Chapter 3: More secrets

My blood ran cold as I watched my sister in that strange ritual. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew it couldn't be good. I quickly took out my phone to call Dad, but there was no signal. I was on my own.

As the chanting continued, I noticed that some of the cult members were staring at me. I tried to look discreet, but I knew they had already noticed me. Suddenly, one of them stood up and started walking towards me.

"Who are you?" he asked, looking at me with suspicion.

"I'm only here to find my sister," I replied, trying to keep my cool.

The man didn't look like he was convinced, but he let me go. I quickly made my way out of the building and called Dad as soon as I had a signal.

At first, Dad didn't believe me and I just told him to rush here.

It didn't take long for Dad to gather a team of detectives and policemen, and we headed back to that shady part of town. But when we reached the building, it was empty. There was no sign of Sofia or any of the cult members. They had vanished into thin air.

Dad was furious and frustrated, he yelled and shouted at the detectives and the police officials and they left. He was left alone with me.

We walked back to the car and Dad collapsed into the driver's seat. He turned to me with a look of defeat etched on his face.

"I don't know what to do anymore," he said, his voice trembling. "We have no leads, no clues, nothing."

I could see the pain and worry in his eyes, and I felt helpless. We sat in silence for a few moments before I finally spoke up.

"Dad, we can't give up. We have to keep looking and searching. We can't let Sofia go missing forever;

We walked back to the car and Dad collapsed into the driver's seat. He turned to me with a look of loss engraved on his face.

"I don't know what to do anymore," he said, his voice trembling. "We have no leads, no inklings, nothing."

I could see the pain and worry in his eyes, and I felt helpless. We sat in silence for a few moments before I finally spoke up.

"Dad, we can't give up. We have to keep looking and searching. We can't let Sofia be lost forever."

After a while, Dad nodded and started the car. We drove in silence for a long time, both lost in our thoughts. I couldn't help but wonder what the cult members had done to my sister and if she was even still alive. But I knew I had to stay strong for Dad.

We spent the next few weeks searching for any information about Sofia's whereabouts. We talked to her friends, checked her social media accounts, and even hired a private investigator. But, we still had no leads. It was like she had disappeared into thin air.

One day, while we were going through her personal belongings, we found a note hidden in her diary. It was from a lady named 'Eris and it included an address and a time.

"We have to go there," I said excitedly, finally feeling like we had something to work with.

Dad was uncertain at first, but eventually, he agreed. We made our way to the address, which turned out to be a small abandoned house on the outskirts of the city. As we moved toward the door, we could hear faint chanting and the sound of a ritual.

With our hearts racing, we slowly pushed the door open and peered inside. The sight that greeted us was like nothing we had ever seen before. In the centre of the room was my sister, standing in a circle of candles with her eyes closed. Surrounding her were the same cult members from before, dressed in long robes and chanting in unison.

"Dad, we have to help her!" I whispered urgently.

But before we could make a move, one of the cult members turned towards us and pointed a finger in our direction. "Intruders!" he shouted. "Seize them!"

The cult members immediately closed in on us, but we fought back with everything we had. We punched and kicked, trying to push our way through the crowd and reach Sofia. But they were stronger than we expected, and soon we were overwhelmed.

Dad was shoved to the ground and I was grabbed by two of the members. I struggled to break free, but their grip was tight and unyielding.

"You should have stayed away," one of them hissed in my ear.

As they dragged us towards the exit, I caught a glimpse of Sofia's face. She looked weak and scared, her eyes pleading with us to help her.

We were thrown out of the house and onto the ground outside. I rubbed my sore wrists and looked up to see the cult members fading away into the darkness.

"Dad, what are we going to do now?" I asked, feeling defeated.

"We go to the police," he replied firmly. "We can't do this on our own anymore."

I hesitated for a moment, fearful of what might happen if we involved the authorities. But I knew he was right. We had to find a way to save my sister, no matter what the cost. With a heavy heart, we made our way to the nearest police station and reported what had happened. The officers listened carefully to our story and promised to do everything in their power to find Sofia.

Days went by, with no news of my sister. I became more and more anxious, unable to eat or sleep properly. Dad tried to comfort me, but actually, he beginning to lose hope.

But then, one morning, we received a phone call. It was the police, and they had found Sofia. She was safe and being treated at a nearby hospital.

I cried tears of relief and joy, finally feeling like the weight that had been crushing me for so long was lifted. We rushed to the hospital and were reunited with my sister, who was weak but alive.

It had been a long and terrifying journey, but we had finally found my sister. And for the first time in a while, I felt like everything was going to be okay.