Chapter 9: Blacklash

Sarah smiled, "Thanks, it's a great place to live. We have great schools, lots of parks, and it's safe."

David nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I wish I lived in a neighbourhood like this."

Jack added, "Me too. This is like something out of a movie."

Maria chimed in, "I know, right? I feel like I'm in Pleasantville or something."

Adam couldn't help but feel a bit envious of his friend's neighbourhood. He had always dreamed of living in a place like this, where everything was clean and safe and beautiful. But he knew that he couldn't change where he lived, at least not right now.

As they reached Sarah's house, Adam couldn't help but feel a bit out of place. He felt like an outsider in this beautiful neighbourhood like he didn't belong.

But as they walked inside, he realized that his friends didn't care about where he came from or what his neighbourhood looked like. They cared about him, and that was all that mattered.

As they settled in for the evening, Sarah bought some refreshments for the group.

As the group sat in Sarah's apartment, their heads together as they discussed the cases of the disappearing girls in their town.

" So, let's start with the beginning, the cases started happening on the 23rd of June, 2100" Sarah said reading an article through her holographic laptop.

"Right," chimed in John. "And the strange thing is that all the girls who have disappeared so far have been between the ages of 16 and 25, and all of them went missing during the night."

"Yes, and according to this article," Sarah continued, "there have been sightings of a strange figure lurking around the areas where the girls were last seen."

"Do we have any idea who this figure might be?" asked Maria.

"No, not yet," replied Sarah. "But we do know that it's not human. Witnesses have described it as being tall and thin, with glowing red eyes."

"That's creepy, maybe a robot," said David, shivering slightly.

"Maybe," said Sarah. "We'll have to gather more information and come up with a plan. This thing is dangerous and we need to be careful."

"Did the surveillance catch anything," asked Jack.

"No, after the cameras captured the glowing eyes of the figure the footage of the camera got disrupted."

"What's the government's take on this," asked Adam.

" They did release an article mentioning that they are looking into this but no results till now."

"How? Don't they have these cameras everywhere? Did all of them got disrupted at once?" Questioned jack.

"Well, according to the article yes," answered Sarah.

The group continued to discuss the case, trying to piece together any information they could gather. As they talked, Adam couldn't help but feel thankful to them.

He wouldn't be able to do all this in a single evening. As the night wore on, they eventually parted ways, each of them heading back to their respective homes. Adam walked home alone, lost in thought about the case they had just discussed.

As he walked through the neighbourhood, he activated the system and searched for anything that was out of place.

But he found nothing, as he reached his neighbourhood, he took a deep breath and went towards his apartment.

The next few days were a blur of research and investigation. They scoured the internet for any clues and even did a little bit of surveillance of their own.

*POV CHANGE*

I left the office late again, the click of my heels echoing in the empty streets. My job in the financial district kept me there for long hours, and by the time I finished, the sun had long since set.

The quickest way home was through the alley behind the office building, but it was always a bit creepy at night, especially after the mysterious disappearance of girls. Still, I'd made this walk many times before and I tried not to let my imagination run wild.

As I walked down the alley, my mind wandered to the endless piles of paperwork that awaited me the next day. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of movement.

My heart leapt into my throat as I slowly turned around to see a shadowy figure slinking towards me. I quickened my pace but so did the figure, and soon it was right behind me.

I tried to ignore it, telling myself that it was probably just some harmless robot, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched.

As I walked faster, the figure followed suit. My heart was pounding now, and I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my back.

My mind raced as I tried to think of a way out. I had to do something, anything, to get away from the thing. But my body was frozen, my feet rooted to the ground.

Then, suddenly, the figure pounced. I screamed, but the sound was muffled by a hand clamped over my mouth.

I struggled against my attacker, but it was no use.

As my vision began to blur, I realized that I was going to die here, in this dirty alley. My last thought was of my family and friends, and how much I wished I could see them again.

*NEXT DAY*

Adam and his friends were hanging out at a local café, after a long session of discussion about the recent disappearances. Their conversation was light and casual until the news on the TV caught their attention.

"Breaking news: another woman has gone missing in the city," the news anchor announced. "This marks the 15th disappearance in the past month, all of which have occurred during the night."

The group fell silent as they watched the footage of police cars racing down the streets and frantic family members pleading for any information.

"This is getting out of control," Maria said, breaking the silence.

"It's like they're just vanishing into thin air," Jack added, his voice filled with frustration.

"We need to do something," David said, his jaw set in determination.

"But what can we do?" Sarah asked frustrated.

"There is no evidence about the perpetrator, no traces or anything," said Jack.

The group sighed and left the cafe as their appetite just died. They went to their respective house to think of a plan.

As the news of yet another woman's disappearance spread across the city, people gathered in small groups on street corners and in cafes to discuss the alarming situation.

"This is just terrifying," one woman said, her voice shaking with fear. "I can't even imagine what these women and their families are going through."

"I know, it's like we're living in a horror movie or something," another woman replied, her eyes wide with worry.

A group of men huddled around a TV in a sports bar, their usual banter replaced with a sombre silence as they watched the news coverage.

"What kind of sick person would do this?" one of them muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I don't know, but we need to do something," another replied, his tone firm with determination. "We can't just sit here and wait for the police to figure it out."

"Those corrupt officials only care about the rich" voiced out another, his voice filled with rage.

The growing anger and frustration of the public regarding the disappearance of several women in the city had put immense pressure on the police department. But their response was passive.