The Vanishing Complex

Chapter 5

The call had come in around 2 a.m. The sharp sound of her ringtone, jolted Sofia awake. The unfamiliar surroundings disoriented her for a few seconds before she remembered she was in Detroit. She placed a hand to her chest, taking in a deep breath as her heart drummed a beat against her rib cage.

Her phone started ringing again, the vibration on the night stand sounding louder than before. An unfamiliar number showed up on the screen, it's origin reading Detroit, Michigan. She slid a finger across the bottom of the screen, and pressed the phone to her ear.

Tom. The ID was ready.

Sofia quickly grabbed her jacket and ordered an Uber in the same motion. Her mind was racing as she stepped out of the Motel 6 into the chilly night air. She wrapped her jacket tighter over herself, as she crossed her arms over her chest.

She glanced at her phone to check the time, 4 minutes until her ride arrived. Hope he's not a serial killer, she thought. Behind her was the Detroit River, just outside of the famous Detroit Skyline. When she was a kid, she had looked out of her window over the river into Windsor, Ontario. It had been a dream of hers to live in Canada.

Sofia looked at her phone, a white Toyota Camry would be picking her up. Okay, she knew what white was. After a few chilly minutes a white car pulled up. The odds that this was her car were high. Who else would be out here in a white Toyota Camry?

A serial killer.

The car stopped in front of her and drew down the window.

"Sofia?" the man asked.

"Yes, are you Jimmy?" she replied.

"Yeah, hop in."

Against her better judgment, she pulled the back door open and slid in. She was welcomed with a blast a heat that calmed the chills running through her arms. She relaxed as Jimmy set the car in drive and headed towards her final destination.

He glanced at her in the rearview mirror, but didn't say anything the entire ride. Within a few minutes, she was arriving in the decrepit neighborhood Tom seemed to like living in. Jimmy stopped the car, and she hopped out thanking him. Didn't speak to her the entire time, 5 stars. She hurried up to Tom's door, and knocked with a balled fist.

Tom opened up quickly, glancing around the neighborhood and let her in.

"Did it have to be this late into the night?" she asked.

"Yes, I can't have people seeing me conduct business during the day." he replied, leading the way into the living room.

Two lamps were on in the middle of the table, shining down on the IDs he had been working on. He leaned down to pick one up and handed it to her. She marveled at the authenticity, the striations across the card, the faded photo on the right side. She ran a finger over the printed Mackinac bridge in the right hand corner.

"This is amazing." Sofia said, holding up the license.

"Thank you." Tom replied, pride beaming across his face.

""It says here I'm 18 though."

"And that's okay, the Chamber prefers adults. Legally, your family can't do a whole lot to get you out if you're considered a danger. Minors are still under their parents' care, so this works in your favor."

Sofia nodded, pocketing the license.

"Okay, so what now?" she asked.

"I spent some time hacking the school's records. You're set to start school tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. sharp."