"What's up with that guy? Do I look like a thief to him?" Erik muttered to himself, eyes fixed in the direction Rayen had driven off.
"I get it—trusting someone isn't easy… but did he really have to be that disrespectful? I just wanted to help."
He let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe I shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place..."
Frustrated, he slammed his fist against the nearby concrete pole. The dull thud echoed in the quiet street.
"Just when I thought things were finally getting better... just when I thought I could finally live with the love of my life—this happens."
.
.
Amy huffed, feeling like she had been walking for days. No matter how much she walked, the path seemed endless. She kept following the light ahead, wanting to reach it, but no matter how fast or slow she went, the path stayed the same. As she kept walking, the light got bigger and bigger. Was she getting closer, or was the exit getting closer to her? When she realized what was happening, she stopped. She was right, the exit was coming toward her. Then, the space around her was suddenly filled with bright light.
Amy's eyes squinted at the bright light, and she covered them with her hands. Slowly, she started to open her eyes again, trying to see what was around her.
She was frustrated by everything around her, but when she looked down, she realized the floor wasn't a bright white surface anymore; instead, it was just still water, clear enough to see her reflection. But right now, what mattered wasn't how she was standing on water. What mattered was that her body was small. She looked down at herself in shock—she was now her 8-year-old self. She touched her face and hands, trying to confirm whether what she was seeing, touching, and feeling was real. To her surprise, she was indeed her younger self, and there was no mistake.
"Amelia..." A voice suddenly called from behind. Hearing someone call her by the name "Amelia" sent a chill down her spine. Hesitantly, she turned around. What she saw froze her in place, and she was left speechless.
Veronica? You? But how? Amy questioned. Aww, my baby sister, I caught you, you know what you are very bad at hiding, now it's your turn! Veronica said. Amy was confused as to what was happening, but again her surroundings shifted without her realising she was in an open ground behind her small house. What's wrong, Amelia? It's your turn now, I will hide and you be the seeker, ok? Veronica said, cutting through Amy's thoughts. Amy nods in agreement.
She then started counting 1, 2, 3...
.
.
"One of her friends was Amy Vesper," said an officer from the tech department on the other end of the phone, speaking to Rayen.
"She disappeared around the same day Clara did."
Rayen's brows furrowed. "Go on."
"We discovered she was last seen near Clara's residential building. But when we tried to access the CCTV footage…"
The officer paused.
"Then?" Rayen asked, leaning forward, eager for more.
"Well, um… how should I put this, sir…" The officer stammered, clearly struggling to find the right words.
"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point," Rayen snapped impatiently.
"S-sorry, sir. What I'm trying to say is… we did see her approaching the building—no doubt about that. She definitely went inside. But the moment she enters…"
He hesitated again.
"…the footage glitches. Somehow, we can't see her after that. She just vanishes."
Rayen narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, vanishes?"
"We checked footage from different angles, from cameras around the building and inside it. And every time, it's the same. The moment she walks in, the footage cuts or distorts. Every single time."
The officer continued speaking, giving Rayen an address before abruptly hanging up.
Rayen let out a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stood in silence, deep in thought.
A moment later, he spoke without turning around.
"Hey... how long do you plan on following me, huh?"
A low chuckle echoed through the alley.
"Ke ke ke, so you noticed? But seriously—aren't you a little too dumb to be walking through a dark, empty alley all by yourself? Hm?"
Rayen smirked slightly. "What can I say… I thought a beautiful woman was tailing me. Figured I'd get a little alone time with her, if you know what I mean."
The voice behind him laughed. "Well, surprise! Surprise!"
Rayen finally turned to face the man, giving him a cool, serious look.
"Yeah, well… I'm not gay. So I'll pass."
"No more talk, you son of a bitch!" the masked man snapped, his voice filled with anger. Without wasting even a second, he lunged at Rayen, holding a sharp knife.
The first attack came fast, a stab aimed at Rayen's stomach. But Rayen bent low just in time, narrowly dodging the strike.
The masked man didn't stop. He immediately swung for Rayen's neck, then tried to drive the blade straight into his chest.
Rayen deflected the blows, barely keeping up.
Another sudden stab—this time aimed at his gut.
With a sharp grunt, Rayen delivered a powerful kick to the attacker's hand, knocking the knife strike off-course.
But just then, Rayen's foot landed on a loose stone. His balance faltered, and he crashed to the ground with a thud.
Seizing the opportunity, the masked man climbed on top of him, raising the knife high.
With a snarl, he drove it down toward Rayen's chest.
Rayen caught the attacker's wrists mid-air, gritting his teeth as he struggled to push back the deadly blade. Their faces were inches apart now, both fighting for control, one to kill, the other to survive.
Rayen managed to drive his knee hard into the masked man's back. The sudden jolt broke the man's grip, weakening the force he was using to drive the knife down.
With a sharp push, Rayen shoved him off and scrambled to his feet.
Wasting no time, he threw a punch straight into the man's face, followed by a swift kick to his hand. The knife clattered to the ground with a metallic clang.
Rayen swung again, landing another punch—but this time, the attacker crossed his arms and blocked it.
The masked man retaliated with a wild punch of his own, but Rayen ducked just in time. The strike missed completely.
Rayen countered with another jab, aiming for the jaw—but before it could land, the masked man bent low and suddenly turned to run.
Without hesitation, Rayen sprinted after him.