THE LAST THING I EVER DO
Woods entered the derelict building, shaking rain off his trench coat and fedora.
“Spill it,” he ordered. “And don’t get any of it backwards.”
Jean sighed, droplets still beading off her hooded military cloak.
“This might be hard for you to hear,” she lamented. “But, you’re the one who’s been helping to make the women disappear.”
“What?!” Woods exclaimed. “That’s ridiculous!”
Jean pulled out a file and handed it to Woods.
He opened it and saw photos of him with the same missing girls that were pinned to his notice board.
His mouth hung open in disbelief. “But… I don't remember any of this!”
“I know,” Jean replied. “It’s because they’ve been mind-wiping you with some kind of strobe device. It makes you forget you’ve found any of them.”
“Who?!” Woods exclaimed.
Jean's expression darkened. “Your employer. They’ve been using you to find vulnerable girls so they can take them.”
“Take them where?” Woods questioned, tears forming in his eyes.
“To a facility,” Jean responded. “They were using them as test subjects. But I managed to save them. That’s why your boss sent you after me.”
Woods' face filled with relief. “So, that means it’s over now?”
“Not quite,” Jean indicated. “I’ve got something else to show you.”
Jean reached into her cloak again.
In a swift motion, she drew a gun and aimed it at Woods.
Before Woods could react, a single shot echoed through the empty building.
Woods slumped to the floor, blood gushing out of his gut.
Jean holstered the gun, her face a mask of cold dispassion.
“Sorry, Woods,” she uttered, disappearing as she reactivated her optical camouflage. “But this is the only way to end it.”
* * *
Woods returned to the rainswept alley, finding it empty again.
“Show yourself, Jean,” he demanded. “I know you’re here somewhere!”
“Well done, Woods,” Jean’s disembodied voice declared. “I’m impressed.”
All of a sudden, Jean materialised in front of Woods, just as quickly as she had disappeared in the video.
Woods smiled to himself.
“Took me a while to figure it out,” he confessed. “But that’s an optical camouflage cloak, right?”
Jean smirked back. “Of course. Best way for a girl to stay hidden.”
Woods’ smile turned into a hard stare. “Why are you following me?”
“Because someone has to finish it,” Jean countered.
Woods rubbed his brow. “Finish what?”
“It’s not safe here,” Jean whispered. “Meet me in the derelict building around the corner in five minutes.”
* * *
Back at his office, Woods connected the mini video-camera to his laptop. The laptop screen flickered to life, showing footage of him from various angles.
“What the…?” he murmured as he sat forward in his chair.
He continued watching the footage, seeing himself entering the motel and the bar. A video then appeared of the alley.
Woods’ eyes widened as Jean placed the camera on the top of the trash can and then disappeared into thin air.
* * *
After another cigarette, Woods showed Jean’s photo to a homeless man a couple of streets over.
“I saw her go that way,” the man revealed, pointing to a nearby alley.
“When?” Woods pressed.
“About thirty seconds ago,” the homeless man explained. “It’s bricked up in the middle though, and she ain’t come out yet.”
“Thanks,” Woods murmured as he slipped the man a few bills. He strode into the alley, but it was empty.
“That goddamn, lying son of a—,” Woods began, before noticing a mini digital-video camera perched on top of a trash can.
* * *
Woods drove through the neon-imbued streets. He parked his car outside a rundown motel and approached the clerk.
“Seen this woman?” he asked, showing the clerk Jean’s photo.
The clerk shook his head, trying his best to avoid eye contact.
Woods then entered the bar next door, where the air was thick with smoke.
“This girl been here?” he asked the bartender.
The bartender raised an eyebrow. “She was in here asking the same about you. Did you exchange pictures or somethin’?”
Woods’ expression morphed to one of shock. “You sure?!”
“Yeah,” the bartender confirmed. “She wanted to know where you hung out.”
Woods scuttled out of the bar, lighting a cigarette to try and ease his bewilderment.
* * *
Woods sat at his cluttered desk, the photo of Jean in front of him. A city map lay spread out, marked with various locations.
Woods took the photo and studied a notice board on the wall. It was crowded with notes and photos of other women.
“I hope I can find you, Jean,” he remarked to himself. “Because I sure as hell couldn’t find the others.”
* * *
Woods rubbed his eyes until the blotches started disappearing.
“Sorry, about that,” he said to the man with the umbrella. “It’s never happened before…”
“You are the guy that finds people, aren’t you?” the man pressed.
“This the first time we spoke?” Woods replied, as he glanced around the deserted street corner.
The man held out a photo. “This is the woman. Her name’s Jean.”
Woods took the picture and studied it. Jean grinned brightly, like she didn’t have a care in the world.
“She got any enemies?” Woods inquired.
“None that I know of,” the man replied. “Please, just start looking as soon as possible!”
“Don’t worry,” Woods uttered, as he slipped the photo into his coat pocket. “I’ll find her, if it’s the last thing I ever do.”