The fluorescent lights of the Bellevue Police Department flickered with a weary pulse, casting a harsh glow over the room where I sat, tense and on edge. I tried to focus on the officer in front of me. He was recounting the details I’d just shared about Iris and the night she disappeared.

“Height, five-five... long black hair, brown eyes...” The officer’s voice barely registered over the background noise of the precinct—radios crackling, phones ringing, and the low murmur of conversations. I felt detached like I was watching the scene unfold from a distance.

“And you haven’t seen or had any contact with her since that night you went out ten days ago?” His sharp tone cut through the fog in my mind, pulling me back to the cold reality of the room.

I hesitated, thinking about the texts I’d received from Iris. Should I mention them? Something in my gut told me to keep it to myself. With a heavy heart, I shook my head and whispered, “No, no communication.”

The officer’s eyes narrowed, suspicion creeping into his expression. “Why did it take so long to report your friend missing?”

Panic tightened around my throat. 

How had I not noticed sooner that something was wrong with Iris?

“I’ve been... overwhelmed with work,” I stammered, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue. I couldn’t admit the truth—that I hadn’t paid attention to the warning signs.

The officer’s pen scratched across his notepad, the sound grating against my ears.

“Alright, Ms. Hernandez. That’ll be all for tonight.” His voice was indifferent as he handed me a slip of paper—the missing person’s report. It was just a formality, a piece of paper that officially marked Iris as missing. 

“Since the last known location was the Cherry Club in Seattle, we’ll need to coordinate with Seattle PD. They’ll contact you if they need more information.”

I took the report and left the precinct, stepping out into the cold, rain-soaked night. The rain fell heavily, each drop feeling like tiny needles piercing my skin. I hadn’t brought an umbrella or a jacket, and the cold felt like a fitting punishment for my lies.

As I walked down the street, the streetlights flickered overhead as though they were about to go out. Turning a corner, I nearly collided with a dark, hooded figure emerging from the shadows.

“Sorry I didn’t see you,” I mumbled, trying to move past him.

The figure stood silent, staring at me with unsettling intensity. My breath caught in my throat as I noticed his piercing silver eyes, shimmering like the surface of a frozen lake.

“You’re Gabriella, aren’t you?” The man’s smooth, chilling voice sent a shiver down my spine.

My heartbeat quickened. “How do you know my name?” 

“I’ve been looking for you.” He stepped closer, and I froze, unable to move as his eyes held me captive.

Before I could react, I heard someone call my name from behind.

“Ms. Hernandez!” 

The voice snapped me out of my daze, and I spun around to see the young officer from the front desk approaching me. He was holding a familiar black object in his hand. 

“You forgot this,” he said, handing me my wallet. “You’re going to need this if you’re going to drive,” he added with a small smile.

I quickly tucked the wallet into my bag, my heart still racing. The officer’s tone shifted, more serious now. 

“Be careful walking alone at night,” he advised before turning back toward the precinct.

I glanced around, but the strange man was gone. I peered into the shadows, searching for any trace of him, but it was as if he had vanished into thin air.

A sense of unease settled over me as I hurried to my car, keys clutched tightly in my hand. I couldn’t shake the ominous feeling that had followed me.

Who was that man, and how did he know my name? 

His words echoed in my mind—“I’ve been looking for you.”

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I kept glancing in my rearview mirror, half-expecting to see the gray-eyed stranger following me. But the streets were empty; all I saw were the streetlights reflecting on the rain-slicked pavement.

I turned on the radio, hoping to drown out my troubled thoughts. 

The Seattle streets were hauntingly quiet as I drove through the ghostly avenues toward my apartment. Even with the music blaring inside the car, my mind kept circling back to Iris, guilt gnawing at me. 

I should have insisted she leave with me that night. 

Lost in my thoughts, I barely noticed the stoplight ahead had changed from yellow to red. I snapped back to reality just in time, slamming my foot on the brake. The car screeched to a halt at the edge of the crosswalk, and my heart pounded from the close call.

Then, as if the night wasn’t already unsettling enough, all the streetlights suddenly went out, plunging the area into darkness. I squinted into the murky gloom, trying to make out anything through the misty rain.

The car shuddered, and the engine died with a final sputter, leaving me stranded in the dark street. Panic flared in my chest as I turned the key in the ignition, but no matter how many times I tried, the car wouldn’t start. Outside, the rain came down harder, obscuring my view even further.

I fumbled for my phone, but when I tried to power it on, the screen stayed black. 

“No, no, no,” I muttered, my hands trembling. 

