you've been tagged

8/4/2019 You've Been Tagged

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Youve Been Tagged

By Mark Schmoyer


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2011 by Mark Schmoyer

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by

means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning,

or other-except for brief quotations in critical reviews orarticles, without prior written permission.


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Thank you to myfamily for their support, for my Mom and

Lindsay for editing, and for all my fans on Wattpad.com!Couldnt have done it without you! And to my amazing sister,

who loves me dearly.


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3:15 pm, September 9th

It was Friday and I was sitting at my computer,checking my email and sipping a glass of soda. I just got homefrom Prackersburg High School, my school. Feeling lazy, I

minimized the browser tabs and leaned back in my office chair,

closing my eyes. Yes, this 16 year old was looking forward to

an uneventful weekend.

I stood up and walked over to my dresser.

My room was my favorite place to be. It wasnt toosmall, or too big, but a comfortable size. My bed was tucked in

the back left corner, with my dresser a few feet to its right. My

desk sat at the end of my bed, and across from that on the rightside of my room was my small closet. The walls were a light

blue, and posters of bands, athletes, and pictures of my friends

and I littered the wall space.

I passed my mirror that hung next to my closet, and

saw my reflection out of my peripheral.

My hair was messed up.

I sighed and took a step back so that my whole body

was visible in the glass.

I didnt look too bad actually. Almost 6 feet, with blue

eyes that girls adored, curly red hair that could be a handful at

times, and an over all lovely face. Well, at least thats what thegirls said.

I didnt bother to fix the strand of hair that refused to

join the others, it would only come undone in a few hours

anyway.

I forgot why I was going to my dresser and sat back

down at my desk. My laptop was open, and my phone was next

to it.Nothing interesting was happening in the online world,

so I started to shut the laptops lid. Before the screen wentdark, an email notification from Google Chrome popped up.

Feeling a little excited, I clicked on it, and an email


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from my Facebook account showed up. It read, "Dear Chase

Mitchels, Unknown has tagged you in a post on Facebook." Ire-read it. Unknown? How is their name Unknown? Who are

they? How in the world am I friends with them? I didntremember accepting any friend requests in a while.

Curiosity and frustration got the best of me and I

clicked on the link provided. A new window filled my screen

and Unknowns profile came into view. As expected, theirprofile picture was a blank face. Their wall was completely

deserted except for the 'post' I'd been tagged in. I read the post,

and then gasped.It read, "In 24 hours, Chase Mitchels will be dead.

This couldnt be real. Facebook wouldnt have allowed

this. This had to be a mistake, or a joke, or a glitch orsomething.

Right? I mean, this couldnt be true.

I quickly clicked the chat bar to see if he was still

online, but only my friends were. Trying to calm myself down,I clicked on their info. Empty. No photos, notes, comments,

friends other than me, and they didn't even play Farmville!There was nothing on their site except for my death status.

I sat back. How did they become my friend if I didn'tconfirm them? My wall showed no signs of me ever accepting

a friend request.

An idea entered in my mind. What if somebody that Iconfirmed as a friend a long time ago erased all their info and

pictures and etc, and changed their name to 'Unknown', and

decided to have a little fun, at my expense? It was plausible.

I searched through my friends list, and all my closest

friends were still active. I couldn't remember all of my friends

of course, but of the ones I knew who might try to prank me

like this, all were still active.I shook my head, and took a deep breath in. This was

just a mistake. Some idiot somewhere was bored and decidedto make themselves laugh so they made this status...but how

did I become friends with him? That was the part that didnt


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make sense. Who couldve accepted it if I didnt?

Oh, it was probably my little brother, Riley. He's a painin the butt sometimes. He probably saw that I had left my

account open once, and decided to make me mad by accepting

a friend request and then not telling me. Stupid siblings.

But what if it was real? What if there was some killer

that really existed and I really was going to be dead in 24

hours? What kind of person did this? What would cause aperson to want to kill another person? And would I be killed

sometime before 24 hours was up, or exactly in 24 hours?

I blinked. What am I saying, none of this was true.

I clicked on, "Send Unknown a message.". I typed,

"Alright dude, I don't know who you are, and I don't reallycare. The jigs up, stop being a jerk and tell me who you are.

And if I know you, trust me, I'm going to beat you so bad that

you wished you never born." Wow, what am I, seven? That

sounded way too cheesy. I wanted them to be scared, not

amused. I re-typed that last line. If I know you, Id better notrun into you anytime soon. I dont like people playing these

types of jokes on me.

Not much better, but they'll get the point. I hit send and

closed Facebook.

One minute later, I received another email, from

Facebook. Unknown had messaged me back. After I read it, I

knew this was no joke."Hello Chase. I'm looking forward to getting to know

you. And don't worry who I am. Trust me, you don't want to

know. In 23 hours and 50 minutes, you'll be dead anyway. My

advice? Start running."


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"Dad, how is that NOT creepy? Theyre going to KILLme!"

"It's a prank, can't you see that?"

After I had stared at my computer screen for several

minutes, dumbfounded dazed and confused, I had randownstairs and told Dad, who was reclining on the couch.

He seemed unconvinced that something serious might

be happening.

"I didn't tell you what they messaged back. I told him

what I had received and he didnt say anything for a minute.

Then, "Chase, somebody wants to scare you and

they're succeeding. Nobody's going to kill you."

But what if someone really is? Shouldnt we dosomething about this?

He pondered it. Im not sure if those messages aloneare enough for anything to be done about it.

Come on! Dad seemed to be acting very strange.

Why didnt he see this as real?

Chase, youll be fine. I doubt anything will come

from them.

A frustrated sigh escaped and I walked away, retreatinginto my room. As much as I didn't want to do it, I pulled out

my laptop and opened Facebook once again. I clicked on

Unknown and opened up another new message.

"Unknown, why are you doing this? How can I believe

you? How do I know youre not just some dork behind a

computer screen?"

Once more I hit send and the message was on its way.

I didn't bother to stick around and see how soon theywould reply. Instead I went downstairs and sat on the couch for

some TV time. I wanted to clear my head and zone out.


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Maybe Dad was right. This was probably nothing and

in a few hours it would be dismissed as a not so friendlypractical joke or dare.

Dad came over to me and said, "I'm going to run some

errands. Your mom is picking up your brother from school, soshe'll be back shortly."

"Alright."

The door shut and suddenly it was quiet. The TV was

on, but my sudden fearful thoughts drowned it out. An uneasy

eeriness filled the room, and it started to scare me. I stood up

and didnt move for a moment, trying to convince myself thatnothing was wrong and that I was being paranoid. Nothing was

wrong.

But I still couldnt shake the feeling that I was being

watched, that I was isolated and alone, unprotected and

vulnerable.

I went back onto my room.

I crossed over to my window, which was across from

my desk, and pulled open the shades, letting some light in. Iwalked over and pulled the laptop lid open.

One new email.

I hovered the mouse over it for a second, and then

opened it.

"Do you believe now?"

What? What did it mean?

I left the screen up and went to sit down on my bed. Icollapsed and shut my eyes.

Why would anybody want to do this to me? I mean,

what could I have done? And what did Do you believe now?mean? Believe what?

What does somebody believe in? Usually a religion, a

faith. Or belief in themselves? Belief sometimes comes after anevent, such as 9/11. Americans thought that their country was

invincible until a homeland attack shattered their beliefs.


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But did this have anything to do with what was

happening to me? Or was I over analyzing it?

I was thinking too much. It had nothing to do with any

of this. It was probably something really simple.

I opened my eyes and walked back over to my laptop,

sitting down in my chair again.

Do you believe now? the message dared me.

Believe what?

Suddenly I heard a gunshot, and milliseconds later my

glass window shattered, followed by the screen of my laptopbeing yanked away from the keyboard, leaving my laptop in

two pieces. The screen showcased a rippling effect caused by

the bullet.

It all happened in one second.

My heart rate sky rocketed, and my hands started tosweat. My legs started to bounce and my knees shook. I dared a

look out my window, but obviously didn't see anything.

I heard another sound, this one of an object flyingthrough the air. Before I could think, or much less react, an

object crashed through what was left of my window and landed

on my rug, surrounded by jagged glass shards. I immediatelyjumped away and hid my head in my hands.

After a few moments, I realized it was not a bomb.

Cautiously walking over, I saw a rock with a piece of papertied to it. I removed the string, and smoothed the paper. A note.

"You should believe now that Im not joking. Only 23

hours and 25 minutes remaining. What are you going to do?"


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Hello? I need help! My window and laptop were shotby a sniper only a few minutes ago! And before that, I was sentdeath threats by this same person! I was getting frantic.

