No face no case Part #16

are getting kidnapped in the state of California

It was a beautiful summer day in California, the sun was shining bright and everyone was out enjoying the warm weather. But for the residents of Delmar, a small town in the state, it was a day filled with fear and panic. In the past few months, there had been multiple cases of children going missing, and the entire town was on edge.

No one knew who was behind these kidnappings or why they were happening. The only thing that was certain was that all of the missing children did not have a single clue left behind, except for one thing - the phrase 'no face no case' written in bright red letters on the wall of the last house that a child had disappeared from. The police had no leads and the community was growing desperate for answers.

Among the worried parents was Sarah, a single mother of two young boys. Her eldest son, Max, had gone missing just two weeks ago and there was still no sign of him. She had gone to the police, searched every corner of the town and put up missing posters, but nothing had turned up. The whole community had come together to help Sarah in her search, but their efforts seemed to be in vain.

One day, Sarah received an anonymous message on her phone. It simply read, 'Meet me at the park tonight at midnight, alone.' She was hesitant at first, but then curiosity got the better of her. She had to find out who this person was and why they were contacting her.

As the night grew darker, Sarah headed to the park, her heart pounding in her chest. She waited at the designated spot, looking around nervously. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows and approached her. It was a man, his face covered with a ski mask.

'Who are you? Why have you asked me to meet you here?' Sarah asked, her voice shaking.

'I have information about your son,' the man said in a low, gruff voice. 'But I have to warn you, it's dangerous. You have to trust me if you want to find him.'

Sarah's mind was racing. Should she trust this man? Could he really have information about her son? But she was desperate, so she decided to take the risk.

'Okay, I'll trust you. What do I need to do?' Sarah asked, her voice determined.

'You have to play a game with me,' the man said, a hint of excitement in his voice. 'A scavenger hunt, to be exact. I'll give you clues and you have to find the items.'

Sarah was taken aback. A scavenger hunt? That seemed like a strange and inappropriate request in a situation like this. But she didn't have any other leads, so she agreed.

The man handed her a small piece of paper with the first clue written on it. Sarah followed the clues, going from one location to the next, her heart racing with each step. The items she collected along the way were seemingly random - a puzzle piece, a rubber duck, a bottle cap. But she kept following the clues, determined to find her son.

Finally, she arrived at the last location - an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. It looked creepy and ominous, but Sarah had come too far to turn back now. She cautiously entered the building and found herself in a dimly lit room, with a silhouette of a man standing in the corner.

'Welcome, Sarah. I see you've solved all of my clues,' the man said, his voice echoing in the empty space. 'But I have one more challenge for you. In this room, there are several keys scattered around. Only one of them will unlock the door to your son. Choose wisely.'

Sarah's heart was pounding in her chest as she frantically searched for the keys. She tried each one, but none of them seemed to fit. Time was running out and she was starting to lose hope when she finally found the right key. With trembling hands, she inserted it into the lock and turned it. The door opened, revealing a dark room inside.

With a deep breath, Sarah stepped into the room and flicked on the light switch. And there, sitting on a chair, was her son Max. Tears streamed down her face as she ran to embrace him.

But her happiness was short-lived when she noticed the figure standing behind her son. It was the man responsible for all of the kidnappings, the man behind the mask.

'Why are you doing this? Why are you taking all of these children?' Sarah demanded, anger and fear rising in her voice.

The man chuckled. 'Because I can. Because no one ever suspects the person behind the mask. No face, no case.'

The police eventually arrived and the man, whose name was revealed to be Thomas, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of kidnapping. Sarah was finally reunited with her son, but the events of that night would forever haunt her.

It was a tragic and terrifying experience, but it brought the community of Delmar closer together. They had faced a terrifying monster together and emerged stronger and more united than ever before.

It was also a lesson for everyone to be more vigilant and aware of their surroundings, because sometimes the person behind the mask is not who you would expect. And as for Sarah and Max, they never looked at the phrase 'no face no case' the same way again.