dead!” Kevin said as he pulled AJ out of his hug and instantly hugged the rebel once again.

Howie and Brian stood for a moment, their mouths open in shock.

“I knew you weren’t dead,” Brian corrected as he hugged the back of his brother.

AJ looked at each of his band brothers, tears pooling in his eyes. “I was told you were dead,” he whispered as he hugged Brian and then Howie. His demeanor suddenly changed. “We gotta get out of here before they find Ester.”

Kevin stared at the rebel. “Say again?”

“Ester…the bitch….lets get the hell out of here and I explain everything when I’m safe,” he replied.

As Brian watched his brother’s actions, he could tell that AJ was clearly upset and anxious when he mentioned the woman’s name.

“We can’t leave here without Nick,” Kevin said firmly.

“Nick isn’t here,” AJ replied. “At least I don’t think he is.”

“Which one is it?” Brian questioned.

AJ rubbed a hand over his face in a defeated gesture. “I’m not sure if I really saw Nick or not. I-I think I did, but I don’t know if I did or if it was the drugs—“

Howie visibly shook. “Drugs?”

“Can we just get out of this place and I’ll tell you guys everything….I just need to get out of here before we get caught,” fear was evident in his voice.

“And call 9-1-1,” Howie added.