Excellent A GPS hacker. The Betrayal by Lana Marie Lost - Flash Fiction writing prompt entry

“Henri, where are my keys?” Cindy called out, her voice trembling with urgency. “I can’t be late for this interview. It’s everything I’ve worked for!” “I thought I hung them by the garage door,” Henri said, unbothered. Cindy found them buried under a pile of jackets. She kissed Henri goodbye and raced out the door. The drive to the interview location—a remote spot chosen to simulate real-world reporting pressures—was supposed to take forty-five minutes. She had no time to waste. The first twenty minutes went smoothly. Cindy’s GPS guided her onto backroads she didn’t recognize, but she trusted the directions. Then, her phone lost signal. Moments later, the GPS froze and went blank. Cindy’s stomach dropped. She drove on, hoping the signal would return, but soon found herself on dirt roads that seemed to lead nowhere. Turning down another road, she saw a gas station in the distance. Relief washed over her—until she pulled up. The pumps were rusted, and the windows were dark and boarded. Determined, she drove farther, spotting a cluster of small shops. Parking hastily, she rushed inside the first one, a thrift store crowded with old folk. “Excuse me,” she blared. “Has anyone ever heard of Flynn Township? I’m trying to get there.” The clerk shook her head. “Never heard of it.” Cindy’s heart raced. She ran next door to a diner where the waitress offered only a confused frown. “Sorry, hon. Can’t help you.” Back in her car, Cindy began stopping people at intersections, rolling down her window and pleading, “Do you know where Flynn Township is?” Apparently, no one had ever heard of it. She turned into a residential neighborhood and started knocking on doors. An elderly woman answered one, looking at Cindy with concern. “I don’t know about any Flynn Township, and the internet’s down,” the woman said. Despair began to claw at Cindy’s chest. She returned to her car, gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white. Her GPS kept rerouting her to the same dead-end road. Hours passed. Her hopes to nail this interview demolished, her vision blurred with tears. The pressure of being on time slipped away—replaced by the reality of being lost and alone. By the time her GPS came back online, four hours had passed. Shaking and defeated, Cindy drove home. She never made it to the interview. Cindy learned Max, the other candidate, had made it without issue. Something didn’t add up. Months of investigation revealed that Max had hacked into her email, sending her fake directions to a nonexistent town. He’d shut down the local grid, cutting off her GPS and somehow he was able to manage blocking any phone calls that would try to get through to her that day.  The betrayal stung, but Cindy’s story didn’t end there. After months of investigation she was able to expose Max. The world learned how far someone would go to sabotage another—and how far Cindy would go to fight back. Writing Prompt Write a flash fiction story under 500 words about being lost Author Notes I know all too well the feeling of being lost. I'm thankful for smart phones and GPS in my car. I probably rely on it more than I should.

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