Collectors
222 Words
Day 12 – Her Timeline
She hears them talking outside the door.
One says:
> “Money clears Friday. After that—she’s done.”
The words make her stomach drop.
She realizes they don’t plan to let her go.
That night she dreams of her sister’s voice calling her name.
When she wakes, she’s still in the dark room, mouth dry, head pounding.
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Day 13 – Investigator Timeline
A break that could matter:
Security cam from a gas station two blocks from her building shows the same dark sedan.
Timestamp: 12:15 p.m. on the day she vanished.
Driver: unidentified male, neck tattoo visible.
They circulate still images, but there’s no hit yet.
The detectives theorize a possible drug-related debt.
Ramirez writes:
> “No record Lydia used or sold. Could be wrong place/wrong time. Need to talk to family about anyone else with debts.”
They don’t realize that Lydia’s cousin, who owes a local crew money, gave them her name as collateral.
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Day 13 – Her Timeline
She’s starting to hallucinate from dehydration and fear.
She thinks she hears her sister singing through the wall.
The tallest captor kneels and whispers:
> “Nothing personal. You just drew the short straw.”
Her heart pounds so hard she thinks she’ll die from panic before they even touch her.
- Writer
