CHANDLER, Mass. (AP) – The tiny town of Chandler remains on high alert today as the ninth disappearance in as many days rocks the normally crime-free town. All nine missing persons had been working at or near The Town Triangle, near the office of the mayor, Marie Sinclair, between the hours of 7 PM and 11 PM when they had gone missing. Police of the small town are baffled.

"We just don't understand," said Chief of Police Andrea Faustin. "We have analyzed the security footage of the disappearances and they are uniform. The person walks around the office or building, performs some paperwork or similar activity, gets up to use the restroom and never comes out." She added that she would be releasing the security camera footage to local television stations within the week's end.
The latest disappearance happened around 8 PM yesterday night, when Richard Olivier, 25, entered the men's restroom and never left. No associates of Richard could be found or reached for comment.

Police investigation as well as independent investigation have analyzed every restroom in the building and area and found nothing whatsoever out of the ordinary. "We have several leads and are currently pursuing them, but we ask the public to remain calm. Investigations into such oblique incidents take time."

Mayor Marie Sinclair released a comprehensive official statement the morning after Mr. Olivier's disappearance.

"Escaping the chains of these mysterious and captivating disappearances will not be easy. Even if we are brought to satisfying conclusion, I somehow doubt that our small town will be able to shrug off being subjected to suspicion and taboo. But fear not; I have no doubts whatsoever that the missing thralls will be found alive and well. To those people in my town who fear for their safety, I want you to know that I, as your custodian, make it my absolute highest priority to look out for the safety of my citizens. Believe me when I say it is in your interests as well as mine for you to be safe, sound, and most of all, secure."




Richard Olivier yawned. It was late; almost 8 PM, and he had been working at the City Hall offices since 9 in the morning. He was one of the only people still working the late shift, and he relished it. All the time in the world to work with nice equipment and computers, to mess around on the clock, and to, eventually, send some work-related e-mails and fill out some paperwork. It was like working at home if his home wasn't covered in dirty dishes.

He spun around on his desk chair and turned off the radio. It was saying something about the 7th person going missing. He hated hearing such depressing news.

"Almost time to do some work," he mentally whispered to himself. "Almost."  Richard got to his feet and trudged to the restrooms.

On his way out, Richard stopped to wash his hands. It was dead quiet, and he could practically hear the squeak of the faucet echo through the empty Town Hall. He held his hands high in the air, shaking off droplets of water and splashing the floor and porcelain sink.

Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, but it was at that exact moment that Richard noticed something very, very wrong. His hands wouldn't go down. They felt trapped in the air, literally hovering at head height as though there were invisible strings-
His thought process was interrupted and elaborated on at the exact same time; the "invisible strings" that he half-felt suddenly ratcheting upward. He yelped in terrible excitement, his entire form suddenly heaved through the air upwards towards the ceiling.

Obviously, thought Richard, this was a dream – at least, for a few brief seconds he hoped it was. Reality's enthralling hold dashed such notions as he felt his arms, legs, and body stuck to the ceiling, with his arms and legs more or less at his sides and legs together. He knew not what kept him adhered to the ceiling, and the strangeness of the situation kept him from thinking about it too much.

His head was interned in place, but his pose afforded him a view of his body. To his horror, he noticed several tiny beetle-sized discs enter the room from the ventilation system. They seemed to adhere to the ceiling with no effort, smoothly sliding along and inching closer and closer towards his immobile frame. He screamed – loudly- and at that exact moment the machinations jumped to life, scampering at the sound of his scream.

The beetle-sized devices extended thick, black tape from their plastic shells and worked quickly. Richard's imprisonment already extended to being stuck against the ceiling, but now also to a second layer of captivity. The thick tape felt foamy and somewhat rigid, and as it was unrolled against his form it seemed to settle in, hardening with the air and keeping his body rigid rather than simply trapped.
The machines did their work without pause or pluck, each time layering a tight black strip of tape that ran from a few inches to the left of Richard's body to a few to the right, crossing over him along the way. The result was a tight and compressing package that kept him bound to the ceiling.

The machines carefully and slowly performed their work, making sure that each strip of tape was lined up and neat, methodically adhering him in a position where he was in –no¬- position to escape.

When the machines were finished, they simply added an extra layer over his mouth and –carefully- threaded over his head, leaving his ears, nose, and eyes unblocked but the rest of his head enclosed in a smooth and form-fitting prison. They simply scurried back through the vent – leaving him bound from the mouth down
Richard squirmed, trying to escape amidst the rising fear and excitement inside his body; surely someone would walk in and see him, or at least hear his muffled groans for help and mercy.

His prayers did not go unanswered, and less than a minute later he saw another colleague enter the room – and, with all his might, Richard attempted to signal him. Several painful seconds passed before Richard realized that the tape had changed color, blending perfectly into that of the ceiling – and that his muffled sounds seemed to be drawn into the tape, completely blocking out his ability to call for help.

His heart was in knots, his stomach tight – almost as tight as his captivity. The other clerk walked out of the room, completely ignorant of Richard's presence.
Richard sighed to himself. All was quiet- until he heard the voice of Mayor Sinclair muffled outside the bathroom door.