Human vs. Phantom

Chapter-1 Episode-2 The City Hope

Chapter-1, Episode-2, The City Hope

A week later,

Hudson, New York

Hudson, a beautiful city located along the west border of Columbia County, New York. It has a population of seven thousand residents, which has been declining since the late 20th century. Their people are friendly and sweet. As per the census, 19.4% of the total population had a female householder with no husband present. From the past week, five women had been missing from this city. All of them lived alone. They were included in 19.4% of the population. They all were single women, all in their early twenties. How they vanished puzzled all the natives. Most of them vanished from closed places. Police have no scientific explanation about it whatsoever.

“When something unexplainable happens, where the science doesn’t work. There comes the protector, who believes what others were kept in dark from. To put an end….” This is what a superhero would say. But Reeve, he ain't a superhero. But he is a hero, he helps the vulnerable and finishes the evil and bad.

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“When I was ten years old

I remember thinking how cool it would be

When we were goin’ on an eight-hour drive

If I could just watch TV

And I’d have given anything

To have my own pacman game at home

I used to have to get a ride down to the arcade

Now i’ve got it on my phone……...

He-e-ey glory hallelujah

Welcome to the future”

‘Welcome to the future’ was blasting in the car as Reeve was a sucker for country music. He was driving the car in full throttle while tuning with the lyrics in his hoarse voice. He has been driving the car for twenty-seven hours straight, with few breaks to fuel himself and his baby. He is now about to reach the city where women have been going missing. He was in a diner two days ago for the dinner, when he read the news in the paper. So, he went off to Hudson to look into the disappearances. He can help but go there to look himself.

Now when he is about to enter the town, he is more relaxed as the biggest thing in the case has been solved. His exhaustion is now a bit relaxed. He liked long drives but now he hates it. Driving alone for a whole damn day, damn boring. Driving and sitting at the same seat for so long, ass kill.

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He parked his Camaro outside of the cop shop. Although Reeve is a messy person himself, but he took care of his car like it is actually his baby. Even if he won’t take a bath, his car will always be shiny and clean. It was as good as a new one will look. The silver stripes on the blue Z28 just strike the eyes of any passer-by. It was cool enough to turn the heads of many.

Turning the engine off he came out of the car wearing a business suit. The suit was black, sharp looking and well fitted. Leaving nothing to imagine in his muscular upper body. His hair was sleeked back making his sharp jawline comes out. His beard was shining with the sunlight, while his eyes were squinting from it. He was wearing glasses with thick black frames making his green eyes look compelling.  Exactly the reason why women like men in uniforms. His black colored attire bring out his natural bronze tanned skin. The six feet an inch-tall, he looked mesmerizing. Enough to turn even more attention than his car would get in a day.

“Hello Sherriff, special agent Presley from FBI. I wanted to get the information about the kidnappings going on in the town.” Reeve said in his authoritative voice fetching out his badge from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and showing it to the Sherriff.

“Since when did the feds are getting interested in k********g cases. This is our work to handle. Don’t they have bigger fishes to fry?” The officer said who was standing beside the Sherriff with irritation in his voice.

“you wanna know why we, the feds are getting involved in small town’s business? I could explain it to you but I won’t since I have many bigger fishes to fry. So, you better help me, officer.” Reeve said giving a savage reply to the aloof officer.

“settle down officer and agent. Here, take the files. These are all we know about the five women who have been missing since the past week. Hope these are enough.” The Sherriff meddled giving me a file.

“thanks sheriff, the FBI thanks you”, I took the folder from his hands thanking him. The file that he gave me had all the information about the missing along with their photographs and how they went missing. I started reading the file.

The first woman who went missing was Emma Davis. A college student who went missing. She went missing from inside her house which was locked from inside. Her friend reported her being missing when she didn’t find her in the house, even when the house was locked.

The girl who was the second to go MIA, Olivia Brown. A clothing store manager. Twenty-five-year-old, she too lives alone.  Who went missing while she was walking home after closing the store around ten pm at night? Her cell phone and handbag were found on the road the next day. The person who witnessed her getting kidnapped said that a man, who was young in appearance knocked her out with and once she fell unconscious on the road, he carried him and they vanished into thin air. He also stated that the man looked pale and had nice facial features. When I asked the sheriff about this man, he told me that he was a local homeless drunk and was just blabbering some nonsense.

