The Red King and the Witch

A Gathering

Thunder fills the sky as rain pours down onto the cobblestone steps, two men prowl the street at an even pace, both pairs of eyes canvassing the area discreetly.

They slowed their steps as they made a right on Garrison lane, their attention pulled to the shrine of flowers, teddy bears, and candles that covered the ground near the Riverwalk.

The street was dimly lit, the rain cold and biting against their skin but that did not stop the tallest of the two from bending a knee to the wet ground, his right hand gently caressing a photo of a smiling young woman, pulling away when the second man gave a low grunt, jutting his bearded chin to the paddy wagon crawling down the road.

Both men waited until the copper made a left at the end of the lane before the taller man stood and they continued their journey less than a mile up the road, jaywalking across the street that led directly to The Old Crown.

The bell to the pub door jingled but the barman paid no mind to the two men who entered, he just continued gapping at the woman speaking on the telly.

... to you tonight with breaking news. A five hundred thousand dollar reward is being offered by the family of missing American women recently retired from the U.S. military, Captain Amanda O'Connor.

The thirty year old woman was last seen on the thirty first of October in Small Heath, Birmingham, visiting friends after returning home from deployment following twelve years of service.

The missing Captain's family say the young woman was looking forward to an extended holiday, Captain O'Connor was last seen at a local pub called The Old Crown.

The young woman departed by herself around two thirty in the morning and has not been seen in the last twenty six days.

Birmingham police as well as town locals have conducted nightly search parties in the surrounding area but have come up empty handed for any clues regarding the missing woman's whereabouts.

A tremendous online effort has begun on sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as family members of the missing Captain plead with the public for support, reminding locals that any and all information is important and vital.

This plea from the missing woman's family comes directly after police in Birmingham received a barrage of online backlash, as a storm of conspiracy theories flooded social media sites such as Reddit and Tik Tok, claiming the Captain's disappearance was caught on video.

Leaked by an unknown source ten days after the Captains disappearance, CCTV footage shows the young woman encountering a man wearing a peaked cap and black trench coat, then moments later captures the woman bent over, possibly injured, before disappearing into the river. 

Police officials claim the security footage has been tampered with, but American veterans and former comrades of the young Captain are demanding local police hand over any and all security footage to the American military police or local government officials, citing the young woman was fresh off deployment and in possible need of medical rehabilitation to combat PTSD, a common form of trauma a majority of veteran soldiers sustain when returning home from active combat.

No word is available yet..

"Pub's still open Henry" an Irish voice called out, startling the barman and causing him to drop the glass he'd been absentmindedly over drying.

"Christ, I didn't hear the bell. Just give me a mo, I'll have you set up in no time" the bar man nervously answers, shutting off the television, grunting as he bent over to pick up the broken glass.