Jacksy

Ⲧիɾ𝖾𝖾

Noah followed Skully into the city, keeping his head down. He did not recognize the cracks in the sidewalk nor the buildings all around, and the deeper they went, the more the air seemed to thicken. The lights from screens above illuminated a fog in the city. They had to weave between dense crowds of people, and Noah would've gotten lost if it weren't for Skully. Noah could hardly see where he was going, and it was not because of the hood he wore but because of all the chaos that accompanied the heart of the city.

Noah felt confident that he was doing the right thing by helping Skully investigate the odd disappearances. Noah wanted to meet the dealer, who had started the rumors, but Skully said that was for another day. Yes, Noah was still afraid, but he felt secure knowing that Skully would try to protect him at all costs. Noah missed the quietness of the farm, but he did not miss the drama that came with it.

They crossed the street and headed into a building designed to be a technology repair shop. The floor was made of a polished slab of stone and shelves lined the back walls. A hover car sat in the middle of the floor, where a woman wearing beige pants and an oily shirt was working. She stopped when she noticed Skully. "Hey, Skully," she said. She nodded at Noah and smiled. "This must be Noah! I've been waiting to meet you."

"Nice to meet you," Noah mumbled.

The woman frowned. "What happened to your head?"

Noah tugged on his hood.

"He got into a bit of an accident this morning," Skully intervened. "Should be nearly healed by tomorrow. So, Trish, would you mind if we use your roof?"

Trish sighed and grabbed a wrench. "Go ahead, Skull. You won't find anything."

Skully rolled his eyes and brought Noah to a set of metal stairs that led up to the roof. On it, Noah saw there were no joining roofs. Across the street sat a towering apartment complex, which was where Skully claimed the missing children were. Skully pulled from his pocket a small black chip made of plastic. "This is a camera," he explained. He reached over the ledge and slapped it to the wall of the building. Then, he sat down beside Noah.

"Trish doesn't know about me, does she?" asked Noah.

Skully sighed. "No, I didn't tell her. She's a good person, but she thinks I'm just a drugged conspiracist like the dealer. It's better that way."

Noah glanced over his shoulder at the building across the street. "You think that's where they're being held?"

"Look at the windows on the building," said Skully, twisting around to get a better view.

Noah leaned forward and focused on a window next to the doors of the apartment complex. After a moment, his eyes widened in disbelief. He looked to an advertisement screen, then back to the window, then at Skully. "They're not reflective."

"They're not reflective," Skully agreed. "None of those windows reflect the light of the city."

"How is that possible?" Noah asked, his heart beating. Skully was right. Something horrible was going on across the street.

Skully pulled out a hologram and tapped the pad, and it lit to life.

Noah frowned. He glanced at the building again. "You think... You think it's a hologram?"

Skully nodded his head. "Holograms can be solid." He tapped the pad twice, and the hologram became a solid block of light. Noah reached out his hand. His fingers couldn't pass through. He glanced at the building again. No one was seen entering or exiting the space.

"I've never heard of any hologram as big as a building, but... It's the only explanation," said Skully. "I've never been able to see anyone entering or exiting the place. The camera hasn't seen anything. But why would there be a random apartment complex in the heart of the city, surrounded by skyscrapers?"