Business was abruptly going slow, it was such a contrast from a Jack Ash concert to a scene of a missing person case. He was forced to close the joint for at least two nights in a row for investigations. He’d been hearing from his employees about the night scene at the streets where people gather and talk about their worries. He wanted to trace Dorian’s footsteps after he closed up The Dungeon and supposedly went home but never actually arrived. He decided to take a walk to his father’s house and see what the fuss was all about.
He hadn’t been out at night for a while, his business had kept him busy for the past year. The cool wind blows, he zipped up his jacket and tucked his hands inside his pockets. The streets were a lot quieter than usual. Not that it was crowded before, but some nightcrawlers usually hang out in front of night shops and diners. Couples who were dating sometimes strolled along avenues or ate out. But that night, almost all the stores were closed and there was almost no one around. Small crowds gather in back alleys circling bonfires they made in drums. He approached the first one he saw after 15 minutes walking without seeing anyone.
“Hey, Jordan!” a man shouted his name. Jordan was well known by nightcrawlers not only because he owned one of the most popular joints in town, but most of them knew him from way back when he was a teenager and roamed the night with Adrian.
“Hey, man! Long time no see?!” he greeted Anthony, the guy who called out to him.
“Yeah … I heard The Dungeon is closed for the night, sorry to hear about Dorian,” Anthony said.
“I know, right? Just thought I take a walk and see if anybody knows what’s going on lately,” he went straight to the point.
“Well … come join us here, we’re just talking about the same thing,” Anthony took him to join the other men who gathered around the bonfire.
Everyone greeted him like he was an old friend they haven’t seen for a while, even though some of them didn’t know him but they all knew him by reputation. Jordan was a well-liked Cromwell in Mofocity unlike his dad and his older brother.
“I was surprised to see how quiet the streets are tonight, how long has it been like this?” Jordan warmed his hand by the fire.
“Probably since last year, man, since people started vanishing into thin air … the chief had been asking around the same thing, I don’t think the police have any lead on the cases,” one man said.
“Yeah, and there are more people missing than they let the public know … people who lived in the flats know this, that’s why they’re hiding at night, they’re scared.”
Jordan was surprised to hear this. “Really? But does anyone know how they disappeared or seen anything out of the ordinary? Did they run away?”
One man chuckled, “Runaway? That’s highly unlikely, where would they go? I mean the forest is a suicide mission … the myth about an island is just that … a myth, no one has any solid proof that anyone can actually get out of this place.”
Jordan had heard the story about the Island, it’s a folklore that’s been passed from generation to generation in Mofocity. The story originated from the town’s elders whose ancestors were people that hold ancient beliefs of mystique and the supernatural. There was a search for this Island back in the 1970s to the early 1980s before the separation, and it was reported that no such island could be found. Even so, some people still believe it’s existence, they even go to lengths to find it. All those who tried, went into the forest and never to return. For Jordan, that does not mean those people didn’t succeed in finding the island.
“Those people didn’t run away … I think they were abducted … and used in the lab for experiments, the government is up to something,” another man theorized.
“That explains why they couldn’t find their bodies …” Anthony agreed to this theory.
“And that’s why the police couldn’t get a hold on the perpetrator,” another man supported the theory.
“That’s why a lot of us are preparing for a change.”
“What do you mean?” Jordan asked.
“A revolution … we can’t let them do this to us again, we’ve been cut off from the world because of what they did to our soil, and now they’re doing it again!”
“But we don’t know that for sure,” Jordan tried to be reasonable.
“Maybe not, but people are going to protest on the missing people’s case, it’s been too long, they need to tell us what the hell is going on!” one of the men sounded angry.
“I bet your dad knows a thing or two about what’s going on, Jordy, he’s been recruiting men to work as guards at your house, they were trained to use guns and everything,” Anthony said.
“Yeah I heard about that too, I really don’t know what’s up with that, but I’m actually on my way there to find out,” he admitted.
“Your sister in law is the one recruiting these men, some are even high school boys … that sister in law of yours …” the man-made a gesture as if he was cooling himself down, “She’s hooottt!!” and everyone laughed agreeing.
“Jeez … boys … calm yourselves down … will ya’?” Jordan felt uneasy about their comment.
“Sorry, Jordy, don’t mind them, they just haven’t got laid for too long,” said Anthony.
“Yeah we’re just goofin’ around, but I’m tellin’ ya, we don’t mind getting recruited by her at all,” they laughed again.
“Maybe that’s what’s been delaying the food delivery too … you know the shelves in the supermarkets were empty these past few weeks, they say your dad’s company’s been late on delivery for months and they’ve been selling all their stocks in the storage,” another news that he heard for the first time. Cromwell Inc. has never been known to be late on delivery, Jordan knew something was definitely not in place so he said his goodbyes to his pals and went on his way to go home.