The 911 operator on the other side replied, Okay, take

a deep breath. Can you do that for me?

I breathed deeply, and a little bit of the panic left. But

it came back immediately when the operator started talking

again.Now, what happened?

Somebody wants to kill me! Theyve been sendingme creepy messages and then they just shot my laptop and my

window! I dont know why they want to kill me!

Im going to send somebody over, but until they getthere I need you to try and calm down. Panicking wont

accomplish anything except hasty and unwise decisions. Anddont go anywhere. A police officer will be over soon.

Okay, okay. I breathed heavily again.

Good, good. Now, what is your name?

Chase Mitchels. My breath still came in short bursts.

Alright Chase. Where do you live?

45 Copper Lane.

Chase, Sergeant Detective Michael Daniels will be

there in a few minutes. Is anybody else there with you?

No, its just me. Saying that reminded me I was

alone. Fear crept in.

Just hang on until Detective Daniels gets there. Can

you do that for me?Yeah, I can.

Excellent. It wont be long.

Thank you.


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The operator kept talking, but I hung up. I knew they

usually preferred to keep the caller on the phone, but I didntwant to talk. Instead, I collapsed in a chair.

Before I could exhale, my cell phone rang. The sound

of my ringtone surprised me, and my body jerked in shock. If itwas possible, my heartbeat quickened. I pulled out my phone

and looked at the number. It was restricted. I dropped it on the

floor and let it ring. Eventually it stopped. Silence.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. I wouldnt

have to wait long, I told myself. Daniels would be here soon,

and then they would find who was doing this and I could stopworrying.

My phone buzzed on the floor. I leaned forward and

looked at the screen. A new text message. I scooped up myphone and searched for the number. It said, Restricted.

Against my better judgment, I opened the text message. Three

simple words glowed at me.

Answer your phone.I deleted it instantly, and immediately regretted it. I

shouldve kept it for evidence, maybe the police couldvetracked or traced it. Dang it! I wasnt thinking clearly at all.

I didnt have long to dwell on it though, because myphone rang again. Restricted number. I held it in my quivering

hand, and slowly answered.

Hello? My voiced shook.

A pause. Then a deep marbled male voice, masked by

a disguise. Ah, hello Chase. So nice to finally talk to you.

How have you been? Not that I really care.

Who are you?!

Oh but Chase, youve already asked that! Be original!

Ask me why Im doing this. Ask me why I chose you. Ask mehow Im going to kill you. Because those are the questions that

you really want to know.

I dont want to know any of that!

Well, Ill tell you anyway.


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Id rather you didnt.

Shut up, kid! Did I tell you to talk? Remember, I havethe power here! I can kill you whenever I want.

Then why didnt you just a few minutes ago in myroom?

Ah, there is the ever important question. Yes, I

couldve killed you easily. But I didnt. Know why? Thatsrhetorical. Because I like to have the power. I like to control

how a man acts; I like to see him run when maybe no one is

chasing him. When a man knows that he can be killed at any

instant by an unknown person, his will is broken and is somuch more easily controlled.

Frozen. My nerves were frozen. What was he talkingabout? Y-y-you wont get away with this! Great, that sounds

so non-clich. The police are coming over right now, and

theyll get you!

Hmm, how trivial. Well see what happens. I hope

they believe you!

The line went dead. I took my phone away from mycheck and looked at the screen. Call ended.

Two knocks at the door. I jerked my head up and

stared at the door. I asked, Who is it?

Its Sergeant Michael Daniels, here to talk to Chase

Mitchels.Finally.

Yeah, Im coming. I walked over to the door and

opened it.

Daniels struck me as a prototype detective. Long light

brown jacket, notepad in hand, and the overall look of

somebody who spent their whole life studying and identifying

crime.

Hello, Im here because of your call concerning he

checked his notes, a shooting and death threats?

I nodded. Yeah, yeah, this way. Let me show you the


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evidence. I had to stop saying these cheesy lines.

I led him upstairs and into my room.

My laptop was shattered by a sniper. I opened mydoor and showed Daniels my destroyed window and laptop.

See that? Somebody shot it!

Daniels didnt say anything. He walked over to the

window and peered out the hole. Then he walked over to mylaptop, snapped on thin elastic gloves, and picked it up,

inspecting the rippled glass.

Where are the death threats you mentioned? Heasked.

They were on my Facebook profile! Which I cantaccess now because my laptop is destroyedbut they should

still be in my email! And there was a text message, but I

uhdeleted it accidentally.

He looked at me with disbelief, eyebrows arched. You

deleted it?

I was stressed and acted quickly without thinking, Idefended myself.

Daniels took out a plastic bag from a hidden pocket in

his coat and carefully placed the screen in. Then he pulled outanother identical bag and dropped the other half in. With both

of them zipped, he held them both in one hand and said, Well,

Ill take it back to the station, but this isnt enough to open acase on. Ill need to ask your neighbors and see if anybody saw

or heard anything, and eventually Ill have to read those death

threats.

Alright. The shot was loud, somebody mustve heard

it.

He started down the stairs, with me following. When

we got to the front door, he turned and said, Ill ask yourneighbors in the next few days, and then Ill give your family a

call shortly. Have a nice day.

And with that, he left, and it his place, an intimidating

quietness filled the house.


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Silence. I hated silence. It scared me. But what

Unknown said earlier scared me the most. He wanted to controlme? What did he want me to do? Where did he want me to run

too? Why was he so crazy?

Wait, this is exactly what he was talking about, exactlywhat he wanted. He wanted to control my actions, and control

my thoughts. He wanted me to be scared. He liked it when I'm

scared and don't know what to do.

Suddenly, I wondered where Mom and brother were.

Dad said theyd be home soon. I got worried. What if

Unknown got them? What if he wanted ransom money? Wait,no, that didn't make sense. Why would he want ransom money

if I was going to be dead in a day?

I sat down on the sofa and didnt move.

Time seemed to drag on forever.

Jingling at the door. My heart went up a notch. I tensedon the couch, prepared for anything.

The door swung open.


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4:15pm, September 9th

"Chase, are you home?"It was Mom. Thank goodness, it was only Mom and

Riley.

"Mom, I'm right here." I eased my body a little.

"Oh, honey, you look so tense! Whats wrong?"

"Youll never guess what's been happening to me

today." I recounted my tale to her.

Mom had this distant look in her face, a glazed over

expression. Her gaze wasnt on me either, but somewhere

behind me.

"Mom, you ok?"

"Yes. No. I dont know, I just cant imagine whowould do this." She finally turned to me, and I saw a trace of

tears."So you believe me?"

"What do you mean? I don't really have a choice. I

can't risk NOT believing you."

"Dad didn't believe me. He said it was a prank, and that

somebody just wanted to scare me. But then again he left

before my laptop was shot apart."

"Your father didn't believe you? I wonder why not.

Moms voiced didnt have wonder though. Did she know

something I didnt?

"Oh you know Dad, not believing anything unless he

has, 'hard evidence and proof'. But even when his sons life is in

danger?"

Riley had been just standing there, until he said, "Whyis he doing this?"

I replied, "I don't know, Riley. He said he liked having

the power, liked having control of people and their actions."

Mom asked, "But why you?"


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I had no answer.

"When is Sergeant Daniels supposed to ask ourneighbors and give us a call back?"

"He said, 'shortly', whatever that means. And I forgotto tell him about the phone call."

"What? That was pretty serious!"

"I know, it just slipped my mind!" I started to getagitated.

"How? How did you forget about that?"

"Mom! I don't know! But I'll tell him about it when he

calls next."

Mom grabbed the phone. "I'm calling right now." shestarted dialing.

"Mom, he only left a few minutes ago! He won't even

be back yet!"

She didn't listen and called anyway."Hello, I'm looking for Sergeant Daniels. Is he

available?"

I approached Riley.

Riles, did you accept a Facebook friend request on my

profile without telling me?

He looked up at me. No, I didnt.You sure? I gave him an eye.

I didnt, I promise! He sounded disappointed that Iwould ever even think he would do something so preposterous.

Alright, I believe you. I patted him on the shoulder.

Back to my room. I went over to the window and

gazed out. You could see all my neighbors houses from my

window, and there were trees lining each house. I tried to

reason where the shooter must've been, but I had nothing.

My cell phone rang.

I pulled it out. Restricted caller. I didn't want to answer


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it, but I didn't want to NOT answer it either. It rang twice, a

third time. Finally, I answered.

"Hello?"

"I was getting worried that you might not pick up. I'mso glad you did."

"How did you get my number and why are you calling

me?"

"Well, you can find anything on the Internet. But I

didnt find your number on the World Wide Web. In fact, I'm

not going to tell you how I got your number, because this ismuch more fun. And calling you is the only way I can contact

you, remember? Your laptop is hardly in working order."

