Before Kevin had a chance to explain the full extent of what had happened to him and the other orphans, he decided to move away from the warehouse. Suzan seemed to understand that something was wrong, and noticing that he seemed exhausted from running, the woman took off her coat and handed it over to the young teenager. She led him to the main street and they hid between a few shops that were closed at this time.
Kevin found it very hard to confess to Suzan what had happened inside the warehouse. After all, he blamed himself. Nevertheless, under some sobs he retold everything that he had seen, and immediately Suzan fell on her knees, banging against the concrete, not caring about the pain.
“I’m sorry Suzan. I’m so, so sorry. This is all my fault!” Kevin cried out, as he knelt down next to her and started to pour his eyes out once again. Seeing the young boy in that condition, Suzan hugged him tightly, bringing his head close to her chest.
“Shhh, it's not your fault, Kevin. You're just a kid. I’m the adult who signed those papers after they were the ones who pressured me. They are the ones that are doing all those bad things… None of it is your fault.” Suzan tried to calm him down. “I'm just happy that you are safe. I'm happy that you made it out. And all we can do now is try to help them.”
The two of them understood the seriousness of the situation. Based on what they had heard and experienced, it was too dangerous for them to go in by themselves. There were multiple people involved, and the group had money. It was easy for them to guess that these people were professional gangsters.
Suzan clicked on redial, and shared the news with the police. The person on the other end had some good news, telling her that they had already sent someone out. The woman was then asked where she was and what she was wearing. A bit confused, she did answer the question though.
A few minutes later, they saw a black SUV pull up next to them. Opening the door, they could see a young man in a police uniform had arrived.
“Both of you get in, and we can talk inside.” Roo instructed.
The two of them looked at each other and thought it was a bit strange for the police to be acting this way. When they had been told that someone was on the way, they had expected multiple cars, not a lone officer. Seeing their hesitation, Roo showed them his badge, proving he was a real officer.
“Look, this area is not safe. Please get inside first, and then we can talk.” Roo prompted them, looking around, as if he was wondering if someone followed him. Unable to trust him, Suzan called a third time, and they confirmed that the officer in front of her really was with the police.
After all, the last thing she wanted to do was head back with those dangerous people they were with before. Once inside, Roo immediately started to drive, and they could see that they were heading out of the area, and away from the warehouse.
“Wait, Officer!” Kevin shouted. “You’re driving the wrong way! We have to help the others! They are still in there!”
However, the boy’s pleas fell on deaf ears, as Roo continued to drive. Only once they were out of the area and on the road, did he pull over to the side and parked the car.
“You guys really don't understand where you were.” Roo sighed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, you guys must have been scared. We got your report, and they sent me to pick you guys up and get you out of there. I can take you to the police station, or back home, it's up to you.”
The two sitting in the back seat of the police car couldn't believe It.
“Is that it? That’s the only thing the police will do? We told you that they are kidnapping children there! They're using them for something sinister and placing them in trucks. How can the police ignore such a matter?!” Suzan accused the young officer.
Looking at the ground for a second, it was hard for Roo to even meet the caretaker’s eyes.
“Look, I’ll give you an explanation, but you're not going to like it. This whole area is owned by the Grey Elephants gang. The police force aren't exactly heavy-handed with people. There isn't much we can do.
“If we want to send a full force in on them, and enter private property, we would need a warrant. Sure we can use what you said, but it would still take time for a judge to clear it and by then…well. The Grey Elephants gang are great at slowing us down whenever we have made requests in the past.
“I'm glad that you have managed to escape from the place, but by now they must be cleaning things up. Worst thing is, their victims this time are all orphans. There isn't really anyone that would report them missing either.”
Quickly going into his pocket, Kevin pulled out the syringe he had picked up, filled with the strange coloured liquid.
“What about this? They tried to inject me with this. I'm sure it's some type of illegal substance, can't you use this to go after them?” Kevin asked.
Roo looked at it for a while, he wasn't sure what it was.
“Alright, I can take it back to the station and have it inspected. I promise you, I'm just as worried about them as you are. However, there are rules we have to abide by. The best thing we can do now, is if you can give me a description of those trucks you saw earlier. Did you happen to see the licence plates or any other defining features?
“We will have patrol cars on the lookout for them. Once they spot the trucks, we’ll attempt to pull them over. We’ll just make up some reason to search their vehicle, and if we find the kids you're looking for, that's when we can act… That's all I can do for now.” Roo explained.
While Roo headed back to the police station, Kevin explained what the trucks looked like. The orphan told him everything he could remember, but he honestly wasn't sure how much help it would be. There was no telling if the trucks would move today, or if there might be others.
And honestly, the more he thought about it, the more Kevin believed that Roo was just saying things to him to get him off his back. Could the police force really afford to utilise so many vehicles to search for the trucks?
The honest truth was, perhaps they would just send out a memo to their current officers to see if they spotted any trucks, but that was it.
Leaving the SUV, Suzan and Kevin were just left there.
“ If the police don’t act, all of them might get hurt. What do we do now?” Kevin asked.
Suzan looked like her mind was about to collapse in on her. She had the same fears as Kevin. The way the police talked, it was clear that the Grey elephants were just too big of a problem, especially when they were in their territory, whatever that meant.
“I-I… I don't know.” Suzan mumbled, defeated.
Finding himself in a tough situation, Kevin did what he would always do, which often helped him come up with a solution… even though it would usually end up being the opposite.
“Why don't we contact Innu? You can call him, right? You have his number. Tell him what happened!” Kevin asked.
“Innu? Are you sure? He's just a kid. It might be better not to drag him into any of this.” Suzan was hesitant.
“He’s not a child any more!” Kevin shot back immediately. “He looks after us all just as much as you do, Suzan. I know… I know he might not be able to help, and it's a long shot…but I think we should tell him. “Who knows… what if he has an idea? Please… he looked after all of us at that orphanage every day, even after he left!”
Thinking about what Kevin was saying, Suzan started to think back to the last time she had seen Innu. He certainly did seem more dependable. In the end, in the desperate situation that she was in, she decided to give Innu a call. The woman didn't know what exactly she was expecting, but she decided to trust Kevin’s opinion.
“Hello, Suzan, I'm surprised you called me so late.” Innu's voice was heard on the other end of the phone. “I’m sorry, I was unable to make it lately. I’ll be sure to visit you soon.”
Suzan was finding it hard to tell him what had happened. Taking a long deep breath, she finally did, though.
“The kids at the Black Rock Orphanage, they're in trouble.”
———
Sitting in his bedroom, in the crummy apartment where his foster parents were, Innu had just finished getting off the phone. He placed it down slowly, and thought about what to do.
“The Grey Elephants…and trucks. I don't have a clue what they are up to, but it will be hard to find them. I need all the help I can get if I want to find them.” Innu said as he lifted his phone and looked again.
He was hesitant as he was about to make the call.
‘No, I have to ask, they are like family to me. They’re the only ones who might be able to help now!’
Eventually, after a few rings, the person on the other end had picked up.
“Gary, I need your help… I need the Howlers’ help.”
There was only a slight pause, before his friend answered.
“Of course, I’ll help!”