Staring into the woods while washing the dishes has always been peaceful for me. Typically, this mundane task allows me to focus on an audio cast or something else to take my mind off of it.
But that weird feeling at the back of my head was ringing and it felt like something wrong was about to happen.
Seconds later a plane was flying overhead like many others before. The local airport was a bust of traffic with the local corporation sending and receiving shipments for its fabricators.
*Alarm rings - beep. beep. beep.*
“Oh shoot, the kids! If I am late again Kathy is going to kill me!”
Well, it’s just one of those days where rushing to the car and getting it moving to get to the kids school was the norm. I only had 10 minutes to get there, and it was a 10-minute ride. I keep telling myself that I needed to set that alarm to an earlier time. His teacher was always giving the stink eye. Today will probably be no different.
Wow, slow down, folks. Why is every one of my neighbors in such a rush?
"Lord have mercy!" I shouted when a car without a driver almost drove straight into me, crashing at the intersection with a few other vehicles in tow.
Something is definitely wrong. I have to go and see if everyone is okay. Hopefully their vehicular safety systems launched fast enough that the air bags caught them in time.
Looking into the madness of the accident two of the vehicles didn't have passengers inside of them. "Hey are you okay? It looks like the folks that ran into you dipped out before they even touches hit your car."
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The pale lady shifted out of her passenger side seat moaning from the pain. "Hey can you answer me? I'll give the emergency service a call to come for you. I have to rush to my kids school."
She still looked at me with a haze in her eyes. Wondering if I was okay, all I know is that I had to make sure she didn't crack her head or something and get moving again.
My Iris communication device instinctually knew that I wanted to call the ambulance making the call. It's AI is always evaluating the environment, sometimes suggesting the right move to make before I could even suggest it.
"Operator, it's Jackson Lockwood. I am at the corner of Durberry Street and Commens Avenue. There is a lady here who needs medical attention. The other two cars in the collision seem to have folks that ran away." My Iris will transmit the last 5 minutes of recording to let you know the details. I have to leave the scene."
Rushing back to my car I raced down the street again. I hope they don't mark me for this. At least this time I have a real good reason to be late. A few minutes later, I was in front of the Liberty Hill Elementary parking lot. It's the only elementary-level school in my small town. Where Emma and Kai go to school. With the size of the town being so small, Lex's High School was only a few miles away.
Before stepping out of my car, Robert one of my Emma friends dad went rushing towards me. He look kinda distressed hopefully he won't innudate me with his issues again. He always had something to talk about that seems to just weight the day down.
As he rushed down the parking lot towards me, he seemed to be screaming and panting for air.
"Jack! Jack! The kids are gone. The faculty and the bots are saying that all of the children are gone! That something took them. Come on man help me look."
"Robert hold up! What are you talking about? Listen man I know are always stressed out but don't come to me with that." I didn't wait for a response as I started a jog to the school entrance. Robert heaving his breath while trying to run back the direction he came from following me.
"Ahhhhhg!" Robert screamed. "I've looked everywhere and they aren't telling me where Albert is!"
"Calm down Robert, I am pretty sure that the teacher's Iris devices have something recorded. Otherwise, they will have to answer for this!"