Chapter 7: You Will Never See Her Again

Ethan's POV

As I entered my house, I slammed the door shut. My cheeks burned with anger, and my fists were clenched beside me. Anna had such a strong head on her shoulders. I couldn't believe she would risk her life and safety and want to face jack head on. The nerve she had considering everything she stood to lose.

I drag myself to the living room and thought about her, feeling proud of Anna’s strength and independence as a woman. Yeah, those qualities are what attracted me to her in the beginning. Instead of admiration or appreciation of her bravery, I felt annoyance. She had no sense of what she was jumping into. Jack was brutal and cruel and always got what he wanted. 

I walked around the living room non-stop hoping to ease my stress. I had no option but to reach out to her and make her understand. Her life was at stake, and she had to understand the repercussions of her actions, but whenever I tried to convince Anna, she would strike me as an irrelevant person who she could easily ignore.

Just then, my phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. I hesitated for a second before picking it up. "Hello?" I answered in a rough voice.

"Hey, Ethan," my friend's voice came through the phone. "I just saw Anna walking down the street, and she seemed really determined. I’m worried about her."

Hearing this made my heart sink. What on earth was Anna planning to do?

I immediately tried to call Anna’s phone, but it wouldn’t connect. Panic began to set in. I decided to call her mom to see if maybe Anna was with her.

"Hello?" her mom said when she answered.

"Hi, is Anna with you?" I asked, my voice filled with concern.

"No, she left the house a while ago and hasn’t come back," her mom said, sounding worried.

A wave of concern washed over me. "Is everything okay?" she asked, her voice filled with anxiety.

"Yes, everything is fine," I replied, even though I knew it wasn’t. I didn’t want her to worry more than she already was.

After hanging up the phone, I began to think about where Anna could be right now. I decided I needed some help, so I picked up my phone again and called my friend who knows a lot about security cameras.

"Hey, can you send me the footage from any CCTV cameras on Main Street?" I asked urgently.

He agreed and sent me the video footage quickly. My heart raced as I watched Anna walking down the street. Suddenly, I saw her face change to one of shock and then she fell to the ground. The video then cut off, making my heart drop.

When the footage came back on, I saw a car speeding away from the scene. I quickly zoomed in on the image to get a better look at the license plate. I knew I had to call my friend again to help trace the car fast. 

I got dressed as quickly as I could, my heart pounding in my chest. I ran out of the house with determination. I had to find Anna before it was too late.

As I ran, my mind was filled with questions. Where was Anna? Who could have taken her? The sense of dread felt like a heavy weight in my stomach, and I couldn’t shake it off.

I called my friend again, urging him to hurry up with tracing the car. "Please, get back to me as soon as you find out anything!" I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

I kept running, my feet hitting the pavement heavily. I had no clear destination in mind, but I knew I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t give up until I found Anna and made sure she was safe.

After what felt like forever, my phone finally rang. It was my friend calling. "I've found the information you asked for," he said, his voice serious. "The car is registered to a company called Smith and Co."

I didn't know that name, but I knew I had to learn more. "Can you give me the address of this company?" I asked, feeling a mix of hope and fear.

My friend quickly shared the address with me, and I hurriedly made my way to the place. When I got there, I noticed that the building looked abandoned and rundown. Cautiously, I stepped inside, calling out Anna's name loudly.

But there was no answer.

I took a deep breath and moved further into the building. My heart raced with each step I took. Suddenly, I heard a noise coming from upstairs that made my heart skip a beat. I didn’t think twice; I sprinted up the stairwell with my fists clenched tightly.

When I reached the top of the stairs, my heart sank at the sight before me. Anna was lying on the floor, unconscious. I rushed to her side, relief washing over me like a wave. Thank goodness she was alive!

But as I looked around, a chill ran down my spine. We weren’t alone. I heard heavy, deliberate footsteps coming from the room next door, and my heart raced again.

I gently lifted Anna into my arms, trying to be quiet, but it was too late. The door to the next room creaked open, and a dark figure appeared in the doorway.

It was Jack.

A sly, sinister smile grew on his face when he saw me holding Anna. "Well, well, well," he said, his voice full of malice. "Look what we have here."

I stood up tall, still holding Anna close to me, and faced Jack with determination. "Let us go," I said firmly, trying to keep my voice steady.

Jack let out a chilling laugh. "Oh, I don’t think so," he replied, stepping closer to us with a menacing look in his eyes. "You see, Anna has something that belongs to me. I will get it back, no matter what it takes."

I tightened my grip on Anna, my protective instincts kicking in. I was ready to fight Jack and his evil plans. But when I looked into his eyes, a sense of fear gripped me.

I saw something dark there—a glint of madness 

And then, just as suddenly as it had started, everything went black.

When I came to, I was lying on the floor, my head throbbing with pain. Anna was nowhere to be seen. But as I struggled to sit up, I saw a piece of paper on the floor next to me.

It was a note, written in Jack's handwriting.

"You'll never see Anna again," it read.

I felt a wave of panic wash over me. Where was Anna? What had Jack done to her?

And then, just as I was about to scramble to my feet, I heard the sound of footsteps coming from the room n

ext door.

They were heavy, deliberate footsteps.

And they were getting closer.