Is That Mom

Part 5 of Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Into the Unknown

—

Part 5:

Discovering a Clue

Ethan's heart raced as he stepped back into the office. After his last encounter with the oppressive silence of the factory, his instincts screamed to turn back, to leave this decaying place behind. But he couldn’t. His mother’s name had been here, among these dusty files and forgotten memories. He had to know more.

The dim light filtering through the cracked windows gave the room a surreal atmosphere, as if time had stopped years ago. Dust particles floated in the air, undisturbed by the world outside. It was eerily quiet, save for the occasional creak of the building settling. Ethan approached the file cabinets, their metal surfaces tarnished by rust. One of them had remained upright, standing defiant against the ruin surrounding it.

He hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the cabinet’s drawer. What if this was it? What if this was the moment everything changed? He could almost feel the weight of the past pressing down on him, urging him forward, but also warning him that once he opened this drawer, there would be no going back.

With a deep breath, he pulled the drawer open.

It groaned in protest, the sound unnervingly loud in the stillness. Inside, the papers were yellowed with age, some crumpled and others brittle to the touch. His fingers trembled as he sifted through them, scanning dates and names, none of which meant anything to him. He was starting to think this lead was another dead end when something caught his eye—a name, half-hidden beneath a stack of invoices.

His mother's name.

Ethan froze, staring at the familiar letters as if they might disappear if he blinked. For a moment, all the noise in his head stopped. His mother’s name, printed in the official, clinical font of a document far too impersonal for the significance it held. Slowly, he pulled the paper free, his breath catching in his throat.

The document was brief, just a few paragraphs typed out on company letterhead. But the implications were staggering. His mother hadn’t just been here—she had been part of something. Something huge. Something dangerous.

The heading read: "Project M: Participant Roster - Experimental Phase."

Beneath that, in smaller type, was a list of names, each followed by an identification number and a brief note about their role in the program. Ethan’s mother’s name stood out, circled in red ink as if someone had drawn special attention to her. He scanned the rest of the names quickly, looking for something familiar, but none of the others rang a bell. Still, the list was long—far too long for comfort. These weren’t just random people. These were others who, like his mother, had been caught up in something far bigger than themselves.

The document didn’t offer much in the way of explanations, but a single line near the bottom of the page sent a chill down his spine: “Phase 2 testing scheduled for select participants – see attached file for details.” There was no attached file, no additional papers that could explain what "Phase 2" had been, but the very idea of it gnawed at Ethan’s nerves.

What had they done to these people? And why?

He set the paper down, his mind spinning. His mother had been a participant in an experimental program. That much was clear. But what was Project M? What kind of experiment had required so many people? And why had it been kept so secret?

Ethan’s chest tightened as the reality of the situation set in. His mother wasn’t just a missing person—she had been part of something far darker, far more dangerous than he’d ever imagined. The factory, the cryptic messages, the warnings—they were all connected to this, to whatever had happened here. And now, he was caught in the middle of it.

The rush of adrenaline that had spurred him on began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of dread. He was no longer sure he wanted to know the truth. What if finding it meant uncovering something far worse than he was prepared for?

He sank into the worn leather chair behind the desk, the weight of his discovery pressing down on him like a physical force. He was alone in this, truly alone. There was no one to share the moment with, no one to help him process what he had found. His grandmother had tried to protect him from the truth, but now that he was neck-deep in it, he could understand why she had wanted to keep him in the dark. The fear, the confusion—it was overwhelming.

But there was no turning back now.

His mother had been involved in something dangerous, and whatever it was, it had torn her away from him. He couldn’t walk away from that. No matter how terrifying the truth might be, he had to see this through.

Ethan stood up, his resolve hardening. He stuffed the document into his backpack, his hands still trembling as he zipped it shut. He couldn’t stay here any longer. Every second spent in this decaying building felt like a second too long. Whoever had warned him to stay away had known something—something about the dangers of digging into the past. But it was too late. He had found the clue he needed, and now he had to figure out what to do next.

As he stepped out of the office and back into the shadowed hallways of the factory, the silence seemed even heavier than before. His heart pounded in his chest, a mix of fear and anticipation propelling him forward. His mother’s name, that list of participants, the ominous mention of Phase 2—it all played over and over in his mind.

The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place, but with every piece came more questions, more uncertainty. How deep did this conspiracy go? Who else was involved? And most importantly, where was his mother now?

Ethan pushed open the door of the factory, stepping back into the pale light of the morning. The chill in the air bit at his skin, but it couldn’t penetrate the icy knot forming in his stomach. He glanced back at the factory one last time, its rusting shell a reminder of the secrets it had held for so long.

He had a lead now, but with it came the terrifying realization that he was only scratching the surface of something far darker than he’d ever imagined. And with each step forward, he felt the weight of the truth bearing down on him, threatening to crush him under its impossible burden.

The town stretched out ahead of him, silent and unwelcoming. He couldn’t afford to stay much longer. The more he uncovered, the more dangerous it became to linger in this place.

With one last glance at the factory, Ethan tightened his grip on his backpack and started walking back toward town. He had the lead he needed, but it came with a price: the creeping dread that no matter how deep he dug, he might never be ready for the answers he would find.