### Chapter 6: Into the Spider's Web
The city was a living beast, exhaling smoky whispers and neon sighs. The streets, slick with rain and regret, glistened under the pallid streetlights. Max stared out the window of his shabby one-room apartment, nursing the familiar burn of cheap whiskey. The amber liquid caught the faint light from the streetlamp outside, flickering like a dying flame. His eyes, bloodshot and weary, fixed on the empty chair where Vivian should have been.
It had been three days since she vanished. No notes, no calls. Just the lingering scent of her perfume and the haunting silence. Max's gut churned with dread. He knew this city too well—people didn't just disappear unless someone made them.
