All people, places, and scenarios in this story are completely fantasy. This is not based on a true story and is strictly fiction. Thank you for reading!
September 3, 2020
"17 year old, Mona Symone has been officially declared missing this morning. Two days ago, Ms. Symone had left her house in the early hours of the morning to walk to school but she never showed up. Officers believe she may have run away, though her family insists there was nothing wrong at home that would push her to leave so suddenly. The only belongings that remain missing include her backpack and cellphone.
"According to her family, they say that officers wouldn't declare her as missing person yesterday morning as they weren't sure when Ms. Symone had gone missing, even though the family and school notified them of her absence in the early morning. An official Amber Alert has been sent out; and she isn't alone. She and four other young women have all gone missing. The weird part? All five girls share similar characteristics.
"Mona Symone is 5 feet, 2 inches. She has short, brown hair and green eyes. She is slightly under weight for her age, weight a little over a hundred pounds. She went missing somewhere between Friarie Park and her home on Greene Avenue in Friarie, California.
The other four girls include the same description of dark brown hair, green eyes, and vary between 5'1" and 5'3" in height.
The other four missing girls names have been released to the public.
Beth Anderson, missing May 1, 2020
Kaila Dean, missing June 1, 2020
Jenna Jameson, missing July 1, 2020
Zoey Quinn, missing August 1, 2020
If anyone has any information relating to Ms. Symone's disappearance or the other four missing women, please contact your local police station."
The television switched off, a smile creeping onto the bearded face of the man who had been intently watching the news story. He slowly stood up from the leather couch, collecting his dirtied plate and mug from the coffee table. He found himself still smiling as he rinsed his used dishes and carefully stacked them into the dishwasher.
It was too easy, of course. Collecting all of them was too easy. They only weighed a hundred or so pounds. And wouldn't you know, as fate would have it, that authorities only caught on to the pattern after he had collected the adequate number of players.
The officers were determined to find the girls, obviously. But they wouldn't. They never did. He had been playing the game for 12 years now and they hadn't even found one of the bodies yet.
He laughed a little to himself. The justice system was a joke. He's known this for years. They were all too stupid to figure him out. He was clearly far more intelligent than anyone of the authorities in California.
Closing the dishwashing machine, he straightened, laughing again to himself as he sauntered toward the basement door. "Come out, come out and play!" He sang, his fingers going to the first of three locks.
Dogs barked on the other side of the sliding glass door in the living room. The man turned away from the basement, looking out into the darkness where several sets of eyes stared back at him.
A thought occurred to him then. This was the first time they had caught on to the pattern. Which meant they would start looking soon. Is it possible this time would have to be the last?
No, he thought to himself. He would just have to be more careful. Maybe move again once this game was over.
"You won't find them." He spoke aloud, as if it were a spell. "You never have before."