 The third one was Sophia Garcia, an employee at a real estate firm. Twenty-three-year-old, she Lived with a roommate. Sophia left for home from the office but never reached home. Her roommate filed the report when she didn’t come back home that night nor she even picked up her phone. That was when the police knew about her disappearance.

The last two were Savanah Smith and Ava Johnson. Both were students of the same college but different majors. They were too disappeared in suspicious circumstances.

 With that file, I went out of the station. I was about to get in the car when I saw a few officers coming out of the station. I went to one of the officers to ask where they were going in a hurry.

“Officer, special agent Presley, FBI. Where are you all heading to?” Reeve said showing his badge to the police officer.

“a missing woman among the five has been found unconscious near the Hudson River. She has been taken to the emergency care. Is the FBI handling this case?” The officer asked while rushing to the car.

“we are following up on this case. We had a suspicion that one of our wanted could be behind these disappearances, so would you mind leading the way then officer?” I said getting back to my car and following the police’s car to the hospital.

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The girl found was Ava Johnson. Twenty-three-year-old, college girl. She worked part-time as a cleaner and a nanny in the Martin household, where she went missing from. She was looking after the five-year-old kid of the household, while Mr. And Mrs. Davis were away for some business. When we reached the hospital, which was about twenty minutes from the polices station, she was in the doctor’s care, who was running a thorough check up on her.

“doctor is the girl okay? Is she still unconscious?” I asked the doctor who was coming out of her room.

“she is conscious now, but her body is week. We injected him some anti-biotics to treat her wounds. We are keeping her under observation for a few days to watch her condition closely. But she will be fine.” The doctor explained.

“can we ask her a few questions?” I asked the doctor.

“sure, you can but don’t put too much strain on the patient, she is still week.” The doctor suggested.

“sure doctor”, I said as I and a police officer went inside the room.

I asked the officer to let me question her alone for five minutes and he agreed and stayed behind. So, I went inside the room alone. As I went in, I saw that she was awake but still laying down on the bed weakly.

“Ms. Ava, I am agent Presley from the FBI. I wanted to ask you a few questions. That can help us with the investigation. Can you help us investigate; it could help us to find the other girls who have been missing too?” I asked sitting beside her bed on a hospital stool.

“I can help an officer. Who else have been missing?” She said in a weak voice.

“four other girls, all of them are around your age. Do you remember anything about where you were these past days? Or anything about the person who kidnapped you? Or anything else like how he took you? Even the smallest thing you can recollect can help too.” I told her.

“yes agent, that night I was working in Mr. Martin’s home, looking after their kid john as Mr. And Mrs. Martin was going out of town, the had some family issue there to attend. It was around midnight when I sent John to bed, ah their kid. And I went to the bathroom. In the bathroom I was brushing my teeth while looking at the mirror when I felt someone’s presence behind me, at first I thought that I was just being paranoid but then I felt it again. I got scared and when I turned behind someone attacked me. That person hit me in the head, and I fell on the ground. My vision was getting blurred and I don’t remember anything that happened after that. All I remember next was waking up at a dark place. I was chained to a wall pipe. I screamed and yelled for help for hours but no one came to help me. I stayed in that dark room for hours crawled in the corner, scared for my life but no one came. The next day a man came inside. Ahh... I'm not sure what happened after that, maybe I was imagining it. I was exhausted so I tried to convince myself that I am imagining.” She was hesitating to continue what happened next.

“It's okay you can tell me. Whatever it was I will believe you.” I tried to calm her.

“that man came near me, he took me to a room and roped my hands to a pole and then bite me here”, she said showing me her neck which had a bite mark on it. It was red like a fresh wound.

“he bit you there, and what happened after that,” I asked.

“Soon as he bit me, I don’t know what happened to him, but he pushed me against the wall and ran out to the corner of the room. He started gagging and coughing, then he left the room. He was in a hurry and left the door open. I was alone in the room. The pole he tied me to had a nail in it, so ripped the rope with it and run out of that place. I ran and ran through the woods and next I remember was waking up at the hospital today.” She explained the whole thing that happened to her there.

