scared straight
596 Words
Reporting Party: Lydia’s sister, Angela M.
Time Filed: 4:47 p.m.
Location: Central Precinct
> “She’s not answering her phone. She missed work—well, she got fired, but she missed the appointment she was supposed to have with me yesterday. Her apartment was locked when I stopped by. It’s not like her to just disappear. And she’s been scared lately… saying weird things about people watching her.”
The responding officer lists her as MISSING – SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES.
Details noted:
Apartment door locked, chair overturned inside.
Mattress disturbed, with a torn scrap of paper reading “WE SEE YOU.”
Phone left behind on the kitchen counter.
Purse missing. No wallet or ID found.
---Day 10 (Investigator Timeline)
Detective Ramirez logs his first entry:
> “No forced entry. Possible voluntary disappearance. No confirmed threats. Interviewed sister—reports paranoia. Need to determine if this is mental health-related or foul play.”
They canvass neighbors; half don’t remember her, half vaguely recall hearing footsteps or a slamming door. One elderly neighbor swears she saw “men with dark jackets” loitering near the building a few nights before.
Day 10 (Her Timeline – What Really Happened)
When the door slammed, it wasn’t her leaving. It was them.
Three figures. No masks, no weapons—just a quiet certainty that made resistance impossible. One grabbed her arm. Another whispered:
> “This covers what they owe.”
She didn’t know who “they” were. She barely had time to scream before they dragged her down the back stairwell.
Day 11 – Investigator Timeline
Detective Ramirez’s Daily Log:
> “Followed up with employer. Confirms termination, notes recent erratic behavior (missed shifts, appeared distressed). Sister insists she wouldn’t leave voluntarily.
Apartment dusted for prints—only Lydia’s and landlord’s.
Security footage from alley behind building inconclusive; blurry figures at 12:07 p.m., possibly three subjects, but can’t confirm. Car with tinted windows appears at 12:10 p.m., no plates visible.”
They list her case as “MISSING ADULT – POSSIBLE INVOLUNTARY,” but resources remain limited.
Ramirez makes a note in passing:
> “Scrap of paper under mattress strange. Possibly mental health episode. Need psych history.”
They miss the key thing—the handwriting on that note doesn’t match Lydia’s.
---
Day 11 – Her Timeline (What Really Happened)
She’s in a dark storage room somewhere unfamiliar. Cold cement floor, no windows.
Her wrists ache from zip ties.
The three people barely speak to her, except for short commands:
> “Sit. Quiet. Don’t make this worse.”
She tries to ask why she’s there. One of them finally answers:
> “It ain’t you. It’s them. They’re the ones who owe.”
She doesn’t even know who “they” are. Her family? Old roommate?
Every time she asks for water, they glance at each other before giving her anything—like someone told them to keep her alive, but just barely.
---
Day 12 – Investigator Timeline
The case starts hitting the local news.
A reporter interviews her landlord:
> “She was quiet. Always paid late, but she never bothered anyone. Kept to herself.”
A witness calls in a tip:
They think they saw Lydia get into a dark sedan with two men near her building the day she vanished.
The lead fizzles; detectives can’t verify the plate number.
Ramirez notes something odd but doesn’t follow up:
> “Caller described one man with a tattoo on his neck: black wings or horns?”
He chalks it up to unreliable memory.
- Writer
