Blood. 20-year old Jack Benson’s worst fear and yet here it was, splattered all over the wet grass of Central Park. All he could think was, “How did I even get here? We were just walking.” Jack and his best friend, Sarah Thompson, had been strolling on a long path in the park after a long day of classes when the unimaginable happened; Sarah had been shot by a rageful man in black. It all happened so quickly that in the blink of an eye, ambulances arrived and paramedics were carrying Sarah’s lifeless body away. Jack was left with a sense of emptiness that he knew he’d remember forever.

Chapter 1

October 7, 2003, had arrived in a blur. It was the day of Sarah Thompson’s funeral, and Jack couldn’t be more depressed and angry with life. The clouds in the sky possessed a gray color as dark as the night, and the breeze in the air didn’t feel refreshing like how it usually would. It was cold and and the wind had a bitter taste.

“I don’t want to go. You leave without me,” Jack said to his older sister, Maggie. He suddenly felt like he didn’t care about his own life anymore. He didn’t want to go to school, eat, work, or talk to anyone. It was as if his whole life had turned to nothing.

“You’ll regret not going if you decide to sit on this couch while everyone says goodbye to your best friend,” Maggie replied.

Jack knew she was right, but he could still feel himself not being able to move because the only direction he’d go to is the funeral. Eventually, he sat up, put on a suit, and headed towards the cemetery.

Hours had passed and the Benson siblings walked into their small apartment.

“She would’ve hated that funeral,” Jack said to Maggie.

“Yeah, she would’ve said ‘That was an excruciating experience.’ How did she always manage to sound proper even when she was annoyed,’’ Maggie replied.

Jack began to tear up just thinking about how he’ll never see Sarah again. It was too painful to think about, so he walked away and slept for a couple hours, hoping that this was all a bad dream and he’d wake up to a new day.

Later, Jack woke up in a terrible sweat, still thinking he was dreaming of Sarah’s death.

“Maggie, where are you?, “Jack called out.

He walked around the entire apartment and soon discovered that Maggie was nowhere to be seen. Then he came to a stop when he approached her bedroom door and saw all of her blankets and pillows on the floor with her desk knocked over. Her whole room had been destroyed as if a tornado had rushed through.

“Maggie! Where are you?,” Jack yelled desperately. He started to run towards his phone to call her. When his mind caught up to reality, he started frantically dialing Maggie’s number. His fingers were moving so fast he mistyped with every touch.

“Come on, Maggie. Pick up, pick up,” Jack cried. No one picked up but a message from an unknown number popped up suddenly. He hadn’t even realized that his phone vibrated. A message appeared that said:

“Let’s play a game. I’ve taken my turn so you don’t really have a choice. Think of it this way, I found the special treasure that I’ve been searching for, and you happen to care for this treasure as well. If you want it back, you’ll have to get it yourself. There is only one rule and it’s that this little game stays between us. Just you and me. What comes next is up to you.”

Jack reread the message countless times until he finally realized that Maggie was gone. This realization nearly broke him completely, but he couldn’t allow himself to because he knew that if he did, then he may never get back up.

What am I supposed to do? I don’t have what it takes to save someone. This can’t be happening to a nobody like me. No. I’m just dreaming and this will all be gone when I wake up.

Jack shut his eyes, hoping that his sister would be back once he opened them. He knew that that was unlikely to happen, but he was in denial of accepting the fact that Maggie’s fate depended on him. When he opened his eyes, everything was exactly the same, accept his world seemed a bit more hopeless and dark. Clouds were just as gray and the once busy streets had died down as if the town knew Jack’s life was turning upside down.

After contemplating about whether to go to the police or not, Jack decided to go out and search for Maggie himself. He went to every single apartment and house in New York and asked every single person if they’d seen his sister.

“Where, where, where are you, Maggie? At least give me a sign of some sort. Just one clue that’ll get me closer to finding you.”

Hours had passed since Jack first knocked on someone’s door in hopes of Maggie opening it, and yet he stood in the middle of nowhere, ready for a mental breakdown. He was determined to find Maggie, but he was losing hope at the same time. Right when he was about to start crying hysterically, his phone vibrated. A message from the unknown number appeared.