"Youre sick, you know that?"

He chuckled. "Actually I'm not. My doctor just

recently said that I'm in excellent condition. And my dentist

commented how pearly white my teeth were."

His humor was not amusing. "The cop believes me.You're going to get caught."

"Ah yes, good old Sergeant Daniels."

How did he know his name?

"And I'm not going to tell you how I know his name

either. The best mysteries are those that are never discovered,

am I right? Of course I am."

"Youre nothing but a power-hungry maniac who likes

to screw with peoples lives."

"Well, two out of three ain't bad. I wouldn't classifymyself as a maniac. Perhaps a little untwined, or a tad unwound

according to some, but maniac is a touch strong."

"I'm hanging up."

His voice got serious. "I wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"...oh, trust me, you don't."

"Unless you tell me why not, I am ending this call."


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Pause. "Do you like your face, Chase? Because if you

do hang up, I will trigger the bomb that I implanted into yourphone, and your cheek will be on the wall."

I yanked the phone away and prepared to throw my

phone out the window, but when I looked out, I held back.

A group of ten year olds were playing basketball

outside the house of our neighbor. I couldn't throw it past them,

and I wouldn't put it past Unknown to kill innocent kids.

I put the phone back to my ear.

"Funny how things work in your favor sometimes,came the malicious voice of my stalker.

I didn't answer. Instead, I pulled the phone away from

my face and started to frantically search for the bomb.

I heard him laughing on the other end.

"Youre not going to find it, Chase! Nobody will!"

I gave up and conceded. "What do you want me to

do?" I asked in a defeated voice.

"Nothing. I just want to make sure you know that I'm

in total control of your life. You may hang up now."

The line went dead.


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Mom got through to Sergeant Daniels, and yelled athim until he finally agreed to come back over and interview theneighbors right away. He would also re-dial the restricted

number and try to find the bomb.

While Mom was calling, Dad had come back home,and we filled him in on the new details.

While we waited for Sergeant Daniels to arrive, Dad

gathered everybody and we sat in the living room. Time for atalk.

Dad got it going. What are we going to do about

this?

Personal bodyguard? Riley wasnt helping much.

But hes only seven, so it didnt matter.

Dad, I have no idea. Once Daniels gets the statements

from our neighbors, then a case will open and theyll find thisguy.

Mom suddenly looked worried. I asked Sergeant

Daniels on the phone if anybody had called reporting a

gunshot, other than Chase. And he said no. She glanced atDad, then at me.

Thats not possible, it was so loud! How could

anybody NOT hear that? I was starting to panic. If nobodyheard a gunshot, how was a case going to open, or even worse,

would anyone believe what had happened?

I tried to calm everybody down. Well, mostly myself.Im sure people have, they just havent been put through

properly, or Daniels just hasnt received the notices yet.

My parents exchanged looks. Well see when he gets

here.

You dont believe me now, do you? You saw what

happened to my laptop. How else could that have happened?

Chase, we didnt say that we didnt believe you! Its


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just that if there is no witness, it cant legally be proved. There

is no case without witnesses.

The sound of a fist on wood broke the conversation.

Thats him. Go answer the door Chase. Momgestured to the door.

I got up and opened the door for Daniels.

Sergeant Daniels, thank you for coming back soquickly. Mom shook his hand.

Not that he had much of a choice. I walked around

them and sat back down.

Yes maam. Now, what can I do for you?

There have been some more strange things happeningsince you left!

What things?

Chase, you tell him.

Daniels turned his attention to me.

Ive gotten two phone calls from this guy. One right

before you came and one right after my Mom got home.

He seemed interested. What did he say?

I recited what I could remember back to him and

included the part about the bomb in my phone.

He reacted to the bomb part.

A bomb threat is very serious. When go back to the

station, Ill take your cell phone with me back to the station andsee what we can find. Now, what was the main reason you

called me?

To ask our next door neighbors if they heardanything. You know, gather witnesses?

Alright, Ill go question your closest neighbors. He

headed for the door. And when Im done, Ill stop back in andgive you the final review of whats going to happen, and what

ISNT going to happen.


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He left, and nobody said anything for a minute.

Riley piped up. What do we do now?

We wait until he comes back. Then well know whatto do.

I gulped. I hated waiting.


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This time Daniels knocked only once. Mom dashed

over to the door and hastily let him in."So what's the verdict?" Mom asked.

Verdict? Mom, we're not in a courtroom, I stated.

Mom shushed me, while giving me a death stare.

Daniels sighed deeply then said, "I'm sorry, but none ofyour neighbors were home at the time."

None of them, not even one? Mom asked.

No maam.

Where were they?

Apparently there was a conference for all the parentsand teachers at the middle school.

There was? Are you sure? Riley goes to middle

school, and I didnt get told about this!

Riley pulled out a paper from his backpack. I was justabout to give this too you.

It was the reminder for the conference.

Why are you just giving this to me now? Moms

anger turned to Riley.

I forgot. Rileys face became very sad.

Maam? Daniels cleared his throat, drawing theconversation back to him.

Sorry, Mom apologized.

So what does that mean?" Dad questioned."It means that unless Chase's phone does have a bomb

in it, I can't open a case."

I pulled out my phone and handed it to him. "Couldyou redial the number now?"

He groggily took my phone. He seemed tired, like he

just wanted to get out of here.

"I guess. Was it your last received call?""Yeah."

He found my call log and redialed the restricted caller.


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It rang once. Then an operator, "I'm sorry, the number

you are trying to reach is no longer in service.""He called me from that number!" This was irritating.

"Alright, alright, but no evidence. All I can do now isscan your phone at the station. Until I get the results though, I

can't do much."Dad had another question. "How long until we'll hear

from you?"

Daniels looked worried. "Unfortunately, these teststake a few days."

"A few days? I could be dead in 20 some hours!" I

yelled. This cop was no help whatsoever."I'm sorry, it's the best I can do." Daniels was

fidgeting. He wanted to leave.

"You know what, I'll keep my phone and take my

chances." I snatched it out of his hands."Chase, perhaps it would be better if you didn't have

your phone. Then he wouldn't be able to call you." Mom was

trying to reason with me."He'd just call our house phone, or call Dad's cell! No,

I'll keep it thank you. However, what should I do when he calls

next?

Daniels raised his eyebrows. What makes you so sure

hell call again?

I dont think hes going to leave me alone until this isover.

He nodded. Well, try and write down what he, Im

assuming theyre a he, correct?

Im not sure. The voice sounds very techno, as if its

being distorted.

Not surprising. Daniels pulled out his notepad and

jotted something down. Anyway, try and write what they say

as accurately as possible. Keep some documentation. Otherthan that, asking questions to figure out his identity is worth a

shot, but highly unlikely that theyll work.

Hes very stubborn. He doesnt even like it when Italk.


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Probably because criminals with these types of

profiles are highly obsessive with something. Whether its theperson theyre stalking, an emotion such as power or revenge,

or an item such as money, their sole focus is on that one thing.In your case, Im guessing either emotion, or the person. To

early to tell now though.

But why would somebody be obsessed with me?

Im just a common high school kid! Nothing special!

Daniels shook his head. I cant answer any of that

now. Hopefully thatll become clearer down the road, if this

continues. If it doesnt, then you wont have to worry.

Silence.

Daniels coughed. "Well, other than your laptop, whichI'll present and see if it's enough for a case, there's nothing I

can base anything on yet, as Ive said. I'll notify you by phone

if a case can be opened. Mrs. Mitchels, Mr. Mitchels, Chase."

He nodded to all of us, and then left.

"That is the worst cop ever. Seriously, he didn't evenTRY to help us." Frustration started to bubble over.

"Chase, there was nothing he could do. All he couldbase a case on is your word."

"And my laptop and window! Isn't that enough?"

Dad interjected, "He said he'd present it and see if it

was sufficient."I calmed down. Surely my computer would be enough.

Right?


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The figure was waiting, trying to decide whether to callhis victim or not. The figure was built, very muscular, but not

exceptionally tall. He had experience in weapons and arms,

and his victim knew it.

Power. Control. These were his favorite words. He

loved to have his finger around a person, and squeeze when he

wanted to, and choke when he desired. He craved power, it

drove him. It gave him strength. Thats why he would wait 24

hours to kill his victim, his prey. 24 hours was enough time to

drive the victim and his close relations crazy with fear, worry,

stress. He smiled to himself. He loved the way it felt, the way it

made his blood flow and his mind race.

Revenge. Another critical word, along with hate.

Revenge drove a man past ordinary lengths. Hate and love.

