AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Leo, someone reached out to me on the dark web.” I hand him my laptop so he can see the exchange for himself. “They claim to have information about the Scarlet Vipers and their government ties.”
Leo's eyes narrow. “Proceed with caution, Olivia,” he advises. “The shadows of the digital realm can be just as treacherous as those in our physical world. But if there's information to be gained, learn what you can.”
With a wary nod, I head back to my room, prepared to delve into this uneasy alliance, forming a digital connection with someone whose identity remains shrouded. Our exchanges become a dance of coded messages and encrypted communication, each revelation pulling me deeper into the intricate web of secrets that surround the Scarlet Vipers and their collusion with the government.
As the digital shadows envelop me, Leo's caution echoes in the back of my mind, a reminder that alliances in the dark web are fragile, and trust is a rare commodity. Yet, in this digital dance of shadows, I tread carefully, driven by the hope that the information gained may serve as a key to unraveling the web of corruption that entangles us all.
“I accept your offer, Cipher. Unveil the threads that lead to the heart of the Scarlet Vipers' darkness.”
“Wise choice, seeker of shadows. Our alliance begins. Your skills and my knowledge shall dance in the digital labyrinth, unraveling the secrets that elude the light.”
As the encrypted messages flash across the screen, the uneasy alliance is sealed in the language of the shadows. A digital pact is formed, and with Leo's caution echoing in the background, I prepare to navigate the intricate dance of coded conversations, prepared to delve into the depths of the digital underworld in search of truths that may bring light to the shadows surrounding the Scarlet Vipers and their government ties.
But the next message has me snorting. This Cipher is nothing more than a sham.
“All in good time, seeker of shadows. All in good time.”
I check and double-check the connection. Cipher can’t determine where I am, nor where the signal is coming from. Cipher has no way to access our servers or our information, so for now, this means nothing. Will it come to something? Who knows.
Every night before bed, I always check and see if the police, news outlets, or social media accounts say anything about me or Derrick. Nothing ever comes back. I guess you could say that I’m hoping for a flicker of recognition that I existed in a world now left behind
Until tonight.
Angela, my coworker from a life I've left behind, the one whose recipe Derrick hated and that I never did try, emerges as a beacon of recognition. In the digital whispers of social media, I discover that she's organizing a remembrance party for me. The realization elicits a surge of conflicting emotions—gratitude for the acknowledgment of my existence and a pang of nostalgia for the connections severed by the shadows.
“They remember,” I murmur to myself.
The dichotomy of being remembered while existing in the shadows tugs at my heart. In this clandestine existence, where my very identity is cloaked in secrecy, Angela's gesture becomes a poignant reminder of the life I once lived.
When morning comes, I’m smiling for once.
Dante notices and sidles up to me. “What has you so happy?”
“An old coworker is having a remembrance party for me. It’s stupid for me to care, but… I do. I can’t go, of course, but?—”
“I can go.”
I startle.
“I’ll go in your stead.”
His words carry a sincerity that resonates in the quiet room. It's a lifeline thrown across the chasm between the life I've left behind and the shadows that envelop me.
“Thank you, Dante,” I say softly. “I appreciate the offer.”
“Of course.”
Impulsively, I lay my head on his shoulder.
He pats my cheek. “You’re okay, Olivia.”
I almost believe him.
That night, I go to see Leo. Like most nights, words aren’t needed as he takes me into his arms, kissing me, brushing back my short bob.
But for whatever reason, the weight of the concealed world presses down on me, and an insidious anxiety takes root. Maybe it’s because I know that others are gathering right now in remembrance of me. Coworkers and friends I abandoned for Derrick’s sake are coming together to mourn me. They can’t possibly understand why the police won’t look for me.
It feels like walls closing in, constricting the very air I breathe. Panic threatens to engulf me, a dark wave rising from the depths of the shadows. My breath quickens, and a feeling of suffocation tightens its grip, an invisible vice around my chest.
