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MidReal Story
Vanishing Shadows
Scenario:The mysterious and sudden disappearance of millions across the United States throws one man's life into turmoil as he searches for his missing wife. Through his journey, however, he uncovers a conspiracy more vast and sinister than he could have ever imagined.
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Detective Emily Parker
medium build, business suit, grey
Jane Smith
blonde hair, casual blue dress
John Smith
tall, casual shirt, jeans
The sun had just begun to rise, and the light of day was faintly illuminating the living room, the rays of sunlight peeking through the curtains.
The house was quiet, as it always was at this time of day.
I was lying flat on my back on the couch in the living room, staring at the ceiling.
I’d been sleeping there for a few days now, ever since my wife had gone missing.
I woke up from my nap and slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes.
I looked across the couch at the empty spot where my wife usually slept.
She wasn’t there.
She never was anymore, not since she went missing.
I sighed and got up from the couch.
My wife was still missing, and I still had no idea where she was.
I walked to the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee, then sat down at the table to drink it.
I closed my eyes and tried to shake off the sleepiness that was clouding my brain.
It had been a few days since I’d gotten a good night’s sleep, and it was starting to take its toll on me.
I took another sip of my coffee and tried to wake myself up.
It was going to be a long day, I could already tell.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw that it was still pretty dark outside.
It didn’t look like the sun had come up much further than when I’d first woken up.
That was the problem with waking up before the sun: you were always tired all day long.
I finished my coffee and set my cup in the sink, then went back to the living room to grab my phone off the charger.
I turned it on and saw that I had a missed call from my wife.
I frowned as I opened the call log and saw that she’d called me at 3:27 AM.
That was strange, I thought as I dialed her number and put the phone to my ear.
It started ringing and I listened impatiently as it rang and rang, but there was no answer.
I hung up and called her again, but this time it went straight to voicemail.
My frown deepened; that was strange too.
My wife never turned her phone off or let the battery die.
She was always reachable by phone no matter what time of day or night it was.
My worry started to grow as I realized that something wasn’t right here.
She’d called me in the middle of the night, but now her phone was off?
And where was she now?
It didn’t make sense.
I went out into the hallway and called out for her, but there was no answer.
The house was silent except for the sound of my voice echoing down the hallway.
The worry in my stomach grew stronger as I called out for her again, but there was still no answer.
I walked down the hallway to our bedroom and pushed open the door.
The room was empty; the bed made and untouched.
My stomach dropped and a chill ran down my spine.
“Jane?” I called out again.
There was no answer.
I called out for her a few more times, my voice growing louder and more frantic with each passing second.
Still, there was no reply.
Panic clawed at my insides as I realized that my wife was gone and I had no idea where she was.
“Jane!” I called out one last time before turning and running out of the bedroom.
My feet pounded on the hardwood floor as I rushed through the house.
The hallway was long and narrow and it seemed to stretch on forever as I ran down it.
My heart was racing and my head felt like it was spinning as I checked each room in the house for any sign of my wife.
The bathroom was empty, so was our home office.
The spare bedroom was empty too; I threw open the closet doors and looked inside just in case.
There was no one there.
My mind was racing as I tried to figure out where my wife could possibly be.
The last thing I remembered was going to bed with her last night.
We’d watched some TV together in the living room and then gone to bed around 11:00 PM.
I remembered waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep.
I remembered rolling over and seeing my wife beside me, fast asleep.
And now she was gone.
How was that possible?
How could she have left the house without me hearing her?
Questions buzzed around my head like a swarm of angry bees as I searched the house.
Did someone break in and take her?
Did she leave of her own accord?
Was this all some kind of sick joke?
My hands were shaking and my heart was pounding so hard and fast that I could feel it throbbing in my ears.
“Jane?” I called out again, my voice hoarse and tired.
But there was still no answer.
The house was completely silent except for the sound of my voice bouncing off the walls.
There was still no sign of my wife, anywhere.
Was she really gone?
Or was I just dreaming?
I pinched myself on the arm and winced at the pain; it felt real enough to me.
So where was my wife?
Where could she possibly be?
The garage and backyard were two other places she might be, but I knew it was unlikely.
Jane wouldn’t have left the house without telling me where she was going.
Not unless something happened to her.
A cold shiver ran down my spine and my stomach twisted into a tight knot.
I didn’t want to think about what could have happened to her.
I didn’t want to think about the worst-case scenarios.
But something in my gut told me that this wasn’t right.
That something bad had happened and that my wife was in trouble.
My hands were shaking so badly that I had to clench them into fists at my sides.
I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me and I grabbed onto the wall for support.
The house seemed to be spinning around me and I closed my eyes against the sudden rush of nausea that washed over me.
When it passed, I opened my eyes again and let out a shaky breath.
My wife was still missing.
The realization hit me like a ton of bricks and my whole body went numb with shock.
She was really gone.
There was no way for me to deny it anymore.
I sank down to the floor and buried my face in my hands, letting out a muffled scream of frustration and fear.
This can’t be happening, I thought desperately, my mind racing a million miles an hour.
My heart was still pounding so hard that it felt like it was going to leap out of my chest at any moment.
I couldn’t believe that my wife was missing and that I had no idea where she could possibly be.
How could something like this happen?
I felt the panic start to rise up inside me again and I took a few deep breaths to try and calm myself down.
But it was no use, my heart was still pounding and my hands were still shaking like a leaf in the wind.
This must all just be some kind of sick joke, right?
My wife would never leave me like this, without telling me where she was going or saying goodbye…
“Jane!” I called out again, my voice rising in panic and desperation.
There was still no answer, except for the sound of my own voice echoing back to me off the empty walls and the empty rooms of our house.
The house was completely silent and still, like an abandoned ghost town.
But it wasn’t abandoned, not really…
It was just missing one very important person: my wife.
A cold shiver ran down my spine at the thought of her and my heart clenched in fear.
Where are you, Jane?
Where did you go?
And why did you leave me?
I forced myself to get up from the floor and make my way back upstairs again.
Maybe there was something I missed in our bedroom when I first woke up.
Maybe there was some kind of clue or sign that would tell me where my wife went and why she left.
I checked every corner and every closet, but there was still no sign of her anywhere.
The room was exactly the way we left it last night, neat and tidy with everything in its place.
It looked like my wife had never been here at all.
Tears stung my eyes and my vision blurred as I made my way back downstairs again.
What if someone took her?
What if she’s hurt or injured somewhere?
What if… what if…?
I didn’t want to think about what could have happened to my wife.
But my mind was already filled with a million different possibilities, each one more terrifying than the last.
The more time that passed, the more my fear for her safety grew.
What if she was never going to come back?
What if… what if she was really gone, for good?
I didn’t want to believe that this was real, but there was no way for me to deny it anymore.
My wife was gone and I had no idea where she went or why.
I felt a fresh wave of panic start to rise up inside me and my whole body started to shake again.
Where are you, Jane?
Why did you leave me?
What did I do wrong?
Did you even love me at all?
I called out her name one more time, but there was still no answer.
There was still no sign of my wife.
And the house was still eerily silent and empty, like an abandoned ghost town.
I sank down into a chair at our kitchen table and let out a deep, shaky breath.
