Chapter 3 - The Stolen Life
Panic is a luxury that a senior military officer can never afford in a crisis.
I forced my breathing to slow down as I followed Carter into the dark parking lot.
We managed to escape the burning police station in his unmarked police vehicle.
I kept Eli tucked safely in the back seat, shielding him from the flashing lights and chaos.
Carter gripped the steering wheel tightly as we sped down the dark, deserted Nevada highway.
I needed to get back to my apartment to secure my emergency funds and backup weapons.
We arrived at my residential complex just as the sun began to rise over the distant mountains.
I told Carter to wait in the car with my son while I cleared the second-floor apartment.
I moved silently up the concrete stairs, keeping the stolen mercenary rifle raised and ready.
The door to my unit was completely unlocked, swinging open with a gentle push of my hand.
I stepped inside and instantly realized that my entire life had been erased overnight.
Every single piece of furniture, every photograph, and every piece of clothing was completely gone.
The apartment was nothing more than an empty wooden box echoing with my heavy footsteps.
I rushed back downstairs to the security office to demand answers from the building manager.
The terrified manager handed me his tablet, showing me the lobby security footage from yesterday afternoon.
I stared at the glowing screen in absolute disbelief as I watched the recorded video play.
A woman who looked exactly like me was directing a team of movers to empty my apartment.
She moved with my exact posture, wore my favorite jacket, and had my exact facial structure.
She even looked directly at the security camera and smiled, knowing I would eventually see this.
Someone had flawlessly stolen my identity and meticulously erased my existence before my parents abandoned me.
I ran back out to the parking lot to tell Carter what I had just discovered.
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When I reached the spot where we had parked, the unmarked police vehicle was completely gone.
Carter had vanished into thin air, and he had taken my six-year-old son with him.
