The Gate At The Gym [Completed]

Chapter One - The First Disappearance

It was a Wednesday night and Katherine walked out of Middleton Pool and Gym and up the path towards the car park. She was still breathing heavily after her gym session and had her jacket sleeves rolled up to let the cold autumn air cool her skin. There was no one else around her so the only sounds where her breathing and her footsteps. Her fire engine red hair was pulled into a small low ponytail and her full fringe was pulled back from her face showing off her hazel eyes and the freckles on her nose. After a full days work as an office assistant at a law firm she loved to go to the gym and move her body and stretch her muscles that had been stationary all day! While she was only 23, after sitting down a lot at work she often felt more 93! The pillow on the back of her chair not doing anything to help ease the discomfort in her lower back. She joined the gym to try and lose some weight in January like everyone else across the country but stayed after enjoying all of the classes on offer! She got to the car park and there weren't that many cars around since it was later on and all of the classes had ended for the night. Katherine got into her car, turned the blowers on to demist the windows and drove home, the car park now a shadow in the rear view mirror.

The following morning Katherine was getting ready for work when a news bulletin flashed up on her phone, someone had gone missing in her town. She clicked the link, finished putting on some mascara, picked up her phone and started to walk down stairs to get some breakfast. She was walking down the stairs she read the article.

November 1st 2018. 7:45am

A young girl named Sandra O'Neill, ages 27, a hairdresser in the local hair salon in town has been reported missing. She was last seen on the 30th October at 9:10pm leaving Middleton Pool and Gym and walking towards the car park. CCTV cameras catch her in the car park moments later but she disappears from view. No car is seen leaving the car park and she does not appear on any cameras again. She has not arrived at work or been home to her family since and her car was still parked in the gym car park the next morning. If you have seen her please call the hotline 01908 469578.

It was a brief article that was very impersonal and didn't go into too much more detail. It seemed strange to Katherine that just last night she was at the gym. Katherine looked at Sandra's smiling face from a photo that has obviously been cropped from one with another person next to her as you can see the corner of their face in the frame. Her brown hair brushed to one side and caressing the side of her face delicately in natural loose curls, her green eyes sharp and hard to look away from as they stand out boldly against her pale skin. There was no recognition, never met her, surprisingly she doesn't even recognise her from the gym since they are both members but nothing comes to mind. She looked at the time and soon jumped to her feet, if she didn't move quick she would be late for work!

After a long day at work Katherine decided to have an evening in with a movie and some crispy m&ms and some fluffy pyjamas. Soon it was time to go to bed, there was still one more day at work before the weekend could begin so she turned out all of the lights, made sure that the door was bolted and went to her bedroom where she read her book in bed with a calm jazz playlist from Spotify filling the silence of the flat. If it weren't for the few cars driving past every few minutes Katherine could have been anywhere in the world. She soon went to sleep, ready to tackle the day tomorrow.