When I discovered they weren't coming back, it was in the middle of summer vacation. I'm referring to the Lost when I say "them." A small number of people from each city seemed to vanish out of nowhere. They were doing typical things one minute and then their faces were in every newspaper and magazine the next, with the words "Reward if discovered..." above their pictures are writtenNobody knew if these people had anything in common other than the fact that they were close enough to be missed. My fiancée, Siera, and her mother were in the group, and my Yard Barn manager was also gone. They were the only two individuals I knew who were close to me. The other 20 people were only associates. The individuals who remained in this foolish town banded together to seek for clues and act as if they were on Law and Order.
Theme music is playing in the background, among other things. It was a hot mess train, but I was delighted I had teamed up with a few of my high school friends. My best friend Mika, his girlfriend Sharron, Siera, and you, of course, made comprised the party of four. By the way, my name is marc. Since we each brought our own unique gifts into the world, I'd like to believe we were the real Mystery Gang of Fairville. Mika's father is the police chief at our local station, which means he has access to equipment and a sharp eye for details. Siera was enrolled in Advanced Geography and knew our town's whole map like the back of her hand. That, I always told her, meant it was time for us to collect our belongings and go to California. You've been somewhere for much too long to need a GPS to navigate around. Sharron was a bit of a stalker who had access to everyone's information and could even manipulate others to say or do whatever she wanted. Mika believes it was love at first sight when he first saw her, especially since they both mysteriously enjoyed the same things. I tried to persuade him that she most certainly received all of his information from the internet, but he was too preoccupied with being with one of the town's wealthiest women.
Last but not least, I have no idea what my talent is. I know I played a role in bringing the group together, but I'm not really gifted in any other area. I'm not sure how I'll contribute to the betterment of the planet or solve this puzzle. When there is a will, though, there is a way. I've always felt like the odd man out or the recipient of the Participation trophy. Everybody had gold medals and diplomas at the same time. My lone award was having 100 % attendance for the entire 12 years I was in school. It wasn't like I could do something about it; even as a senior, I've never drove myself to school. Siera put money aside to buy a car, but I used it all to help my father pay his debts. My father was a loser who was simply indolent and accomplished little in life other than spreading his seed throughout town. I often wish he had been a member of The Lost; I believe the world would have been a better place if he had. My pals and I would go snooping around town for any new clues or survivors when we weren't anxious about when my father would go.
This group known as the Fortie's discovered one of The Lost ones on the inside of a trash with their hands over their faces about two weeks ago. The only reason they were discovered was because the person was supposedly praying very loudly. The fact that they were speaking a completely other language caught the community off guard. I'm not referring to Mandarin or anything wacky. They sounded like they were straight out of a Star Trek episode. It was crazy, but it cheered us and brings hope that we'd be able to discover more people and figure out what was going on. Even if it appeared like most of the groups in town had gathered all of the proof, there was still no hope. The only place left to look was this old abandoned factory, which no one had ever ventured into. My friends, of course, would be the ones to sink their teeth into it.
We liked scary things and took advantage of any opportunity to skip class and watch horror movies at one of our homes. That's how we knew the old factory belonged to us in the first place. Everyone else in town was too terrified to approach it, so they concocted a variety of myths and legends about what happened within. Today was the day we all discovered the truth. Mika came over to my place as we waited for Siera's car to arrive. From the police station, he brought a duffle bag full of tools. “Forensics” was written on the box. “Are we going to get in trouble for this?” says the group. As he tossed the bag on my bed and kicked up his heels, I inquired. The group exclaims, "Of course we are!" But I'm sure the disappearance of the Forensics bag is the last thing on anyone's mind.” Beyond my window, I heard a car honk and rolled my eyes.
We squeezed ourselves into the Volkswagen Bug and raced to the plant at top speed. It was a long distance out of town, in the middle of the woods. It was so far away that you had to drive halfway there and then walk three miles to get there. I threw my arm around Siera and kissed her on the head as we stepped outside to go for a walk. “Get a room!” Sharron had screamed as she attempted to shove her way through the crowd. We need to figure out a puzzle!” To pass the time, Mika and I followed her and Siera, passing a cigarette back and forth. A man was standing outside the factory when we arrived. But he didn't appear to be on watch; instead, he was rocking back and forth in front of the factory's doors. Sharron walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder, which seemed to soothe him. From where I was positioned, I could heard the man cry, "They're here...!"