The Erased CEO

The first thing Adrian Cole felt was the cold. A biting wind swept over his skin, seeping through the torn fabric of his shirt. The sharp scent of damp earth filled his nostrils. He could hear the distant rustling of trees, the faint chirping of crickets—sounds that felt both familiar and foreign. His head throbbed, a dull and persistent pain radiating from his temple. When he tried to move, his muscles screamed in protest. Where am I? He opened his eyes, only to be met with darkness. The sky above was a muted shade of gray, the kind that signaled the early hours of dawn. He was lying on the ground, sprawled against a patch of dirt and fallen leaves. His fingers dug into the earth as he struggled to push himself up. The effort sent a wave of dizziness crashing over him. His mind was a blank slate. No name, no memories—just the overwhelming sense that something was terribly, terribly wrong. Then, a voice. "Hey! Are you okay?" He turned his head too quickly, sending another jolt of pain through his skull. A woman stood a few feet away, a flashlight in her hand, her expression filled with concern. Her dark hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, and she was wrapped in a thick sweater, as if she’d just stepped outside in a hurry. "Who are you?" he croaked, his throat dry and raw. "I should be asking you that," she said, stepping closer. The beam of her flashlight landed on him, illuminating his disheveled state. His clothes were torn, his hands scraped, and there was dried blood at his temple. "What happened to you?" He swallowed hard. "I... I don’t know." The words felt foreign, terrifying. He reached for something—anything—that might give him an answer. But his mind was empty. The woman hesitated, scanning him carefully. "You don’t remember?" He shook his head, and the motion sent another wave of pain crashing over him. She exhaled, clearly debating something. Finally, she extended a hand. "Come on. Let’s get you inside before you freeze to death." Adrian hesitated. He didn’t know this woman. He didn’t know anything. But the cold was relentless, and his body was weak. With no other option, he took her hand. She pulled him up, steadying him as he swayed on his feet. "My name’s Evelyn," she said. "You’re behind my house. I don’t know how you got here, but we’ll figure it out." He nodded weakly, letting her guide him toward the warm glow of a porch light in the distance. The name Evelyn settled into his mind, something to hold onto in the chaos. But as he took one last glance at the darkened woods behind him, an unsettling thought whispered at the edge of his mind. Someone had left him there. And whoever they were, they hadn’t wanted him to found.