If You're Gone Read Online Free Page B

I could count, mostly familiar faces from school and church, but some strangers. A brunette boy I didn’t recognize caught my eye and gave me a nod, which I returned before dropping my eyes to the ground. The tips of my ears burned, making me wonder if people were talking about me.
    I scanned the yard for my friends and found Tess and Mandy standing in the driveway speaking with Mrs. Lee. I had interrupted Anna and Thomas’s date with a phone call informing them that Brad was still missing and there would be a search. They were due to arrive within the hour. Amongst the groups of people on my lawn, there was no sign of law enforcement and almost more notably, no sign of Lizard.
    I unlocked my phone and scrolled through dozens of numbers in my recent outgoing call list until I came to his, quickly tapping send before I could change my mind.
    After two rings the electronic voice greeted me with the same message I had received earlier in the day. “The person you’ve called has a voice mailbox that has not been set up yet.”
    I hung up and touched send again. “Come on, just pick up.”
    “Stop calling me,” a gruff male voice came on the line.
    “Lizard?” Silence. “Lizard, wait!” I shouted before he hung up. “Everyone is looking for Brad. I need you to tell me if you’ve seen him or know where he might be.”
    “I already told you I ain’t seen him.”
    “Well, you could at least come over here and help us look for him. We're all worried…”
    “And why would I do that?” he snapped. “Sounds like you can't keep tabs on your man.” He let out a deep, cackling laugh.
    “This isn’t a joke, Michael.” I gritted my teeth, knowing he hated being called by his first name. “Brad’s missing. There’s a search party gathering on my front lawn…”
    “I’m tellin’ you one last time, I have no idea where he is.”
    “I swear,” I said. “If you know something you aren’t telling me…”
    “The only thing I’ve got to tell you is stop calling me . And you can tell Brad’s mommy and daddy to stop bugging me, too. This is harassment.”
    There was a click on the line. He was gone. Disregarding his demand, I sent the call again, but the phone went directly to the recorded message. I let out a tortured groan as I turned to see Anna rushing towards me with outstretched arms.
    “Lillian, are you okay?” She pulled me in for a hug and squeezed my shoulders. All I could do was shrug. “Let’s go find Brad. Come on, I'll drive.”
    ****
    A group of us piled into Anna’s blue compact car and rode in silence to the outskirts of downtown, where we planned to plaster posters on storefronts and search the alleys for any signs of Brad. I leaned my head against the passenger window as Anna drove; my eyes darted around the buildings we passed. Our usually peaceful little town seemed darker and quieter than ever, as if it were keeping a secret. I pictured Lions Port pulling Brad into the atmosphere and trapping him in another dimension from where he was watching us look for him, screaming my name to get my attention. This alternate reality theory was preferable to the actuality of what was happening.
    As the car crept along a side street my gaze fell to a thin alleyway, sandwiched between Meyer’s Deli and an empty building that once housed a children’s dance studio where Anna and I had taken ballet. The moonlight bounced off of the tall brick walls, casting giant shadows in the alley as long streaks of rain glimmered under the streetlights. In the darkness, I saw movement and my heart dropped from my chest.
    “Stop the car! Stop!” I shouted as I frantically fiddled with my seatbelt, feeling trapped beneath the straps.
    Anna jerked the wheel and pulled to a stop before she had a chance to speak.
    “It’s him. I saw him.” It took all of my breath to spit out the words.
    Trembling, I pushed my weight against the door and had my feet on the pavement as Anna threw down the gearshift to put the car in