ONE LAST TIME

A lead

Our pursuit of the hooded figure had led us to the doors of the Fujjio store. Atlas and I arrived at the stylish boutique, hoping to gain more insight into the mysterious hoodie. As we entered, the sleek, modern interior was a stark contrast to the grim nature of our investigation. We were met with a warm welcome from a sales associate, a woman with a friendly smile. 

"We're here to inquire about a limited edition hoodie you released about a month ago," I began, keeping my tone composed despite the mounting tension. The sales associate nodded, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. "Of course, I remember those. They were a real hit. Let me check our records," she said, reaching for a computer.

The wait seemed endless as she pecked at the keyboard, her fingers dancing over the keys. The anticipation in the room was tangible as we exchanged anxious glances. Finally, she turned her attention back to us, and her expression transformed from cheerful to bewildered. "That's odd," she said, "It seems all five hoodies were purchased under the same name - Aaron."

The name echoed in the room, a haunting revelation. Five hoodies, five purchases, and yet a single name. Aaron. It was as if the walls themselves were closing in on us, tightening their grip with each repetition of that fateful name. The cold realization was inescapable; the killer had set their sights on me, and now, it seemed, they were haunting the memory of my late boyfriend, Aaron.

My emotions surged, a tumultuous tempest within me. I couldn't contain the whirlwind of thoughts that consumed my mind. How could someone be so twisted, so utterly ruthless as to target me, to dig up the past and exploit my deepest wounds? It felt like the foundations of my world had collapsed, the ground beneath me trembling with the weight of the revelation. I struggled to comprehend the motives behind this torment. What did the killer hope to achieve, and what secrets did they intend to unearth? The boundaries between the past and the present blurred, and my world was plunged into chaos.

Atlas reached out, his hand gently touching my shoulder as he whispered "Emma, we'll get through this. We'll find out who's behind this and put an end to it."

Atlas, his voice steady despite the gravity of the situation, asked the sales associate, "Can you provide us with more information about these purchases? Any contact details or anything distinctive about the buyer?"

The sales associate's brow furrowed in concentration as she scrolled through the records. "I'm afraid not," she replied. "It appears that all five purchases were made in cash, and there isn't any additional contact information available." The pieces of this chilling jigsaw remained scattered and elusive.

Atlas inquired, "Could you tell us when these purchases were made?" The sales associate responded, "They were spread out over the 11th, 12th, 14th, and 16th of May, with the most recent one occurring just last night." The dates seemed haphazard, lacking any discernible pattern.

I turned to the sales associate and asked, "Is it possible for us to access the CCTV footage from those specific days?" She gestured towards a nearby hallway and said, "The security room is down that way." We promptly made our way in that direction. 

As we entered the security room, my patience wore thin. Hours seemed to slip away as we sifted through the CCTV footage from the specified dates. Every moment that passed increased my frustration, the lack of any substantial leads intensifying the tension. Then, amidst the sea of faces and blurred images, a pattern emerged. A man, wearing a cap low over his face to shield his features from the cameras, appeared in all the footage from those critical days. He moved with deliberate secrecy, never revealing his face to the lens.
Atlas and I exchanged a knowing look. We had to find this man and uncover his connection to the hooded figure. But just as the pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together, my world suddenly tilted. The room spun, and I felt myself falling into an abyss. The last thing I heard before darkness overcame me was Atlas's voice screaming "Emma"

(A while later)

I regained consciousness sometime later, I was reclined in the passenger seat of Atlas's car. My vision was still blurry, and I felt incredibly weak. Atlas was sitting in the driver's seat, his eyes locked on me with worry etched across his face.  His voice was filled with concern as asked, "Did you forget to take your pills?" to which I just replied with a painful smile. 

"What were the purchase dates?" I asked, my voice feeble as I struggled to sit back straight. 
Atlas sighed and replied, "May 11th, 12th, 14th, and 16th, and the latest one was yesterday evening."

"May 12th was Hannah's birthday," I said with weariness in my voice, I took a deep breath and continued, my voice trembling, "And the 14th... it was my father's death anniversary"  

As I tried to recollect any specific events from those dates, my tired mind reached back into the recesses of memory. It struck me, I started "11th of May, I had experienced a rather unsettling encounter. A man in a black hoodie followed me, I was losing hope when a masked man appeared and helped me. A peculiar sense of déjà vu had struck me at the time. His face obscured beneath a hood and a mask, bore an uncanny resemblance to my late boyfriend, Aaron.

"The 12th of May, the date of Hannah's birthday, had also held a peculiar moment. I met the same person in a convenience store, The resemblance to Aaron was uncanny,"  

I couldn't help but wonder if these events were connected to the purchases of the hoodies if these mysterious appearances were somehow linked to the hooded figure.  "The bodies were found on the 14th and 16th of May," Aatlas added, the pieces of the puzzle fitting together with unsettling precision.

I nodded, the tears that had been welling up finally spilling down my cheeks. "This is about Aaron," I whispered,