The Phantom

Chapter 1

Ophelia's POV

"Breaking news! 'The Phantoms' have struck again!"

"Oh dear, I wonder which poor girl was taken this time." My mother spoke as she prepared breakfast.

The Phantoms were a gang notorious as the ones responsible for the death of eight young women. Their penchant for kidnapping their victims in the dead of night, along with the insignia of a skull in a hood that they left behind at each site, led to the FBI giving them said name. The women — all in their early twenties — were found dead at the same place they were assumed to be kidnapped from, exactly a week after their disappearances.

"CCTV footage shows the now identified Anne Johnson walking off with another lady — whose face wasn't visible to the camera — and then ambushed by two people in full black before being dragged out of view. It is assumed that the mysterious woman was with the culprits, as she made no move to help the girl or call the police."
"The FBI have yet to uncover any information on who this is and where their base may be. We can only hope that these criminals are found before the week is up, for the clock is ticking on Anne Johnson's life."
"Now onto the crime scene."

The TV switched to show the local petrol station that was located opposite the town park. The whole area was covered in barricade tapes and was swarming with police and reporters. The phantoms' emblem was clearly spray painted on a wall for all to see. The image then shifted to show the CCTV footage of the abduction.

"Oh my god!", I exclaimed in shock as I stared at the screen.
"What is it, dear?" My mom questioned as she served breakfast.
"I-i know that lady!"

*Flashback*

It was nearly midnight when I left work and I decided to stop by the gas station as I was low on fuel. This was one of those self-service stations where you pay at the pump. I got out of the car smiling as the cool breeze gently caressed my face — I've always loved the serenity of the night. As I was pumping my tank, a harried-looking woman came up to me.

"Excuse me Ms, I seem to have lost my keys, could you please help me look for them?"
Before I could reply she continued hastily.
"I was in the park and as I got up to leave, I realized that I'd somehow misplaced my keys, it's dark and the park is rather large so it would take a while to find it." She explained, "I was hoping you'd help, as it'd be found quicker with two people looking for it."

Her words were logical, but something didn't quite feel right. It wasn't what the woman said to me but the way she said it which made me hesitate. What ultimately made me decide against helping her was the horrible feeling in my gut that was screaming at me to get away from this unknown lady. I politely refused, saying I needed to get home, but she was persistent. She grabbed ahold of my arm and started tugging me towards the park. That was the final straw; I wrenched my arm out of her grasp, got in my car and sped off before she could so much as say another word.

As it was late, my mom was asleep when I got home, and by the next morning, the incident was completely forgotten.