Man gives hitchhiker a lift home—and is shocked by the news the next day

On the television screen flashed a photo of the girl Carter had picked up that afternoon. He stared in disbelief, his heart pounding. What was going on? How could this have happened?He quickly turned up the volume on the television, hoping to hear more details, but unfortunately the newscast was nearing the end. All he could make out was a brief statement: "If you know anything, please contact us at this number," followed by a phone number flashing on the screen. The rest of the information was lost, leaving Carter with more questions than answers.

Carter quickly picked up his pen and wrote down the number before it disappeared from the screen. His mind was a mess, a whirlwind of questions he couldn't understand. All sorts of thoughts were overlapping, and his heart was pounding.What had happened to Avery after he'd dropped her off? Why was her face suddenly on the news? Anxiety began to build, a mixture of worry and confusion gripping his chest. As he wrote down the final number, he felt the weight of uncertainty grow heavier with each passing moment.

Carter quickly opened his laptop and began tapping away for information about Avery, scouring the web for news articles and small clues to explain what he'd seen on TV.But the internet was strangely quiet. It was as if Avery had disappeared not just from the real world, but from the digital one as well. Every search result was a blank, every click led to a dead end, and with each failed attempt, frustration grew inside him.