Wish Upon A Sunset

Watch Your Step

Emma

I jumped to my feet, my legs shaky. "You've seen my sister?"

He nodded again, his brow furrowed. "I believe so. I work as a night security guard at the old Riverside Factory. Two nights ago, I saw a young woman who looked like this hanging around the building. She seemed disoriented, maybe upset."

Logan stood up beside me, his hand coming to rest on the small of my back. "Did you speak with her?"

The man shook his head. "By the time I got outside, she was gone. But I saw her again last night, same place, same time. I tried to approach her, but she ran off."

My mind raced. Why would Michelle be at an abandoned factory? It didn't make sense, but it was the first real lead we'd had in days.

"Can you give us the address?" Logan asked, pulling out his phone.

The man rattled off the location, and I committed it to memory, while Logan thanked him and handed him a business card.

"If you see her again, please call me immediately," Logan said.

As the man walked away, I turned to Logan, hope and fear warring inside me. "We have to go there now."

Logan nodded, already heading towards the car. "Let's go."

We drove through town; the scenery blurring past my window. I gripped the door handle, my knuckles white, and Logan navigated the streets with practiced ease, his focus intense.

"What do you think she's doing there?" I asked, breaking the tense silence.

Logan shook his head. "I don't know, Emma. Why would she run away? Sometimes kids make stupid decisions."

As we neared the outskirts of town, the buildings grew more sparse and run-down. We turned onto a narrow road that led to the riverbank, and I saw the looming structure of the old factory in the distance.

Logan parked the car in an overgrown lot. The factory stood before us, a hulking mass of rusted metal and broken windows. Weeds pushed through cracks in the concrete, and graffiti covered the lower walls.

"Stay close to me," Logan said as we got out of the car. "This place could be dangerous."

We approached the main entrance, a set of heavy metal doors hanging off their hinges. Logan pulled one open with a loud creak that echoed through the empty lot.

Inside, sunlight filtered through dirty windows and holes in the roof, casting long shadows across the debris-strewn floor. The air was thick with dust and the musty smell of decay.

"Michelle?" I called out, my voice bouncing off the walls. "Are you here?"

Logan put a finger to his lips, reminding me to be quiet. We didn't know if we were alone here.

We moved deeper into the building, our footsteps crunching on broken glass and gravel. I peered into empty offices and storage rooms, hoping to catch a glimpse of my sister.

As we reached a large open area that must have been the main factory floor, Logan held out his arm, stopping me. "Watch your step," he whispered. "The floor doesn't look stable."

I nodded, carefully placing my feet as we made our way across the room. Old machinery loomed around us like sleeping giants.

"Look." Logan pointed to a far corner. "There's a staircase. We should check the upper level."

We picked our way across the floor, avoiding patches that looked particularly worn or rotted. The staircase was metal, rusted and pitted with age. Several steps were missing entirely, leaving gaping holes in the ascent.