Chapter 5

(Back to Reality)

In the heart of Los Angeles, within a dimly lit apartment, Officer Morgan meticulously documented every detail of the scene, her camera flashing as she captured evidence of Nicole's mysterious disappearance.

The apartment was a wreck—overturned furniture, shattered glass on the floor, and most damning of all, a dark red stain marring the worn carpet.

A few key pieces of evidence stood out: Nicole's cellphone, abandoned on the nightstand; a single bullet hole embedded in the wall; and security tapes retrieved from the cameras just outside the apartment.

Neighbors had been questioned, their statements all pointing to the same eerie conclusion: Nicole had been seen with a shady man before the sound of gunfire echoed through the building.

But when they rushed out, expecting chaos, there was nothing—just an empty apartment with signs of a struggle.

No body. No trail. Just silence.

Morgan exhaled through her nose, adjusting the angle of the camera as she focused on a framed photo hanging by the door.

It depicted Nicole standing beside a young girl—Emily.

Nicole's smile was warm and genuine, while Emily's was noticeably absent. There was something haunting about it.

"Where are you?" Morgan murmured, staring at Nicole's face.

That was when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind.

She stiffened as a familiar voice spoke into her ear. "Hard at work, aren't you?" Daniel, her partner—and boyfriend—sounded amused.

Morgan stepped away from his embrace, her focus never wavering from the crime scene.

She muttered under her breath, still lost in thought. "How did you disappear?"

Daniel sighed, folding his arms as he watched her pace the room. "Look, love, I get it—"

"Officer Morgan," she corrected, her voice clipped.

Daniel frowned slightly but continued, "It's impossible for someone to vanish into thin air. I know you're upset about not getting that promotion, but throwing yourself into this case like it's some kind of conspiracy isn't the way to handle it."

Morgan scoffed, finally turning to face him. "Explain the fact that she disappeared from the hospital without a trace. When she arrived, there were no signs of injuries on her despite the fact that the neighbors said she was shot, and doctors found her covered in blood, unconscious. Then, after waking up, she abandoned this apartment in a hurry. And to make matters worse, she has some connection to the G4 unit. If this was a simple missing persons case, why does the report read like a mystery novel?"

Daniel ran a hand through his hair, exhaling deeply. "I don't know. But you're acting like this is something bigger than it is."

Morgan's eyes burned with determination. "Maybe it is."

Daniel glanced around, his gaze landing on the fallen picture of Nicole and Emily.

He picked it up, brushing a thumb over the glass. "I wonder what happened to the kid."

Morgan's expression darkened. "Probably in G4 Unit custody."

Daniel grimaced. "That group has gotten too powerful over the years. The justice system can't even protect people with this new threat. They operate like their own private force. If Nicole had any connection to them, we might be looking at something way above our pay grade."

Morgan let out a short, humorless laugh. "Exactly. And that's why I need to figure out what happened. Then I will execute each and every single one of them."

Daniel looked at her, his jaw tightening. "This is why the chief thinks you're not ready for the promotion."

Morgan froze, her grip on the camera tightening. Slowly, she turned to face him, her expression unreadable. "So you agree with him?"

Realizing his mistake, Daniel quickly corrected himself. "As your boyfriend, I will always support you. But as an officer... I can't back the idea of taking justice into our own hands. We're supposed to uphold the law, not become executioners."

Morgan's lips pressed into a thin line. "Justice doesn't always come from playing by the rules."

Daniel took a step closer, lowering his voice. "The department was lenient with your last suspension, but if you push this too far, you'll lose your badge. And then what? What good can you do without it?"

Morgan didn't answer right away.

She wanted to believe that the system could work, that there was a way to fix the corruption seeping into their ranks.

But standing in Nicole's empty apartment, staring at the bloodstain on the carpet, she wasn't sure she believed it anymore.

Daniel reached out to touch her shoulder, but she stepped away. "I'm not in the mood," she muttered. "I need to find a lead—something to tell me where she disappeared to."

Daniel sighed but didn't argue. Instead, he stepped back, giving her space. "Just... be careful, Morgan."

She nodded absently, already focused on the security tapes in her hands.

Whatever had happened to Nicole, she would find the truth. No matter the cost.

Later that night, Morgan sat alone in Nicole's apartment, her laptop screen glowing as she played back the security footage from the building's old VHS system.

The grainy video flickered, but it showed enough to make her blood run cold.

First, Nicole was typing on her phone, seemingly in a hurry. The footage revealed the numbers she pressed—a password. Morgan quickly jotted it down.

Second, a man in a black suit emerged, walking out of the apartment with a small child in their arms. Emily. She was kicking and screaming, struggling against her captor, but no one stopped them. He had black hair and blue eyes while wearing a black suit.

And then came the third, most chilling discovery. A bright, unnatural light flared from within the apartment, consuming the screen in a white flash. When the footage resumed, Nicole was originally in frame but now was gone. Not dead, not injured—just... gone.

Morgan leaned back, heart pounding.

"What the hell happened here?" she whispered to herself.

One thing was clear: Nicole's disappearance wasn't an accident.

It was something else entirely.

Something not even she could explain or understand.