Rosemary's POV

Hollow Creek, North Carolina

"Look at this, Mom! Chocolate chip Teddy Grahams!" exclaimed my daughter, Kylie, jumping up and down. "This is a new flavor! I never seen this before!"

"Okay, honey, put it in the carriage!" I chuckled. We were doing our routine grocery shopping at Food Lion. Kylie and I were more than just mother and daughter, we were best friends. I am a single mother, trying my best to raise Kylie, ever since my ex husband cheated on me. We filed for divorce, and haven't seen each other since. It's been very tough on Kylie. She acted out in school, and got in trouble by the teacher, for pushing a girl off the swings, during recess. Since, she was upset that David left, I didn't bother punishing her, whatsoever.

"We need orange juice, Mom!" beamed Kylie, smiling with a few gaps in her teeth.

"Of course, sweetie!" I laughed. I picked up a carton on Minute Maid orange juice, and put it in the carriage. The welcome coolness of the air conditioning, throughout the store, made it feel so good, since it was blistering hot outside. Temperatures were in the sizzling 90s, with no relief in sight, until later this week. North Carolina was facing a brutal heat wave, no doubt.

We were now strolling in the cereal aisle. I glanced at all the cereals on the shelves. "Cinnamon Toast Crunch, would be a good idea," I said. So, I got a box off the shelf, and tossed it in the carriage. But, to my surprise, Kylie wasn't here. She was right behind me, and all of a sudden, she vanished into thin air.

"She probably wandered to another part of the store," I said. "I'll try to find her. "Kylie! Kylie! Where are you? Kylie, come right to me, this minute!" I checked every aisle, but she was nowhere to be found. Assuming, she went outside, I pushed the carriage towards the cashier.

"How ya doing?" asked the cashier.

"I'm good, just trying to find my daughter," I chuckled. "She just vanished on me."

"Kids can be a handful, I know," said the cashier. "I have two kids of my own, and they drive me nuts, most of the time." The cashier scanned my items, and the total was $20.71. I paid for the items, and one of the store employees, pushed my carriage for me out of Food Lion. His name was Matthew, and he had short blonde hair, brown eyes, and wore glasses. We walked out into the parking lot, into the sweltering heat.

"Hot one today, isn't it?" said Matthew.

"Indeed!" I nodded.

"Could a get a thunderstorm soon," said Matthew, observing the sky. "The clouds are starting to build up."

"Oh no, my daughter is nowhere to be found!" I gasped.

"You should call the police, Ma'am," suggested Matthew, as he put the groceries in the trunk of my 1987 white Cadillac DeVille. "Wasn't your daughter with you, the entire time?"

"She was!" I explained. "We were in the cereal aisle, I got some Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and when I turned my back, she wasn't there! I looked all over the store, but still, no sign of her!"

"That's not good!" said Matthew, closing the trunk down. "As soon as you get home, call the police, and do it fast! A storm may be coming! Not safe for a missing daughter to be outside, cause of an impending storm, not to mention this heat!"

"I will!" I said. "Thanks!" I got in my car, and started it up.

"Of course!" said Matthew. "Stay cool, and good luck, on your daughter!" And, with those words, he rolled the carriage back into the supermarket. I turned on the air conditioner, and drove on home.  With my daughter not to be found, I was starting to fear the worst.

"What if she got kidnapped? Come on, Rosemary! Don't overthink!" I got back home, and pulled into my driveway on 1132 Alligator Swamp Rd. I turned off the engine, and got out of my car. I unlocked the trunk, and got out my groceries. But, as soon as I did that, a distant rumble of thunder greeted my ears. "Oh boy. That fella at Food Lion wasn't kidding." The sky got darker now, and the sun faded away. Not only was it stifling hot and humid, but a thunderstorm was coming. Another rumble of thunder was heard, and I quickly got all of the groceries out of my car and into my brick house.

I scrambled to call the police to file a missing child report. I was hoping they would find my daughter, before the storm got really bad. Kylie is afraid of thunderstorms, and that just made me worry a lot more.

I called the Hollow Creek Police Department, but there was one problem.

The line was busy.

A/N Hey, guys! What do you think of this story so far? This is my first action story! I thought I'd write about something out of my comfort zone! What do you think happened to Kylie? Where could she have gone to? And with the thunderstorm moving in, how concerned are you for Kylie's safety? This really gave me the chills, when I was writing this, not gonna lie! And do you think that Rosemary will finally get through to the police? Don't be a silent reader. Please show some love and support, by voting, leaving feedback, and sharing this book! Thanks, guys! Love you all!! ❤❤❤❤❤💙💙💙💙💙😘😘😘😘😘😘😘