“so, Ava, I can call you that right?” She nodded at the question. “you know that four other women are missing too and you saw no one there? Did you hear anyone there?” I asked her.

“I never heard anyone there. But then the walls there were stone walls so maybe there was someone but I couldn’t hear them through the thick walls.” She answered.

“anything about how that man looked who kidnapped you?” I asked again.

“yes, I clearly remembered him. He was tall and handsome, like a model or something. I've never seen someone as handsome as him in this town. His skin was pale and dry and his eyes, they were life less. And the way he talked, it sounded like an ancient person like the dialogues of an ancient play. The words he used, no one talk like that now.” She explained.

“Okay then rest well, I will go now. Take care of yourself. Here is my card call me if anything happens.” I said and left the room.

I was outside of her room when I saw the doctor coming with her reports in his hands. So, I asked him about Ava’s condition.

“doctor is there something wrong with her reports?” I asked.

“I was suspicious when I saw her condition, but I wanted to wait till the reports came out. She is in the early stage of cancer, blood cancer. It can be cured according to her present condition. So, we have to keep her under our care. I am going to tell her this now.” The doctor said.

I came out of the hospital and get in my car. I turned the music on to clear my head before I called Jimmy for his help. My confident guess is a Dracula or a vampire. I've heard they hate tainted blood. But even if the kidnapper is a Dracula or a vamp, but the question now is why they kidnapped only those girls and not anyone else. They could have grabbed and sucked anyone. What is so special about them? Why them and who is next? The sooner I found that out, the lesser the casualties will be.

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After a bit more investigation about the girls, I got to know something interesting about them. The one thing all five of them had in common was that all of them were into god, they all followed Christianity. Every Sunday they visited a church of the town. So, I decided to visit the church myself to see if I can get any clue from that.

The next day,

I am standing outside of ‘The City Hope’ church. It's early in the morning. The bells from the church were chiming. There was a lot of crowd near the church. I’m not a religious person, no one will be after seeing so much evil and no good. I still went inside the church.

When I went into the church, the prayer was going on in the church. I waited for the prayer to end and after it ended, I went to the father to ask him some questions about the kidnappings.

“Father, I’m special agent Presley from the FBI. I am here to ask you a few questions. Can you give me a minute?” I asked him.

“Yes, Mr. Presley. Come to my office.” He said.

“so, father can you tell me, what you know about the girls who had been kidnapped this week? You know they all were regular here.” I asked again.

“I knew them, they visited the church quite often. They are all good children. They always come here to take God's blessings. Sister Mary, can tell you more about them. They were kind of close.” He called sister Mary in his office. I asked her the same question I asked to father.

She told me that all five of them were a member of a chastity group in the church. According to her, the group is for anyone who wants to stay pure until their marriage. So, in short, they were all virgins.

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Later the day,

“Hello Jim, did you do what I told you to do?” I asked Jimmy on the phone.

“I have been licking the book since yesterday, as you asked me. So yes, I did what you asked. Wait I'm mailing you something.” He answered irritatingly.

“Okay, i’ll call you in a while, after I read it.” I said disconnecting the call.

After about an hour, I called him again.

“I read the local news. You think it’s a Dracula k********g those girls?” He again asked.

“I’m sure it’s a Dracula now. Apparently, All the girls who were kidnapped were virgins. And according to what you’ve sent, they are a sucker for virgin blood. And the girl’s blood he gagged after drinking is in the early stages of blood cancer. And it says they can’t digest drinking tainted blood. All the things Points towards a Dracula to be the one behind all this.” I told Jim.

“I also found something that could kill him, I'm sending it to you too. See it.” He said.

According to the information Jim had sent me, it says, Rosewood is lethal to vampires when it touches their heart, especially when carved into stakes, which can be used to pierce their hearts. This is the main, and perhaps one of the only known ways, to permanently kill a Dracula. Now I know what I am going to do. The only thing left now is to find that bastard and stab him till he dies.