First Iris, now this. It was too much.

I rested my head against the steering wheel, taking deep breaths to calm myself. There had to be a reasonable explanation for the power outage and my car stalling.

Movement outside the driver’s side window caught my eye. I jerked my head up and peered into the rain-soaked night. At first, I saw nothing but the empty street illuminated by my car's headlights.

Then, a shadowy figure stepped into the light. He was approaching my car quickly, his gaze locked on me. My breath caught as I recognized the man with the piercing gray eyes.

Fear gripped me as I realized he had been following me. My fingers fumbled for the door lock, pressing it down just as he reached the car.

The man glided up to the driver’s side window, moving with an unsettling grace. Up close, his features were sharp, almost predatory, with long black hair spilling from beneath his hood. I shrank back against the seat as he stared at me through the glass.

“Open the door, Gabriella,” he commanded, his voice resonating through the metal of the car. When I didn’t move, he smiled, revealing a hint of sharp teeth. “This area isn’t safe for a young woman alone at night.”

My heart pounded as I considered my options. If I managed to get out of the car, I could try to run away, but he looked like he could catch me easily. Desperation took over, and I slammed my hand on the car horn, hoping someone might hear me and come to my rescue.

The man tilted his head as if amused by my defiance. Then he placed his hand on the hood of my car, and the horn abruptly cut off, the headlights dimmed to black, and we were left in total darkness with only the sound of the rain.

“That’s better,” he murmured, moving around to the passenger side. “You and I have much to discuss.” My blood ran cold as I heard the locks click open. I reached for the lock button on my door and clicked down on it furiously, but the doors remained unlocked.

The man slid into the passenger seat with a fluid motion, closing the door behind him. I flinched as he reached over to turn the key in the ignition, and the engine roared back to life.

“Drive,” he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. My whole body trembled as I forced myself to move. As I pulled away from the intersection, the streetlights came back on again.

As we drove through the deserted streets, I mustered up some courage. 

“Where am I driving to?”

“Discovery Park,” was the only answer he gave.

I'll drive us to the nearest police precinct, but I didn’t know which one is closest!

I needed to find a way out of this. Maybe if I drove through a more populated area, I could escape or signal for help. My grip tightened on the steering wheel as I prepared myself for the right moment.

But he seemed to sense my thoughts. 

“I wouldn’t, Gabriella. You won’t get far,” he warned, his voice cold and sure. His gray eyes gleamed like quicksilver in the darkness, sending chills down my spine.

“What do you want from me?” My voice trembled, fear seeping into every word.

He turned to me, his gaze piercing. “We can help each other.”

My heart pounded at his words. “Help each other?” I repeated, disbelief coloring my voice. “You must be crazy if you think I’m going to help someone who just kidnapped me.”

He laughed, a rich, unsettling sound that sent a shiver down my spine. 

“Kidnapped? No, we’re just going somewhere private where we can talk without interruptions.”

“I... I don’t understand,” I stammered. “I don’t know anything valuable. I think you’ve made a mistake. There's nothing for us to talk about.”

His gaze bore into me, and I could feel his patience thinning. 

“I do not make mistakes, Gabriella.”

My hands trembled on the steering wheel. What could this man possibly want? I racked my brain, but nothing made sense.

“Please, just let me go,” I pleaded, my voice quivering.

But he remained silent, his eyes fixed ahead as we drove toward the coast. The dark waters of Puget Sound stretched out before us, the horizon lost in the night.

My mind raced as we approached Discovery Park, the car’s wheels crunching the loose gravel beneath.

As the dense forest appeared in front of us, I thought that if I could make it out of the car and onto one of the forest trails, I might lose him in the trees. My hands tightened on the steering wheel as I prepared to make a desperate move I had only ever seen done in movies.

With a sudden jerk, I yanked the wheel to the right, steering the car sharply toward the beach access road. The tires screeched in protest as they hit the rough path, but I didn’t slow down. My heart pounded in my chest as the car hurtled toward the beach.

As soon as the car hit the sand, I flung open the door and leaped out. The impact sent me rolling across the coarse beach, pain shooting through my arms and legs, but I forced myself to keep moving. I scrambled to my feet, pushing through the pain, and sprinted toward the forested trail.

Behind me, the man’s angry shouts echoed through the night, but I didn’t stop to look back. I ran as fast as I could, my breath ragged, my heart pounding in my ears. The trees loomed ahead, dark and foreboding, but I knew they were my only hope.

I pushed myself harder, each step taking me closer to the safety of the trees. The forest was just a few strides away. I could make it. I had to.