Love, Vance Cole

10th December The street lamps were glowing brightly, scattering the orange light around the snow-covered roads of Ardor. Emma was scanning the grocery shelves. She’d come out of the house this late in the night to buy baby food for her daughter, who she’d left alone in the crib at home. Along with her, she’d brought her son, Daniel, who insisted on coming. He stood beside her, staring at the bars of chocolates, drool making its way out of his mouth.  Her wristwatch showed five minutes until 12, when she grabbed her son’s arm firmly, checking in the product and racing out of the grocery store. They had to cross the road to reach their apartment. Daniel’s neck was still bent, his eyes fixed on the shelves that were covered with chocolate bars.  “Mama, can I have that, please?” He looked at her with his doe eyes, smiling.  Emma tilted her neck to where he was pointing, then glanced back at her wristwatch, and then back at his son’s eyes. “How about tomorrow?” She caressed his cheek, to which he nodded.  Their footsteps were prominent in the snow as they made their way to the other side of the road. The silence wasn’t normal. No one in Ardor slept this early. The streets were never this empty. But since last month, no one had been coming out with their kids this late. Since those six children in the city nearby disappeared.  Since Vance Cole appeared.  In twelve days, seven kids in Caligo, the city near Ardor, had been kidn*pped. The police had no clue, and the investigators were still looking into it.  The chilly breeze was only adding to the anxiety of walking alone on the road with her 7-year-old son. After 10:00 pm, the city wasn’t safe to walk with children. Emma knew that. And she would never have come out if it wasn’t for her baby girl. She clenched Daniel’s arm tightly, making sure he’s sticking with her.  She was still holding onto his fragile little arm when a pair of hands held her from behind, pressing a cloth against her mouth and nose, knocking her out with whatever chemical was on it. She fell onto the pile of snow with a thud, her vision blurred, and her eyes followed the woman who was now taking her child away.  “Stop…”  It was all she could mutter before she finally lost to the d**g that slowly took away her consciousness.  ***