Hutson scanned his surroundings through AI chip's environmental detection—
Nothing.
The house was empty. There was no one inside.
Yet the entire structure trembled, as if some unseen force were hammering against it with unnatural strength.
The blows against the door grew more violent, more desperate.
Hutson narrowed his eyes. "I saw people in there just moments ago."
A man and a woman. They were there, he was certain of it.
And now?
They were gone.
No transition. No sound. No trace.
Even AI chip failed to register the exact moment they had vanished.
Hutson's instincts screamed at him.
Leave. Now.
Turning sharply, he began retracing his steps toward the mountain path leading out of town.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps.
Hutson froze.
The moment he stopped moving—so did the sound.
Slowly, he turned.
Nothing.
A long, empty path stretched behind him, void of any visible pursuer.
Even AI chip's scans detected no other lifeforms in his immediate vicinity.