Jack’s heart sank right when he saw the unknown number. Fearing that he might be too late, he read the message that said:

“Time’s running out, Jack. I suggest you stop weeping and open your eyes a little more, for the answer is right in front of you. Tick tock”

“WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO,” Jack yelled.

Jack began to worry even more, if that was possible, for it seemed like he had a ticking time bomb on his chest on top of his own. Not only that, but he was extremely frustrated with whoever was texting him. Jack continued searching for his sister and asking everyone that came into sight about Maggie. He searched all night and into the sunrise and was quite surprised that he hadn’t run out of land yet.

Chapter 2

Later, Jack arrived back at his apartment with 5 minutes to noon with a great deal of hopelessness. He was disappointed in himself for not getting any progress, but mostly because he could feel himself giving up. It was hard for him to believe that he might actually stop looking for his sister since she was his only sense of light and positivity in his life.

Moments later, Jack decided to take a very short break and take a nap. He set a timer for 45 minutes on his phone and lied down on his bed. Right when he was about to put his phone down, he decided to look at some older pictures and videos of Sarah and Maggie to see if they’d give him any hope, but something caught his eye when he opened the gallery. There was a 20-second video with Maggie’s face on it, and she was crying. Jack felt conflicted on whether he wanted to watch this video or not. It could show her saying goodbye or being hurt and he wasn’t ready to see that. He pressed the play button and Maggie began to talk.

“Jack, I don’t know how long I have until he finds me, but I need to tell you something. This man has been looking for me for a while now, but I never told you because I didn’t want you to worry. I don’t know anything about this man except that he wants revenge for something I deeply regret doing. I can’t explain more but I love you and please don’t give up on me. I’ll be okay. Don’t give up.”

She said it herself, don’t give up, Jack thought.

He knew that he needed to find his sister no matter what it took. With that, Jack stopped the timer, grabbed his coat, and headed outside. This time, he was determined to never stop looking even if he felt like his legs were going to fall off. He went to the dark paths that he was too afraid to go through the last time and the mysterious buildings that gave him an uneasy feeling. He encountered a man who talked with a shaking tone as if he knew something as if he was guilty.

“I-I haven’t seen anything lately,” the shaky man whispered.

“I don’t believe you. I think you’re hiding something,” Jack said as he began to walk closer to the man. “Have you seen a man with a short black-haired girl? Where was he going?”

“I don’t know! I’ve seen plenty of dark-haired girls with a man. Sounds like any other couple in New York City to me.”

Jack, still not believing the man, yelled, “YOU KNOW SOMETHING!”

“ALRIGHT! You have to promise that you won’t tell anyone I told you.”

“Fine, I promise! Tell me,” Jack said.

“Okay, okay! I saw a man pushing a woman into the forests by the abandoned building a couples blocks south. The woman’s hands were zip-cuffed to her back and she was struggling to be free. I wanted to call the police, but I felt frozen in place. Then, the man looked me in the eye and I could tell that I would regret it if I called for help. I know I should’ve, but he knows where I am and he could come for me at anytime. Please don’t go to him. He might hurt you.”

“He has my sister, so I don’t really have a choice. I’m going,” Jack said while walking away. He pushed the door open with a great rush of anger and began running to the forest that the shaken man spoke of. Minutes later, he arrived at the entryway and started coughing. The air around him became foggy and filled with a sense of darkness. He knew he was in the right place. Jack slowly walked into the forest while shining the flashlight at the ground to avoid tripping over the many branches he stood upon. Suddenly, he heard a noise that froze him in his tracks. It was a very distant noise in the distance, but it was present. Jack began to walk towards it with an increasing size in his footsteps. For the first time since he began looking for Maggie, Jack felt like he was getting somewhere, even if he was in a forest. After 5 minutes of walking in one direction, he came upon a tall shape. His eyes began to focus through the darkness, and he saw a black shed. Jack couldn’t believe his eyes, but he began to walk towards it, hoping that his search would soon be over. He was stopped by a creaking sound coming from the shed. It took him a moment to see it, but the door was opening to him, and Maggie was running out.