Turning point

The police car was an imposing presence on the dark, deserted street. Its black exterior was so dark it seemed to swallow up any light that dared to touch it. Billie, Ivan, and Miron sat huddled together in the backseat, their bodies pressed tightly against each other in an attempt to ward off the cold. The car was so dark that they couldn't see anything outside, and the only sound was the quiet hum of the engine and the occasional beep of the radio.

As they rode in silence, the three of them were lost in their own thoughts. Billie's mind was racing with questions, wondering what would happen to them once they reached their destination. Ivan sat with his arms crossed, scowling in frustration at their situation. Miron, on the other hand, sat quietly, his eyes closed as he tried to block out the fear and uncertainty that had taken hold of him.

The silence was overwhelming, and it only seemed to make their situation worse. They were completely at the mercy of the police, with no idea what their fate would be. As the car continued on its journey, Billie couldn't help but feel a sense of dread settle in the pit of her stomach.

The trio was escorted out of the car and into the police station. The bright white walls and immaculate floors gleamed under the harsh fluorescent lights, making it difficult for their eyes to adjust. The station was eerily quiet, with no one around except for the officers escorting them. As they walked down the hallway, Billie couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over her. She had never been in trouble with the law before, and the sterile environment only amplified the feeling of being trapped.

They were led into a room that looked like an interrogation chamber. There was a table in the center of the room with three chairs, and the walls were lined with cameras. The officers motioned for them to sit down and then left the room, locking the door behind them. The trio exchanged worried looks as they waited in silence. The only sound was the faint buzzing of the fluorescent lights above them.

Almost immediately as they had left, the door creaked open and two officers entered the room. One of them was holding a tablet and the other had a serious expression on his face. They walked over to the table, and then the officer with the tablet started to read from it.

"Billie Zaitseva-Watson, Ivan Fedorov, and Miron Golubev", The officer wrinkled his brows as if he was making sure it was their names.

"Actually officer, I'm Vladimir, he is Igor and she is Maria, you got us all wrong!", Ivan tried his shot even though the other two were evident it would fail.

The officer simply stared down at them, before continuing.

"You are all suspects in the murder of Selena Moir," the officer said in a monotone voice.

The trio's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. They had only just met Selena and had no reason to harm her, let alone kill her.

"What the hell! She dead?!" Ivan exclaimed, his voice rising in panic.

"Nice try," said the officer with a menacing glare.

Billie felt hopeless and scared, and a part of her felt sad for Selena, 'why would anyone kill her?' she wondered.

The officers didn't seem to believe them and continued to question them about Selena's death. They showed them a video clip of them trespassing into the woods, the trio's heart sank, they had no idea that the area was under surveillance which only further incriminated them.

"That's not us!!", Ivan protested. The officers laughed at him as he slowly sat down frowning. Miron had his head put down and Billie was sure he was having a breakdown.

The trio denied knowing anything about Selena's murder, but the officers threatened them and made it clear that they were not going to let them go until they got to the bottom of the case.

After what felt like hours of interrogation, the officers finally left them alone in the room. It was the first time they had a chance to look around and take in their surroundings. The sterile environment made them feel even more isolated and alone. Billie couldn't help but feel like they were being set up, but she had no idea who would want to frame them for Selena's murder or why.

"What the hell is happening?", Ivan sprinted up as soon as the officers left. "Selena is dead?! And they accuse us of killing her?!"

Billie frowned at him, he suddenly walked close to her.

"Billie, didn't you say that you met her this afternoon?", he whispered into her ears audible only to her and Miron who sat close to her.

"What?!", Miron whispered back to them as they hadn't told him about this.

"I didn't kill her, I swear!", Billie said her voice lower than a whisper. They sat in silence, while Ivan walked up and down which worked like a hypnosis pendulum for Billie.

Billie's eyelids felt heavy as she struggled to keep them open. The exhaustion had finally caught up with her, and she dozed off in the chamber.

When she woke up, everything felt different. The walls were the same white color as before, but something felt off. She sat up and looked around the chamber, rubbing her eyes to try and shake off the grogginess. It was then that she realized - Ivan and Miron were nowhere to be seen.

Panic started to set in as Billie frantically searched the chamber, calling out to her friends. But her calls echoed back to her, taunting her with their emptiness. She pounded on the door and screamed for someone to let her out, but nobody came. Billie felt trapped and alone, and her mind raced with possibilities of what could have happened to Ivan and Miron.

As she sat there in silence, she tried to think logically about what might have happened. Had they been taken to another chamber? Had they been released and left without her? The uncertainty only made her feel more anxious, and she started to pace back and forth in the small space, searching for any clues that could give her a hint of what was going on.

Just then the officer they had spoken to before walked into the chamber, and Billie quickly stopped her pacing. The officer stood in front of her, looking almost friendly, which was a stark contrast to his previous demeanor.

"Miss, you shouldn't be wandering around late at night," the officer said. "The forest around here has some wild animals that could attack you."

Billie frowned, feeling a sense of confusion and frustration. "What are you talking about? Where are my friends?"

The officer shook his head. "I'm sorry, miss. You came here alone. We took you in as you were wandering into the forest"

Billie felt a wave of panic wash over her. Had something happened to her friends? Why is the officer denying their existence? She couldn't make sense of anything that was happening.

"Sorry?", she looked warily at him.

"Don't worry Miss, We've called your parents they'll be here to pick you up", saying this the officer left the chamber nodding and smiling at her.

Billie quickly stuck her leg between the door before it closed as she saw the officer disappear into the corner of the hallway in silence his footsteps echoing around the space, she was waiting for a chance to sneak out as her mind raced with unanswered questions.

Billie's heart raced as she snuck out of the chamber, consumed with fear and uncertainty. She knew something was off about the whole situation, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. As she walked down the hallway, she tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible, careful not to draw any attention to herself.

It wasn't long before she overheard a conversation by the corner of the hallway, between an officer and a voice she recognized all too well--- Miron's Mother, Kira.

"Why didn't you just black her out as well Ma'am, tricking her seems a bit of work", the officer questioned.

"Of course it is, but blacking out those two failed since they've been blacked out before", Kira replied, her voice sounding authoritative.

"What do you mean?"

"Their blocked memories have returned and they have a full idea of what's going on, we had to send them to the lab instead", she sighed.

"That's hard", the officer agreed with her.

"That's why we had to approach the girl differently, she has also been blacked out before", Kira continued.

Billie stood there horror-struck as she listened to them intensely.

"Same reason as them?", the officer asked.

"No, something silly", Kira replied.

"We have to be careful with them. After all, they are valuable assets for our experiments", she added.

Before she could hear more of their conversation, Billie heard someone coming her way on the other side of the hallway. She quickly tip-toed back to her chamber, feeling anxious with every step she took.

Her blood ran cold as she realized the full extent of their captivity. They had been lied to, manipulated, and altered in some way.

As she crept back to her chamber and waited, formulating a plan in her head. She had to find a way to escape and save Ivan and Miron before it was too late.