Crimson Core: Awakened Desire

Chapter 4: Filing A Missing Person's Report

The fluorescent lights of the Bellevue Police Department flickered with a weary pulse, casting a harsh glow over the room where I sat, tense and on edge. I tried to focus on the officer in front of me. 

He was recounting the details I'd just shared about Iris and the night she disappeared.

"Height, five-five... long black hair, brown eyes..." The officer's voice barely registered over the background noise of the precinct—radios crackling, phones ringing, and the low murmur of conversations. 

I felt detached as if I were watching the scene unfold from a distance.

"And you haven't seen or had any contact with her since that night you went out ten days ago?" 

His sharp tone cut through the fog in my mind, pulling me back to the cold reality of the room.

I hesitated, thinking about the texts I'd received from someone pretending to be Iris. 

Should I mention them? 

Something in my gut told me to keep it to myself. With a heavy heart, I shook my head and whispered, "No, no communication."

The officer's eyes narrowed, suspicion creeping into his expression. 

"Why did it take so long to report your friend missing?"

Panic tightened around my throat.

How had I not noticed sooner that something was wrong with Iris?

"I've been... overwhelmed with work," I stammered, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue. 

I couldn't admit the truth—that I hadn't paid attention to the warning signs.

The officer's pen scratched across his notepad, the sound grating against my ears.

"Alright, Ms. Hernandez. That'll be all for tonight." 

His voice was indifferent as he handed me a slip of paper—the missing person's report. It was just a formality, a piece of paper that officially marked Iris as missing.

"Since the last known location was the Cherry Club in Seattle, we'll need to coordinate with Seattle PD. They'll contact you if they need more information."

I took the report and left the precinct, stepping out into the cold, rain-soaked night. 

The rain fell heavily, each drop feeling like tiny needles piercing my skin. I hadn't brought an umbrella or a jacket, and the cold felt like a fitting punishment for my lies and my abandonment. 

As I walked down the street, the streetlights flickered overhead as though they were about to go out. Turning a corner, I nearly collided with a dark, hooded figure emerging from the shadows.

"Sorry I didn't see you," I mumbled, trying to move past him.

The figure stood silent, staring at me with unsettling intensity. My breath caught in my throat as I noticed his piercing silver eyes, shimmering like the surface of a frozen lake under moonlight.

"You're Gabriella." 

The man's smooth, chilling voice sent a shiver down my spine.

My heartbeat quickened. 

"How do you know my name?"

"I've been looking for you." 

He stepped closer, and I froze, unable to move as his eyes held me captive.

"Ms. Hernandez!"

I heard someone call my name from behind.

The voice snapped me out of my daze, and I spun around to see the young officer from the front desk approaching me. He was holding a familiar black object in his hand.