STREET 19

EPISODE 1 11:47 PM A black car slowly moved through the thick fog that covered the city. The streetlights on either side of the road were going out one by one. Ethan Cole, sitting inside the car, glanced at his phone. A message had arrived from an unknown number. “If you want to know what happened fifteen years ago, come to Street 19. Come alone.” Ethan read the message again. Fifteen years. For all those years, he had tried to forget one particular night. The night twelve children had disappeared. The night a school van vanished along with them. And the night his younger sister, Emily, was never seen again. Ethan had been seventeen years old back then. Now, he was a former police detective. Yet, he had never been able to solve the case. Suddenly, the car radio crackled to life. “...Stay away from Street 19...” Ethan switched off the radio. A sign appeared ahead. STREET 19 — NO THROUGH ROAD He slammed on the brakes. A yellow school van was parked in the middle of the road. Its headlights were on. The engine was running. But there was no one in the driver's seat. Ethan stepped out of the car. “Hello? Anybody there?” There was no response. He walked toward the van. The moment he saw its license plate, his face went pale. It was the same van that had disappeared fifteen years ago. Suddenly, he heard a child's laughter coming from inside. Ethan tried to open the rear doors. They were locked. The next moment, an orange glow appeared behind the van's windows. One second. Two seconds. BOOM! The van burst into flames. Ethan was thrown backward. Fire surged into the sky, and thick black smoke swallowed the street. He got back to his feet, grabbed his phone, and tried to call the police. No signal. That was when he noticed a little girl standing on the other side of the flames. A white shirt. A blue school skirt. Wet hair. Her face was impossible to make out clearly. But the bracelet on her wrist looked familiar to Ethan. It was Emily's bracelet. “Emily?” The girl slowly raised her head. “Big brother...” Ethan felt as though his heart had stopped. “Emily! Wait!” He ran toward her. A car sped past him. When Ethan opened his eyes again, the girl was gone. The burning van had disappeared, too. All that remained on the road was a small black bag. Ethan picked it up and opened it. Inside was an old photograph. Twelve children stood in front of a school van. Behind them stood the driver, Martin Reed. Written at the bottom of the photograph in red ink were the words: “ONE OF THEM IS STILL ALIVE.” Ethan turned the photograph over. Another line was written on the back. “Don't trust the police.” His phone buzzed again. A new message appeared. “You have 6 hours, Ethan.” Another message followed immediately. “Find the driver before he finds you.” Ethan slowly raised his head. At the far end of the street, two headlights appeared through the fog. A yellow school van was heading straight toward him. Someone was sitting in the driver's seat. A smile spread across the driver's face. Ethan recognized him. It was Martin Reed, the man who had been officially declared dead fifteen years ago. The van came to a stop right in front of Ethan. The driver's side window slowly rolled down. Martin looked at him and said, “If you want to find your younger sister... get in the van.” Ethan stood frozen, unable to move. The rear doors of the van slowly swung open by themselves. From inside, the voices of twelve children rose together. “Ethan...”