Summer Camp (Short Story Teaser)

The hissing coffee machine woke me up from my deep slumber. I haven’t  been sleeping well ever since my car accident 10 years ago. I can still feel my brain rattling in my skull. My memory has suffered. Valuable childhood memories flushed down the toilet. I remember bits and pieces of my life before my 15th birthday, but not much. Anyway, this is my life now—a 25-year-old college dropout living in a studio apartment: no girlfriend, a shit job, and zero motivation. 

Mondays – the bane of my existence. I pry myself out of bed. I don’t entertain the idea of showering or brushing my teeth. I figured no one would notice if I put on enough cologne and chewed gum. Who am I fooling? Like a zombie without a conscious, I meander to the kitchen, pour myself some coffee, and sit on a chair older than me. I rub my eyes before entering the passcode to the phone: 1234 – who would have guessed? My dirty thumb smudges my cracked phone screen. I run through my mindless routine of checking emails, watching pointless YouTube videos, playing Clash of Clans, and  swiping through Facebook. Former highschool friends post photos of their newborn babies, new cars, or vacations, and here I am posting pictures of my cat: Raiden. Not going to lie, my cat is a hundred times cuter than half of the new born babies I see on my feed. Trust me, I know I’m an asshole, but life turned me into one. I think smashing your head into a windshield would turn anyone sour. I quickly stop scrolling when a post from the Appleton Police Department caught my eye:

Samantha, age 10, has gone missing. Here is her photo. She was last seen wearing a pink backpack, a brown, long-sleeved shirt, blue shoes, and acid-washed jeans. If you see her, please dial 911. She was last spotted walking home from Cherryhill Elementary. The family has posted a $10,000 reward.

Strange… That’s three missing children this month and seven this year. What the hell is going on in Appleton?  I lock my screen and stare into my black coffee, thinking of unanswerable questions. I feel a sense of panic wash over me and quickly unlock my phone. Shit – it’s 8:05. I’m late!