The two emotions that caused humans to endure tremendous

obstacles and withstand oppressive pain.

He took out his phone and attached the number

scrambler to it, then activated the voice distorter. The victims

number was on speed dial. He would be talking to his victim

often.

It rang only once before it was answered.

What do you want?

Well dont we sound happy.

Im the only one talking. Therefore, it is just me. Get

your grammar right.

The victim was getting cocky, proud. The figure

couldnt allow that. His victim needed to know that he was

powerless.

Chase, you do know what I can do to you, right?

Yeah, but you wont. I still have over 22 hours left.

You wont kill me before then.

Furious! How could the victim talk like this?!


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Shut up Chase! I wont kill you, but I can put you in

excruciating pain. So much pain that youd wish you were

dead. But you wont be, not until your clock reaches 3:15pm,

on September 10th

.

But I havent done anything to make you inflict pain

on me.

Not yet, but dont test me. I have a short temper.

And youre accusing me of being clich!

Victims shouldnt talk like this! The audacity of his

victim.Chase, I dont like the way youre talking to me. Will

I have to teach you another lesson?

Nothing. His victim was scared. He could feel it.

No, I understand. But the police are working on

opening a case. You will be a wanted man in a matter of

hours.

The police are so juvenile. It takes them weeks to find

a reason to start an investigation, then after a few days, they

close it due to lack of evidence. Please, the police cant help

you.

Well see.

The victim hung up.

He was enraged! Victims never hang up on the killer,the hunter. Its a sign of defying authority!

But he would be patient. A warning was in order,

nothing more. He had a plan, a glorious awful plan. He would

have to wait a few hours to execute it though. But he would

wait, he had too.

Breathe. Calm down. He steadied himself. He grabbed

his sniper rifle and started dissembling it, piece by piece.Slowly, so not to hurt anything. Once it was all taken apart and

spread out on the floor, he started meticulously cleaning and

polishing each individual component. It kept him at peace, it

gave his mind something to do, to focus and zone in on a single


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task.

He felt better. This was his victim. The victim was

helpless.

He smiled to himself. He enjoyed this.

* * *

I had hung up first. How stupid was I? Something was

going to happen, I knew it. Oh why oh why did I ever act like Iwas confident. The whole time while I was talking, I was

shaking. My knee couldnt stop bouncing, and I had to hold my

right hand steady with my left hand. Somehow, I was able tokeep my voice from stammering.

I dont know why I thought acting cocky would be a

good idea. I thought maybe I could outsmart him and act like Ihad the power. Which I knew I didnt.

But maybe it had worked. I definitely had rattled him.

He was obsessed with having control, I knew that much.Pretending that I had some power myself seemed to disrupt his

intent of calling. Maybe it wasnt such a bad idea.

My cell phone buzzed. A new text message. Restrictednumber.

It read, Dont ever hang up on me again, Chase.

Screw confidence. I was scared.


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Every few minutes, I checked my phone to see ifsomebody was calling me. Each time though, my screenshowed no missed calls, texts, or voice messages. Unknown

had gotten to me. He had me looking over my shoulder,

checking my cell phone, looking out my window, all which

proved he had control over me. And I hated that.

I was sitting on my bed, mulling over everything that

had happened. I tried to turn my detective brain on. Who WAS

this guy? Ive asked him a few times, but hes never given me astraight answer. If I could get his name, I could give it to the

police, and they could search it. Then Id know more about this

guy.

Suddenly a thought hit me. Where was the bullet from

the shot? I didnt remember seeing it after my laptop seemingly

exploded. I walked over to my desk, and sat down in my chair

where I had been when it was shot. I didnt see anything. Ishuffled the papers on the surface, scanning, searching with my

eyes and feeling with my hands. Where was it? Maybe it fell. Iducked underneath and swiped the rug with both hands. All I

felt was the carpets pattern.

Where in the world was it? I wanted to find it. Not somuch to turn in for evidence, but mostly for the sake of

knowing something concrete for once. Everything else turned

up vague, shallow, and unclear. I need to know something forsure. I need to know, yes the bullet is right here, and yes, for

once, its certain that I know that Unknown shot my laptop

with a real bullet. No trickery, clichs, or mysteries. All I knew

for certain that was somebody wanted to kill me.

Chase, its time for dinner. Mom tried her best to

sound normal.

Alright, Im coming! I got out from under my desk

and walked out my room, through the living room, and into the

kitchen. Mom, Dad, and Riley were already sitting there.Macaroni and Cheese aroma filled the room. I pulled out my

chair and seated myself.


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We held hands, and Dad said a quick prayer. Dear

God, please protect us tonight. We pray that Sergeant Daniels,his staff and chief will be able to open a case. Please give us all

peace, and I pray for whoever is doing this. Convict him of hiswrong, and if its in Your will, nag him to turn himself in. And

bless this food. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

We unlocked hands and Mom began serving the food.

Nobody said anything. Soon everybody had food and westarted eating. No one even looked up. We were all

concentrated on eating, and eating only.

Riley tried to get a conversation going. "Chase, how doyou get girls to like you?"

I smiled. He was always looking for tips on getting the

girls.

"Well, you've just got to be yourself and not worry

about the right clothes or anything."

He looked at me strange.

I chuckled once. "Just kidding. You've got to be rich

and popular and hot to get the girls it seems nowadays."

"Alright, well, I'll spike my hair and see if that helps."

"You do that."

My cell phone buzzed.

My heart jumped. I checked my phone. It was a text

message from one of my friends, Jesse Battle. I ignored it andmy heart calmed down a little.

Mom asked, "Who was that?"

"It was from Jesse. He wanted to know if I could hang

out tomorrow. I'm saying no."

Mom nodded.

We finished eating, and I excused myself back to myroom. I wandered over to my chair and sat down in it.

Then I noticed something on my bed. A piece of paper

wrapped around something.


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I picked it up and an object slid out from the paper.

It was the bullet. I nearly jumped.

The paper had something typed on it. "Hope it helpsyour 'case'. Although I really doubt it."

I rushed over to my window. It all looked the same.

How did he get in my room?


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Mom hung up the phone. She looked worried. Dadwalked over and I was right behind him.

Well? Dad asked.

He was able to present our case sooner than expected,

but, like he said, he was turned down because of a lack ofevidence and witnesses. He suggested that we just stay at

home for a few days and not go out unless its necessary.

I stopped. Lack of evidence? Isnt that what Unkownhad said on the phone about an hour ago? Is it possibleno,

thats crazy, never mind. Daniels is just an awful cop, not a

sadistic killer. Besides, Daniels was nervous and anxiousaround my family, not cocky and terrifying like Unknown was.

I shook my head. Man, Unknown was really getting in my

head.

So I just stay at home and wait until the time tablepasses? What if he decides to kill me afterwards? Im not going

to feel safe just because 24 hours has passed.

Dad replied, I know, neither would your mother or I.

Well think of something. Maybe well hire a private

investigator or something. He looked me in the eyes. Youllbe safe, I promise.

Alright. Oh, and see if this will help. I pulled out thebullet, and held it out for my parents to see. I found it on mybed, along with this note. I gave both items to Dad, and he

looked them both over carefully. Im assuming he came

through the window, but I didnt hear him at all.

Mom looked scared. He came in our house? And we

didnt even know it?

Dad tried to comfort her, He was only able to get inbecause Chases window is shattered. The doors are all locked,

and Im about to go around and lock all the windows. Chase,

youre sleeping in Rileys room tonight. Grab some stuff out ofyour room and put it in Rileys.


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I left and went into my room. Pillows, a blanket, and

my iPod all went in a pile to be transferred into my brothersroom.

I walked out of my room and entered Rileys. He was

sitting on his bed, reading a comic book.

Hey Chase, you sleeping in my room tonight? He

smiled.

Yes, Riles, I am. I returned the grin.

Yay! Sleepover! He bounced on his bed.

No all nighters, understand?

I know!

I dropped my stuff on the floor and set up my spot onthe rug. When I was done, Riley asked, Chase, could you read

me this comic? You read it so much better than I do.

Sure. I climbed on his bed. Which one are youreading?

Spider-man!

Figures.

Alright, scoot over. Let me get my narrator voice

ready. I cleared my throat, and then made horse sounds withmy lips. Riley started laughing.

Alright where were you?

He turned to the beginning. I wanna hear the whole

story!

Okay, lets see. I began reading from the start, andthrew in sound effects, different character voices, and whatever

else would make him laugh. He would giggle, then hush

quickly so not to miss the next part. He was enjoying himself.

I tried to enjoy it too, but I still knew what danger Iwas in. But I tried to hide my fear in front of Riley. He needed

to know his big brother would be okay, and that I wasntscared.

