Page 56 of No Mercy
His eyes light up, obviously very happy with the movement. I have to force myself from curling into a ball of disgust if I want to get to these cameras.
“Soo… do you think I could?” I say sweetly.
He hesitates, looking towards the door in the corner. “Alright, but make it quick. I don’t want to get in trouble.”
Relief washes over me as he leads me into a tiny back room filled with clutter and a single screen showing a black and white feed.
I guess it’s better than nothing.
The door closes, leaving me alone to find what I need. Pulling out a USB drive, I search the computer tower for a slot.
There you are.
I quickly insert the USB and drag all the files from today on to the drive. It will take too long for me to go through it here andI have other places to check. Once I get home, I can go through them one by one.
My heart races as I watch the little green bar move slowly across the screen. I know I don’t have long in here and the man could come back any second.
After what felt like hours, the bar finally reaches 100%. I grab the drive out of the tower and dash back out of the door. The man is still behind the counter reading his newspaper. I thank the man and rush back to my car, already planning the next route. If the car was here at that time, it means I’m getting closer. But where did it go next?
I clutch the USB in my hand like it’s my lifeline. My fingers drumming anxiously against the steering wheel as I pull away from the curb. There are still a few more streets I need to check, but every second wasted feels like I’m failing her.
It’s dark outside now and the thought of being outside on my own in an unfamiliar place has my nerves on edge.
Glancing at the clock on the dashboard, I can’t help but think how much time I have left before the trial goes cold and the CCTV becomes useless?
No, I need to find something now before it’s too late.
I find a car park next to a restaurant and bring the car to a stop in the back corner, making sure I have a full view of everything in front of me and that no one can come from behind.
Pulling out my laptop, I connect the USB. The faint glow of the screen illuminates the car as I sift through the files.
I really should’ve got a fucking coffee before this.
My eyes dart from timestamp to timestamp as I search for the one to match the tracking information. I scan the images in front of me, searching for anything that might help… a car, a figure, a shadow. Anything that could lead me closer.
I nearly give up when all of a sudden something catches my attention. A jump in the time stamps.
Something has been removed, something that should have been here.
Opening up FXUS, a software we use to retrieve missing data. I place the file inside, waiting to see if it catches anything.
While I wait, I decide to watch the people outside of the car, going about their daily routine. Some of them are going to the restaurant next to me, another girl is trying to get off the floor as she’s surrounded by her friends and a car… wait.
Sitting forward, I try and get a better look at the car at the other side of the street.
The windows are blacked out, similar to mine but something feels off. Something is wrong about all of this.
Just as I decide to pack everything away and leave, the computer dings, telling me it’s finished.
I look at the findings to see a file has been recovered. Thank fuck for that. Pressing play, it shows a car pulling into the street and stopping briefly at the bakery that is opposite the shop I was just in. I quickly write down the first part of the license plate but when I try and zoom in for the rest, the screen goes black.
“The hell… what just happened?”
I try and replay the video, but the video never plays. It’s like it’s just been erased entirely which is impossible.
I quickly finish writing down the time that was on the screen before it disappeared, giving me some sort of direction to go in when I check it against my notes.
From here.. It looks like she went east.
