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The Chop shop

I kept my head down as I walked to school, two of my friends beside me. My name is London Greene and I’m going to Kings Fort high school with my two best friends, Amy Ross and Nathan Price. I feel a pang of guilt and sadness as we pass the police station. A rather large group of distressed men and women were banging on the doors, begging the officers to do something for their missing children. Four months ago, small children started to go missing. The parents of the missing children were begging the police to do something, anything to find their babies.

“London, keep walking.” Amy whispered, nudging my shoulder. I took a brief glance at her face and nodded, forcing my feet to move again. We walked the rest of the way in silence, only stopping for the single traffic light in our small town. The school day went on as usual, lectures that nearly put us to sleep, the professors reminding us not to walk outside alone, and then moving on to the next subject. I didn’t retain any information as their instructions went in one ear and out the other.

“This is my stop. Bye London, bye Amy. See you tomorrow.” Nathan smiled as he ran up to his front door. We always walked home together after school, hoping safety in numbers would work in our favor. Amy and I watched Nathan close his door before continuing to walk again. My house was next, and less than a block away. It was quiet as we walked towards my house, the only sound being that of our footsteps.

“Uh.. London, we’re here..” Amy mumbled as she tugged on my sleeve. I guess I need to pay more attention. I thanked her and walked up to my front door, digging in my pocket for my keys. I jumped as the door opened, revealing my older brother, Paris. He had a lopsided grin on his face as he pulled me inside.

“Hey child, how was your day?” He asked as I followed him into the kitchen. I told him how boring maths had been and he laughed before telling me to pay attention. I was kind of sad, mostly because he was going to move into his own apartment soon. He seemed to notice and poked my nose. “Why are you upsetti spaghetti?” He asked in a joking manner.

“Am not!” I lied as I covered my nose. He frowned and shook his head.

“If you say so. Mom and dad should be back soon, so I’ll start dinner.” Pairs said as he walked into the kitchen. I nodded and started walking upstairs. I had only made it up five steps when I realized what was wrong with what he said. Our parents died two years ago in a car crash.. I paused, and debated whether or not to go downstairs and ask him. I shook off my feeling of unease and ran to my room.

“Hey London, dinners ready.” Pairs called from the kitchen. I hadn’t realized how long I had been in my room. I told him I would be down in a minute. Grabbing my blue journal from my desk drawer, I ran downstairs. A shiver ran down my back as I got to the dining room. “I heated up some pizza, hope you don’t mind.” My brother said as he handed me a plate of pepperoni pizza. I mindlessly took the plate, my eyes and mind on the two people in front of me.

“Hello sweetie.” A woman who vaguely resembles my mother opened her arms, expecting a hug. I took a slow step back, trying to figure out who these people were, because they sure as hell weren’t my parents. She frowned, not in a concerned way, but in an angry way.

“London, hug your mother.” The man pretending to be my father demanded. I looked at Pairs, who nodded encouragingly, and took a hesitant step towards the woman. She placed her hands on my shoulders and smiled. It definitely wasn’t my mothers smile.

“Can we eat now?” I asked quickly, wanting to get as far away from this woman as possible. My brother smiled and nodded, and I pulled away from the mom-poster. A minute later we were sitting in awkward silence as we ate. As soon as I finished, I ran to the staircase, almost tripping as I dashed towards my room.

“This… This is wrong..” I whisper as my head hits the pillow. I puzzle over these imposters as I drift off to sleep.

The next morning went by in a blur, I couldn’t even remember walking to school. It felt like I had woken up at the lunch table next to Nathan. He was telling me about how one of his neighbors went missing, and I realized something that was missing here.

“Hey.. Have you seen Amy?” I asked when he paused for breath. He looked confused, and smiled awkwardly.

“You’re joking right?” He asked. I shook my head slowly, wondering why he was confused. He had been friends with Amy and I for more than five years after all. “We don’t know an Amy..” He says with a concerned voice. This was all wrong… We had seen Amy yesterday, right? Or was it all a dream, along with my parents coming home? These thoughts bubbled in my mind as the rest of the day rushed by. It felt like only a moment before I was walking home again.