As I read, he slumped closer to my body, so eventually


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his head was lying on my chest. Every time he laughed, I could

feel it in my body. And every time he would sharply inhale atan intense moment, I could feel his body tense up. He was

scared of what would happen in a comic book, and I wasfrightened because of what might happen to me in reality. Its a

good thing he didnt realize the extent of my situation.

The end came and I finished it dramatically and with a

lot of hand gestures.

There you go bud, Spider-man always wins. I

handed the comic back to him.

The good guys ALWAYS win, right Chase?

I hesitated. Yes, the good guys always win. Someway

or another.

So your bad guy isnt going to get you, right? Those

innocent eyes pierced my heart.

Nope, hes not. Im going to be just fine.

Yay! He threw his arms around me in a bear hug. Ihugged him back, and a tear came out of my eye.

I couldnt let Riley see that bad guys win. I wouldnt

let Riley see the bad guys win.


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Mom, Dad and I were all sitting in the living room,when there was a knock at our door. We all shared a glance,then Dad got up and went over to the door.

I heard Dad say, Well, this is a surprise. Dad moved

aside and in walked Sergeant Daniels.

Sergeant, what are you doing here? Mom stood up.

He took off his hat and said, I came back because I

would like to offer my condolences for your case not beingaccepted. I am truly sorry. And I wanted to know if there was

anything else I could do to help.

We were all very confused, especially me. I thought

this cop was a joke. It seemed that he didnt really try to gather

evidence, and that he wouldnt present our case very well to the

chief. Maybe I was wrong.

Mom asked, Do you have any ideas on what we cando to secure our safety more? I mean, we can lock our doors,

but Chases window is broken, and anybody could just comein. Speaking of which, if you have time, Chase found

something on his bed that might be useful.

I looked at Dad, who gave the bullet and note to

Daniels. I recounted the tale and Daniels listened intently.

Hmthis is interesting. I may be able to take thisback to the lab and see what kind of gun this guy bought based

on the bullet. I could even search to see where that type of

weapon is sold and ask some questions. He turned to me. Im

going to call the chief again and see if this changes anything.Ill be right back. He flipped out his phone and walked into

the kitchen, out of sight. Pretty soon I could hear his muffled

voice.

My cell phone buzzed. I pulled it out and saw a new

text message. From restricted number. I opened it.

Say hi to Daniels for me. Hes such a nice cop. And

dont expect much to turn up from the bullet; I wouldnt


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purposely give you anything useful, would I?

I looked at the sent time. Zero minutes ago.

I jumped up and ran over to Dad. I showed him andMom the text, and then quickly looked into the kitchen. I sawDaniels pacing and heard him say into his phone, Chief

Sawyer, I believe this is enough evidence! He sounded

irritated. He seemed sincere now, when earlier his body

language showed nervousness and anxiousness. Weird. Maybehes bipolar or something. Poor guy.

He hung up and came over to us with a disappointed

face.

My superior said that I could scan the bullet, but

unless something substantial came back, a case couldnt beopened.

So if the bullet comes up empty, theres still no case?

Mom questioned.

Correct.I held my phone toward him, with the text facing him.

Would this help any?

He snatched the phone and read the text. When did

you get this?

While you were on the phone.

I wonder how he can be so sure that the bullet wont

provide anything significant. Daniels seemed to be talking tohimself.

I dont know, but can you use this text?

Im not sure. The number is restricted, and I tried

calling it before, which didnt help. I could try and trace it, but

I wont be able to unless my chief gives the okay.

Which wont happen unless this bullet proves useful.Which this guy has said wont happen. Daniels

finished our joined thought process.

I nodded. Daniels was growing on me. He seemed


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heartfelt now.

Dad said, So youll take it back to the station and doyour tests?

Yes, and once results come back, Ill call you.Hopefully it wont take too long.

Mom walked up to Daniels and shook his hand.

Thank you so much for coming back. We really appreciate it.

No, thank you for letting me help more after this

afternoon. I dont know what gets into me sometimes.

Nobody said anything. This was the part where Danielswas supposed to leave.

Finally he spoke up. Well, Ill be in touch. He shookhands with all of us, and then left once again.

We all looked at each other, and none quite knew what

to take of what just happened.

Dad shook his head. Well, as strange as he may be,

hes trying to help, and thats all that matters.

I guess I agreed. Hopefully he would get results soon.

Well, your mother and I are tired after today. Were

going to lie down until Sergeant Daniels calls back. Are yougoing to be alright being alone for a bit?

Yeah, Ill be fine. They retired to their bedroom, and

then it was just me.I wandered into the kitchen and pulled out a cup, filled

it with some fruit punch, then searched for a snack. I just ate,

but I was hungry again. Blame it on a growing body.

I found a granola bar in one of our cabinets. It was

peanut butter chocolate mix. I didnt know we had this kind. I

broke the wrapper and popped half the bar in my mouth.

I started thinking about how Daniels changed in only amatter of hours. It was truly weird. But I tried not to thinkabout it too much.

Hmmthis granola bar tasted strange.


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There was nothing to do. The rest of my family was inbed; Daniels wouldnt call back for a bit, maybe not even untiltomorrow morning. The television was uninteresting, I had no

computer, and I didnt feel like playing any video games.

Maybe I would just read. That sounded good. Not abook, but a magazine or newspaper, something simple, yet still

distracting enough.

I searched our coffee table for anything Dad may haveleft behind. There was a Readers Digest on the top, and I

scooped it up. I always loved the puzzles in the back. I turned

to them, and was pleased to find that the word search hadntbeen touch. Even better, this was the type where after you

discover all the words, the remainder letters spelt a 10 letter

word. I loved those.

I found a pen and got comfortable. The category was

animals. This would be easy. Panda, rat, giraffe, elephant, andlizard all fell to my pen. Hippo, dog, platypus, and coyote were

soon to follow. Pretty soon there were only two left, eel andoctopus. My eyes searched, and soon eel was circled. One

left. Fluttering over the letters, I saw, O-C-T-O-P-Uand S!

Done! Now to see what was spelled out with the leftoverletters.

I jotted down the letters in the upper hand corner of themagazine. H-E-L-L-Ohello? It was supposed to be anotheranimal! I kept going. C-H-A-S-EChase? What?

It spelt, Hello Chase.

I dropped the magazine and pen on the floor while

jerking backwards. I swiveled my head around looking for

something, anything! What? Where was he? Was he even in

here? I curled up on the couch, waiting, looking.I realized my current position was pretty useless incase

anything happened, so I picked up the Readers Digest again.Nothing looked suspicious. I checked the date on the front.

September 3rd. Last weeks issue. That made sense, Dad always


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kept the old issue until the new one arrived. So how did the

word change from an animal to hello chase? I felt the pageagain. It seemed thick. I ran my finger along the edge, and at

the corner, I was able to separate one page from another.

Somebody had glued a different page on top of theoriginal puzzle.

I tried to pry the top page off, but it ripped, and the

bottom page was ruined. What was the real answer?

Wait. The answers. On page 84. I quickly flipped to

that page and found the answer for the word search.

Rhinoceros.

That was the real 10 letter word.

How had Unknown gotten my family this particular

copy?

I stared at the clock on our wall. The seconds tickeddown, and bingo, it was 7:30. 19 hours and 45 minutes until the

deadline.

Why was he constantly sending me these little signs?He called me three times, sent me text messages, left a note on

my bed, and now this? He seemed, and I hated to say it, but he

seemed obsessed with me. Like I was an ant in his ant farm,and if the ant didnt obey his every will, he would go crazy.

Although I was pretty sure he had already crossed the insane

line.I already knew he was infatuated with power and

control, but it seemed like it was also with me. Or maybe he

was just overcome with the thrill of the chaseliterally, the

chase of chasing Chase Mitchels.

I only wish I knew more about Unknown. I didnt even

have a proper name for him. But I couldnt ask him for

anything, not even his name. He might freak out and dosomethingBut what would he do if I decided to stand up to

him? Would he totally flip? Would he decide to kill me right

then? Was it even worth a try? Maybe it was. Maybe he woulddo the opposite of what I thought he would do. He may just


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crumble and realize that I wasnt the right person to stalk.

Maybe I would try standing up, stop giving in to everything hesaid.

But would I have the courage?


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This day needed to come to an end. I didn't care that itwasn't even 8, I wanted to go to bed. Riley's light was still on,so I knew I wouldn't be waking him up.

I walked into the bathroom, brushed, flossed, and used

the mouthwash that tasted like new shoes. My teeth were allprettied up, and I was ready to go to sleep and not wake up

until absolutely necessary.

Suddenly all my energy left my body. My legs gaveway and I collapsed to the floor. I hit the tile, and then tried to

pull myself up.

I couldn't move my arms.

My legs were paralyzed as well.

I tried screaming out, but no sound was omitted frommy vocal cords.

The granola bar!

I was frozen to the floor, and all of a sudden a wave of

extreme tiredness swept over me. My eyelids felt like a bag of

bricks, and it took all of my power to keep them open just a

sliver.

But it was useless.

My eyelids shut, and then my body was unconsciouson the floor of our bathroom.

* * *

The figure, also known as Unknown, crept through the

shattered window. He landed softly, without creating a sound.He was in his victims room.

He looked around. He had been here earlier today, but

this trip was much more important. Looking around, the figure


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saw pictures of his victim when the victim was a child. For a

split second, the figure felt shame.

But it passed without a second thought. The figure

knew why he was here. To wield the ultimate power. The power

of controlling a human life. There was nothing like it.

The living room light was still on, as well as the

bathroom light.The figure crouched low, and then proceeded

slowly through the living room towards the bathroom.

It was dangerous for the figure to be here. If the

parents or even the brother heard him, he might have to kill

them, which would be unpleasant. One of the figures main

reasons for tormenting somebody was for the hurt that his

victims family members would feel. Killing them would just

relieve them of the pain.

He moved without making a sound. The carpet under

his feet made a cushion, and any sound was absorbed by it. All

the way to the bathroom he stalked.

He arrived, and carefully pushed the door open. There

was the victim, lying on the ground. The victim was breathing

normally, which was good. His victim still had plenty of time to

live!

The figure put both his arms under his victims armpits

and dragged him so he was sitting on the toilet seat. The figure

then removed rope and tape from his pockets and began to tie

the ankles and wrists of his victim. After that was completed,the figure taped his victims mouth shut. Even though his victim

was unconscious, in all the good movies the killer tied and

taped his victim, and the figure loved being clich.

Finally, the figure placed a bag over the head of his

victim and he was ready to leave. The figure slung his victim

over his back in the fireman's hold, and the figure proceeded

out of the bathroom and into the living room again. It was still

empty.

Into the victims room the figure crept, not making a

single sound. The rope that the figure had left was still there.

Grabbing the rope, the figure tied it around his victims waist.


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The figure heaved his victim onto the sill, and then very slowly,

pushed him off, while still holding the free rope in his hands.

The figure braced his feet against the wall, and then cautiously

lowered his victim down, until the body gently hit the ground.The figure let go of the excess rope, and climbed down the

ladder he had used to enter.

Once the figure hit the pavement, he grabbed his

victims body and walked to the street. The figures car was

there, a Ford Escape. He popped the trunk and placed the body

inside. The figure went back for the ladder, and set the ladder

in the back seat. The figure stepped in the drivers seat, anddrove away.

Kidnapping was a tricky thing. Usually a ransom note

followed a kidnapping, but the Mitchels family knew that a

ransom note would never come. Since the police couldn't

declare someone missing until after 48 hours, Daniels would

be of no help whatsoever. The Mitchels family would be going

crazy, not knowing what happened and not receiving any help

from the cops. The figure smiled. Perfect.

* * *

Riley wondered where Chase was. He stepped out of

his room, and said, Chase? Where are you? No answer. The

bathroom light was on. Riley poked his head in. Nobody wasthere. Why would Chase not be in the bathroom, yet leave thelight on?

He was frightened.

Riley ran to his parents room, and threw open the door.

They were lying on top of the covers, sound asleep. He shook

their legs and when they sat up and looked at him, he yelled,

Chase is gone!


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I was walking down the street. Nobody was around, thetown was deserted. Darkness swallowed the town. Silencethundered in my head. No bird dared chirp, no dog dared bark.

The town I was in was small, yet with a variety of

shops spread out across the main square. As I walked down themain street, I saw an ice cream shop, a bookstore, coffee shops,

jewelry stores, among others. Where was I? This was not my

hometown. Yet I felt like I wanted to live here. It had a

warming aroma. It welcomed me, invited me, and urged me torest in one of its houses. But why was it so silent?

I continued down the street, and saw a figure ahead. Iwondered who would be out when everybody else was tucked

away in this strange town.

As I got closer, the outline of the figure revealed anaverage height man, who was built and muscular. I stopped

when I was a foot away from him.

He lifted his head and looked in my eyes.

His face reminded me of a friend, a comrade. Did I

know this face? Maybe not. But who did it remind me of?

A light clicked in my head. I knew who this was! What

was he doing here? It was-

Suddenly, the figure pulled out a knife and stuck it inmy gut. He held it there and placed his hand over my mouth. I

crumbled, and fell to the ground gasping for air, any air. My

breath became short and rapid. Blood seeped out of the wound,

and I felt my life slipping away.

The figure let go of the knife, and casually turned and

left, without looking back at me.

My vision blurred, cut in and out, and then abandonedme entirely. A breath, another.

Then nothing.

Pure silence.


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* * *

I woke up with a start. Sweat dripped off my forehead,and my body was scorching hot.

I had been killed. No, it was only a dream. A very

realistic dream. In which somebody I knew had stabbed me.Who was it? I recognized him in the dream, but my mind

couldnt remember. The face drifted out of my memory, and

was lost forever.Where was I now though? I sat up. What was I lying

on? I looked down.

A park bench.

What? Why wasnt I home? I tried to recall what

happened last. I was brushing my teeth, and then I lost mystrength. I had gone unconscious, and now Im here. I mustve

been kidnapped.

But why? Why kidnap me? I lifted my head andsurveyed what was around me.

It was the town in my dream. Exactly the same. Except

now there were actually people around. I groaned and pushedmyself up so I was sitting on the bench. Ugh. My head hurt.

What time was it?

There was a bulge in my pocket. I stuck my hand inand pulled out a cell phone. Not mine, but a new flip phone. I

assumed this was so that my parents couldnt call me. But I

could still call them, or call 911, right? I flipped it open and theclock showed the time as 9:11 pm. I had been out for almost an

hour.

Before I could dial a number, it started ringing. I knew

who it would be, so I answered right away.

Was I too boring in my home?

The garbled voice laughed. A change of scenery was

in place.


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Why? And where is this?

Just because, of course. And youre in the pleasanttown of 'I'm not going to tell you!' Ha, why would I? It's boring

if you know all the answers."

"Whats keeping me from calling home, or calling

911?" I challenged.

"Would you care to find out?"

Was he bluffing? I mean, he usually told me the

consequences.

"Youre bluffing."

"Bluffing what?" He sounded very confident.

"Whatever you're going to do!"

"As I said, feel free to find out."

Neither of us said anything. Did I have the guts to tryit?

"Fine. I won't call them. But how am I going to eat oranything? I don't have any money, and I what am I going to dohere?"

"Check your right pocket."

I jabbed my hand in my pocket and pulled out a wad of

cash.

The voice continued, "Thats $200 in cash for you. Useit as you like."

"How do I know it's not counterfeit?"

"Because why would I want you locked up in a jail

cell? If you were in jail, or even in holding, you would feel

safe! You would rather be in the police station or out here in

the open, where anything can happen."

He was right. Being with the police sounded a wholelot better than sitting on a park bench in the middle of a townwhere I didn't know the name. And talking to a killer on a

phone that wasn't even mine.

So youve given me money and placed me in a


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random town. What do you expect me to do? This doesnt

make any sense!

Youll find something to do. I promise.

He hung up.


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~

AttheMitchelshouse~

Youcantdoanythingbecauseithasntbeen48

hours?Thatsridiculous!Momwasonthephonewiththe

police.Andlikeeveryothertimetoday,theywerenthelping

much.

Shewassilentwhiletheothersideresponded,thenshesighedandthankedthem.Shehungupandheldher

faceinherhands.

Dadcameupandhuggedher.Hewhispered,Its

goingtobeokay.Somebodywillfindhim,orhellcall.I

mean,therearepayphones.Hecancallus.Wejusthaveto

wait.

Whereisthephonenow?

Youjusthungitup,remember?Keepitthere,the

batteriesareprettymuchdead.

Rileywassittingonthecouch,worriedaboutwhere

Imightbe.HeranuptoDadandasked,Chasewillbe

alright,wonthe?

MomandDadrepliedsimultaneously,Yes. Rileyfeltalittlebitbetter.

Suddenlyallthelightswentout.Itwasdark,and

everybodywasworried.Whathadhappened?Momtried

thephoneagain.Nothing.

Thebatterydied,shesaidoutloudwithgrowing

concern.

DadattemptedtoturnontheTV.Noresponse.The

cableboxwasblank,andnoneofthelightswouldturnon.

MomandDadlookedateachother.Nowtheywere


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bothworried.