“I just can’t seem to find my head today..” I mumbled to myself. I heard an engine and turned to see a bright yellow van. It was driving slowly, coming towards me from behind. An uneasy feeling crept up my spine as I walked faster, it didn’t take me long to realize the van was quickly catching up. The van was right beside me now, and I couldn’t seem to bring myself to look at it. Maybe if I had, I would’ve seen the open side door and the person prepared to grab me. The moment I felt something grab my shoulder I let out a screech of surprise that was quickly cut short by a pale hand covering my mouth.

“Shhhh, hush now.” A silky, feminine voice breathed in my ear, the person pressing a cloth over my nose and mouth. Black ebbed at the corners of my vision, slowly consuming me.

“Hey, I think she’s waking up.”

“I thought I told you not to dilute the chloroform!”

“Oops..”

I could hear two voices bickering nearby, but I was too dizzy to figure out where they were coming from. I tried to lift my head, but a sharp pain and heaviness stopped my efforts. ‘How long have I been out? Where am I? Was I kidnapped by the same people taking the other children? Why me?’ These thoughts bounced around my head as I tried to move my arms. I opened my heavy eyelids, and saw the cold grey floor that I was lying on.

“Ah! So you are awake.” I looked up to see a very pale woman standing above me. ‘Her voice is familiar..’ It only took me a minute to realize that she was the one who knocked me out. Beside her stood another woman, one who looked like she would rather be anywhere but here. “It does make it a lot easier when they’re awake.” The pale one smiled.

“Don’t play around Amanda.” The other one growled. The one referred to as Amanda nodded and grabbed my arm, forcing me to get up. My breathing was heavy as Amanda forced me to walk with her, taking me past many machines and crates. A foul smell invaded my nose as she pulled me farther down the hall. My eyes widened as I saw what looked like decapitated doll heads lining the walls, at least I hoped they were just dolls.

“So sorry about this London, it is just ever so unfortunate that it had to come to this.” Amanda cooed in my ear. Her cold breath sent shivers down my spine. My mouth had gone dry, making it hard to speak.

“Why?” I choked out. “What did I do?” Tears clouded my vision as Amanda pushed me onto a table. She strapped down my arms and legs, making it almost impossible to move. The other woman followed behind her, pulling a metal cart with her. More tears streamed down my face when I saw the array of scalpels and other blades.

“Don’t you remember London?” The woman said, pulling back her long, dark hair with a black scrunchie. She picked up a small knife and towered over me. “C’mon London.. Think. What’s my name?” She asked, resting the knife against the side of my face. Panic clouded my senses in an instant. ‘Was I supposed to know this lunatic? If so, why couldn’t I remember?’

“L…” The letter rolled off my dry tongue and the woman smiled, putting pressure on the knife. I cried out as the knife broke the skin, smoothly slicing into my cheek.

“Finish the word London..” she whispered breathlessly. I was about to, but Amanda interrupted me.

“Stop playing with my food Rivers,” she spat. “It isn’t nice to give false hope.” ‘Rivers’ sighed, and plunged the knife into my throat. Intense pain overtook me as I felt the blood dripping down my chest. My breathing grew ragged as my lungs worked overtime. Black ebbed at the corners of my vision, and Amanda's laughter was the last thing I could hear before passing out, left to die.

Epilogue

A bright light was the first thing I could register in my mind clearly. My half lidded eyes shot open as I looked around, trying to get an idea of where I was. Everything seemed bright for a moment before my eyes completely adjusted, and I realized that I was in a hospital bed. Had I been rescued from Amanda and Rivers? Or was it a dream? I rested a hand on my neck, where Rivers had stabbed me. There was an area of skin that felt off, so I assumed it was a scar. So it wasn’t a dream.

“Miss Greene, it’s good to see you awake.” A familiar, feminine voice rang in my ears, making my eyes widen in horror. “You haven’t been taking your medicine again, have you?” Amanda asked me, a sickeningly sweet smile lighting up her pale features. She handed me two small red pills, along with a paper cup filled with water. I hesitantly took them from her, and took the red pills. “That’s a good girl.” Amanda said before walking away, her heels clicking on the tile floor.

“I remember it all now..” I whisper to myself, my lips turning upwards in a smile not unlike Amanda’s. Yes, my parents are dead, and so is Pairs. It’s the year 2076 and I’ve been living on the Kings Fort camp for three years while they treated my mental disorder. The only thing is, they would never tell me what that disorder was.

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