Thepowerhadgoneout.

* * *

I had walked to the center of town to search for a

computer or pay phone. I wouldnt call my family from mynew phone, because Unknown was probably tracking it. But

there was no way he could guess what public phone I would

use. First though, I had to get change.

I entered the nearest coffee shop. The place was

deserted. Perfect, Id get out of here quicker. I approached the

front counter.

Hello there. I was wondering if you could give me

some change for this. I pulled out three one dollar bills.

Sure. What type?Quarters please.

The cashier was around 20, a few years older than me.

She took my money and opened the cash register. She placed

the bills in their rightful spot and scooped up 12 quarters. Shedropped the coins in my hand and as I turned to leave, I

remembered something.

Could you tell me what town Im in?

She laughed. You dont know what town youre in?How did you get here if you didnt know where you were

going?

Uhhadnt thought about that. I have short termmemory. My parents told me we were coming here a few

weeks ago, but I obviously have forgotten.

Where are your parents? You walk into a shop asking

for change and you dont know where you are? Sounds to me

like youre lost. Incredibly lost.

No, my parents are in the car outside. The employee


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glanced outside. There was an old couple in a truck parked by

the sidewalk.

Those are your parents? Kinda old. She looked at me

questionably.

Yeah, well, they decided to have one more kid in their

old age. What can I say? I shrugged, trying to sell the act.

Whyd they send you in? Why didnt your parents do

it?

They said I had young legs. Plus I had to get out of

there anyway. They tend to argue a lot.She eyed me suspiciously.

If I ask them where we are, theyll start bickering

again about my short term memory loss. My dad wants me to

see a specialist, but my mom says we dont have the money.Then the words will get harsher and the voices louder, and if I

try to put on headphones, then my Mom will yell at me asking

why Im not paying attentionAlright, whatever! Youre in Fahlstown. Enjoy your

stay. Then she turned her back on me and tended to the coffeemakers.

Its pronounced Fails-town?

She gave me a dirty look. I know.

Awkward silence.

Well, thank you. Have a good day.

I left, and soon was back outside.

Fahlstown? It didnt ring a bell. I didnt remember

once hearing that name. I needed to find a map, so I could get a

more general idea where I was. But should I call my homefirst? I probably should. Maybe my parents had heard of it.

I just needed to find a pay phone. What type of placewould have a pay phone? A bus terminal? Maybe a gas station?Or possibly even a library. But I had no idea where any of

these places would be.


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A map. Back to Plan A, acquiring a map. This was my

priority.

Banks were closed at this time of night. Maybe

somebody could help me. There was a man walking ahead ofme. I sped up and when I neared him asked, Excuse me, sir,

can you tell where I can find a map and pay phone?

He gave me a puzzled look, but pointed behind me andreplied, Uh, yeah. The Freedom gas station on Logan Street.

Turn around and when you get to the end of the road turn left

on Logan Street. Youll see the sign. He continued on his

way.

I thank him and followed his directions. The red andwhite sign was visible immediately after I turned and looked

for what I was looking for.

Ah! There was the phone! And below it were themaps! Finally, something going my way during this horrid day.

I snatched a map up while reaching for the phone. I stuck in 4

quarters and heard a dial tone. I immediately punched in myhouse number.

One ring, then an operators voice said, Were sorry,but this number is temporary unavailable.

What? Unavailable? Maybe it was the phone. After I

looked up the number under settings, I dialed the number of mynew cell phone.

My cell rang. So it wasnt the pay phone. Somethingwas wrong at my house.

What had Unknown done?


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I hung up. So it was on my parents end that wasntworking. Calm down. Nothing serious had happened.

I decided to call the police again.

911, whats your emergency?

Hello, Im lost and I think Im being stalked.

Alright, are you in any immediate danger?

No, Im not now. But I might be soon.You said youre lost? Do you have any idea where

you are? Or where you were last?

All I know is Im in Fahlstown. And I live inPrackersburg. I have no idea how far away from home I am.

Okay, youre not that far away from Prackersburg. Ill

contact

I cut her off. Could you call the Prackersburg police?

And see if you can talk to Sergeant Daniels? He is a friend ofours. Tell him that this involves Chase Mitchels.

Chase, is that your name?

Yes maam.

Ill see if I can contact Sergeant Daniels. Do you have

a number that I can give him? Preferably an easily accessiblenumber.

Yes, here. I told him my number, but was gettingimpatient.

I got it. Ill have him call you as soon as he can. Do

you need any other assistance? Are you somewhere safe?

I looked around me. A bank seemed pretty secure.

Yes, yes maam I am. Just tell Daniels to hurry please.

Ill call now.

Alright, thank you again. Bye.


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I replaced the phone in its cradle and went out the front

doors of the bank. There was a bench along the side, and I satdown on it. My legs were tired, my body was worn, and my

mind was exhausted. I had been running on adrenaline all day,my stress level was sky high, and my brain had been onoverdrive constantly. In a weird way, I was sort of glad that I

had been sedated. It had given me at least a little bit of rest.

Why had I wanted Daniels to call me? Why did I trust

him? I had my doubts the whole time while I was in my house.

Maybe that was it. At home I felt more secure, but out

here, in a town that I didnt know, I needed somebody. Andsince my family was unreachable, Daniels was the next option.

Dang it! I had forgotten to ask the operator about my

house. I wanted to know what had happened, if anything. I

would just ask Daniels when he calls.

I closed my eyes, holding the phone in my hand. I was

slowly falling asleep, when the cell rang.

I immediately answered it.

Daniels? Hello?

A voice not belonging to Daniels answered. No

Chase, Im sorry, but this is his partner, Damian Hunter.

Who? What?

Where is Daniels?

Hes away working on your case. I was briefed onyour case and am ready to offer any assistance.

Were you told that I was kidnapped and am currentlyin Fahlstown?

I was only told where you were, not that you were

kidnapped. What happened?

Well, all I remember was that I ate a granola bar, andthen a little while later I passed out in my bathroom. Then Iwoke up on a park bench.

And what has happened since then?


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I recounted the phone call, then my encounter at the

coffee shop. I ended with my 911 call. So now Im talking toyou and am very confused. I had no idea what was going on.

He took a second before replying. Im going to cometo you and pick you up and take you back home.

Alright.

Where should I meet you?

UmI dont know. I havent really looked around at

all. How about you call me when youre close and Ill see

where I am?No, definitely not. I dont want you to be wondering

the town mindlessly. Find a library, find a bookstore and just

stay there until I call you. Okay? Hunters voice was very

defiant.

Bossy much? Okay, fine. Ill be waiting.

Dont try anything crazy.

I wont.

He started to say Bye when I rememberedsomething.

Mr. Hunter, do you know what happened to my

house? I cant get through to my house phone.

I havent heard anything, son. Im sorry.

Okay. Come quickly.

I ended the call and sighed. Where could I go until he

called? Exploration at this point still seemed dumb. Ah right!The map I had! I pulled it out and glanced around for

somewhere to go.

My stomach growled. Some food would be good. I sawon the map a cluster of nearby restaurants, but decided that

might be to weird, a 16 year old coming in and paying fordinner with cash. How about a grocery store? Yes, there weresome of those too. I located the nearest one and started walking

in that direction.


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* * *

The figure saw him. Not his prey, but somebody who

was becoming a bother, a disruption. The figure had to

eliminate him.

He had no chance. The figure slid the honed knife

across the mans throat while covering his mouth. No sound

was made.

The figure let the body collapse to the ground, andwalked away.

Sergeant Michael Daniels was dead, and out of the

Figures way.


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I bought some food with the cash, and like Unknownsaid, it wasnt counterfeit. I ate on the same park bench I wokeup on, and was currently sitting there.

Hunter hadnt called yet, and I was getting nervous.How far away was I? The 911 operator said it wasnt going to

be long, yet it had been almost 45 minutes and I hadnt heard

anything.

I had been sitting for a few minutes with my eyesclosed, when I suddenly felt a tap on my leg. I jerked my eyes

open and was surprised to find a girl, about Rileys age, sittingnext to me.

She looked over at me and said, Excuse me, sir, butyoure on my bench.

I was confused. What do you mean?

This is where I sleep. Ive slept on this bench for thepast year, and Ive grown quite attached to it.

Where is your family? Your mom and dad?

I dont know. She shrugged and continued to

penetrate my eyes. Ive never met them.

What do you mean?

I was told that I was put up for adoption at birth.Who told you this?

The orphanage I was at.

Why arent you there now? I was surprised. Why

wasnt she there now?

I ran away.

Man, she wasnt giving very detailed answers. Whydid you run away?

Because they were mean to me.

Oh


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Neither of us said anything. Then she asked again, So

could you find another bench please?

Sure, sure. I stood up and began to walk away. I took

a few steps, then turned back around and looked at her. Shewas still staring at me.

Whats your name?

She paused, and then answered, Juliet Madyson.

I reached in my pocket and pulled out $80. I held it out

for her. Here, take this. Get some food, some clothes orsomething.

Thank you sir. And what is your name?

Chase Mitchels.

Nice to meet you.

You too. I pivoted and left her.

* * *

I found another bench away from Juliet and settled in.

She was a strange girl that was for sure. Yet she reminded me

of Riley in a way. I missed him.

Back to the present. I needed to get somewhere to wait

for Hunter. Where? He said a library. A library would not be

open, though. How about a convenience store? I opened mytrusty map and soon located a store title Stop n Shop not too

far away. There was a phone symbol next to it. Perfect. Only a

few minutes and I would be there.

I stood up and started off in the direction the map told

me to go. As I was walking, I heard running footsteps behindme. I slowed down, and waited for them to pass me.

Seconds ticked and they didn't pass. I heard therunning steps settle down to a steady walk.

I took off running. I didn't know who was behind me,

and I had no interest in finding out. I was gaining ground. Soon


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the other persons footsteps were inaudible. I slowed to a walk

again and glanced behind me. Nothing.

I sighed and looked back in the direction I was going.

Juliet Madyson was standing in front of me.

I jumped back and yelped.

She started laughing. "You scream funny."

"Were you following me?"

She nodded.

"Why?" I asked with annoyance."Because you're my only friend here Chase. I thought

maybe you would be my friend."

"Weren't you ever told not to talk to strangers?" Thisgirl was very different. I wasnt sure if I like it or not.

"Werent you told the same thing?"

She got me. "Well, yeah, but Im older than you, andIm in a slightly different situation than you.

Really? What are you doing here?

Should I tell her? Im just in a bit of trouble. I tried

not to reveal too much information.

She never broke eye contact. What kind of trouble?

Can I help?

Nothing much. Just something little. And thanks for

the offer, but Im afraid not.

OhI see. Where were you going?

So many questions. To a store. Somebody is going to

pick me up there and take me home.

So youre lost?

Something like that.

She took my hand. Can I come with you? Im

hungry.

I thought about it. Hunter wouldnt be too much


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longer. Sure, come on. But weve got to hurry.

As we walked, Juliet started to sing. How could she be

happy when she was sleeping on a bench with no family, and

was abused by her orphanage?

Juliet, can I ask you something?

Sure. What?

Well, I was wondering Before I could continue,

my cell phone rang.

Hold on a minute Juliet.

I answered it. Hello?

Chase, its Hunter. Where are you? Im about 15

minutes away.

Im on my way to Stop n Shop. I hope you knowhow to get there, because theres no way I can offer

directions.

I can find it in my GPS. Just get there quick. Ill callyou once Im outside. When I do, just come out and Ill be in a

blue Honda Civic.

Alright. See you in a few.

I hung up and Juliet asked, Who was that?

The person who is picking me up.

OhWhat were you going to ask me?Nothing.

15 minutes, and I would be safe.

I hoped nothing would go wrong.


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Thank you sir! Juliet finished paying for her foodand rejoined me by the slushie machines. She started eating hersandwich and smiled when she swallowed the first bite.

Yummy! This is so good! She giggled once thancontinued to chow down.

I had my eyes on the clerk. He kept on glancing at us

with a weird look. I told myself it was only because we were

young, and with no parents. Well, I wasnt young, but we wereboth out pretty late. There were others mingling around, but

they all looked like drug addicts and drunks.

Come on Hunter, come on.

I suddenly thought about Juliet. What would she doonce I left?

Juliet, are you going to walk back to the park when I

leave?

Yup.

But its dark out! I dont anything to happen to you.

She couldnt be serious!

I sleep in the open every night. I think Ill be fine.

I said nothing. Would she be okay? Maybe Hunter

could help.Juliet, I think Ill have the person whos picking me

up drop you off also, okay?

Youre so nice! Thanks!

I finished filling up my slushie container and

proceeded to the checkout.

The clerk punched in the code. $2.77 is your total.I handed him a ten and I accepted my change. Juliet

came up behind me and we both walked to the front doors. I

had told Hunter Id be inside, but standing outside seemed just

as a good.


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I kept my eyes open for a blue Honda Civic.

I could hear Juliet munching away on her sandwich.

My pocket buzzed. Hunter was calling.I opened it up and said, Im outside waiting.

Alright, Im a block away.

The line went dead and we waited.

And waited.

Time crawled and no car resembling a Honda Civic

arrived.Finally, a blue Honda Civic pulled into the parking lot.

The drivers door opened and a man stepped out. He was about

6 foot and was very muscular. He had short brown hair that and

a beard that matched his hair color. He reminded me of Danielsin the way he presented himself.

He looked trustworthy. I needed that.

"Chase?" he pointed at me.

I nodded and walked over, with Juliet at my side.

He gestured to her, and asked, "Who is she?"

"Her name is Juliet Madyson. I met her and she needs aride back into the center of town."

He sighed. "Chase, I came here for you, and that's it. I

can't be driving people around."

"Its on the way back! Right in the middle of town,

come on."

He weighed the options. "Fine, whatever, but no

farther than the center. You're in danger Chase, and the sooner

we get you home the better."

"I understand. I just don't want Juliet to get hurt

either."

"Well, come on, get in the car."

I settled in the front seat and Juliet slid in the back.Soon the engine was revved and we started to leave.


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Soon we were back where Juliet and I had first met.

She started to get out, but before she totally left, I handed her apiece of paper.

"Here, this has my phone number on it. Tomorrow at3pm, call this number.

"Okay, but why then?"

"Just because."

"Alright! Thanks so much Chase! And thank you for

the ride, Mr. Driver!"

Hunter looked back at her and said, "Youre welcome.Now Chase and I really have to be going."

"Bye Chase! I hope I'll see you again sometime!"

"Me too Juliet. Bye."

She shut the door, and we saw her walk to a bench and

sit down. Hunter started the car and we were off once more.

"Try and get some rest Chase, it's not a long drive, butany sleep would be good."

I leaned the seat back and closed my eyes. At firstsleep eluded me, but after a few minutes, my body relaxed and

the weariness that had been building up washed over me.

I let the sleep sweep my body and soon I was asleep.


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I woke up with a start. Somebody yelled. Who yelled?I shook my head.

My eyes adjusted to the sudden light. I heard gunshots.

What was happening?

The front windshield shattered in front of my eyes, and

the glass fell into our seats. Hunter!

I looked over at him and he had a determined look on

his face. He was gripping the wheel and trying to keep us from

going out of control.

"Hunter! What's going on?" I screamed at him.

He didn't take his eyes off the road, but answeredshortly, "Somebody is shooting at us."

"Obviously! What happened?"

Before he could answer, another shot landed in thehood and smoke started to seep out. We were losing speed, but

the car was in danger of blowing up.

"Chase! Get out!"

I threw open my door and dove out, attempting asomersault when I landed. My back hit pavement and rolled

over until I hit the railing on the edge of the road. Where was

Hunter? It was dark, I couldnt see much. My eyes adjusted andI saw him on the other side of the street. I looked over towards

the car. It continued to fly down the road, until the road turned.

The Honda flew straight and crashed through the guide rails,diving off the side. I suddenly realized that we were on the

edge of a mountain. The car plummeted down through the air,

my heart pounding. I could've still been in there.

An ear splitting explosion ripped the air, illuminatingthe darkness. I stood up and looked over the side. The car hadexploded in mid-air and was now a fireball!

I tried to guess where it would land. The fire lit up the

area around it, and I was glad that no houses were there.


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However, the mountain was covered with greenery, a forest. As

soon as it was close enough, a massive forest fire would erupt.As I pulled out my phone to make yet another 911 call, I heard

Hunter talking.

I walked towards him, and I heard him say, "Yes, a

forest fire." He lifted the phone from his ear and covered the

phone. "Its my chief." He resumed his conversation, and I satdown again, storing my phone in my pocket.

My hands and legs started to shake. I tried to stop it,

but I couldn't. I had never been this scared before. This was the

first time my life had actually been compromised. Before,Unknown had purposely missed, or not harmed me. This time

though, I easily couldve been killed. Either a bullet hitting me,or being in the car when it turned into a missile.

Hugging my knees and setting my head on mykneecaps, I concentrated on my breathing. In. Out. In. Out. My

pulse started to regulate and the shaking calmed.

A hand nudged my shoulder. I looked up. Hunter wasdone talking on the phone.

You okay?

I nodded. I took one more deep breath, a

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