23 year old digital nomad, Caroline Smith

Caroline arched her back gently, lazily stretching her arms up as she lounged on a sunbed. A triangle shaped bikini barely covered her curvy body, her fair skin shining warmly under the sun's glare. Her wavy blonde hair danced in the gentle breeze, offering relief from the tropical heat. The rhythmic sound of the ocean waves rolled in the background, wrapping her mind in a soothing calm.

"Hm...", she hummed out in satisfaction. Her soft voice drifted through the beach, yet it only reached her own ears. There were barely a handful of people at the beach today. When your work schedule wasn't limited by weekdays and weekends, it was easy to find a time when the beach was practically empty. Such was the perks of working as a freelancer like Caroline.

The flexibility her work offered easily outweighed the inconsistent income stream. With that freedom, she moved out of the country and travelled the world, eventually settling down for the beaches of Southeast Asia. Despite her somewhat modest pay by her standards, it was more than what the average locals made in their entire lifetime. The luxuries she could only dream of back home were now daily purchases for her. In other words, everything around her was now dirt cheap.

With her financial woes sorted out, she could finally focus on herself. She ate healthily, exercised regularly, and meditated plenty, things she wouldn't have been able to afford to do back at home. Naturally, that included a regular trip to the beach like what she was doing currently.

As her arms settled back down to a relaxed position, Caroline pulled out her phone from her bag and started scrolling through her news feed to pass the time. New wars declared, new tariffs announced, human trafficking ring found, all boring headlines that didn't concern Caroline.

As her finger kept scrolling, her eyes eventually landed on an eye-catching news.

NeuroCo stocks plummet as authorities seized controversial mind-controlling device

Caroline raised her eyebrows at the dramatic headline. Normally, sensational journalism like this wouldn't get even the slightest of attention from her. This time however, the company was one she knew well. It was one of the big companies she applied to back in the days when she still wanted to join a corporation. She had studied day and night for the final round, but she was still rejected in the end. But the past was the past, she was simply curious on what was happening with the company right now.

With a hint of curiosity, her finger tapped on the headline and she quickly skimmed through the site. The news mentioned something about a pair of helmet and collar which could be used to control a person's motoric functions. Neat stuff, but calling it mind control seemed to be an exaggeration to Caroline. Though it did sound like the government didn't like what they were doing.

Not that it really mattered to Caroline. The news only confirmed to her that her choice of being a freelancer was correct. If she had actually been hired by them, she might've been working for a sinking company right about now. With a twisted feeling of gratitude, she continued on scrolling through her news feed.

Caroline's good mood didn't last long as a rough voice called from besides her with barely passable English, "Miss, miss. Want buy? One, fifty dollar."

Her eyes glanced slightly to her side, catching a glimpse of a tan skinned man standing next to her. He was wearing a worn out piece of shirt and trousers. One of his hands carried a small rack filled with local souvenirs, the other one holding a thin metallic collar that he seemed to be trying to sell to her. There was a small round charm with a generic traditional engraving attached clumsily to the collar, giving off the feeling that it was plastered as an afterthought.

Caroline was sure that the area she chose to stay at wasn't a hotbed for tourism to avoid this type of situation. The so-called 'hidden gems', but actually hidden instead of being a quick search away on the internet. But apparently, these kinds of aggressive tourist traps exist just about everywhere.

"No, thank you.", she quickly waved him away as her eyes turned back to her phone.

"Miss, this good luck charm. Good for life.", he said again as he dangled the collar in front of Caroline's face.

Her face turned to look the man in the eyes as she spoke with a firm tone, "No, thank you. I don't want it."

"This have good luck, miss. Try it.", he said with an insistent voice as his hands moved to clasp the collar around her neck.

Caroline pushed him away in irritation and stood up with a yell, "What the hell is wrong with you!? I already told you I don't want it!"

"Miss, you beautiful. I give discount. One, forty dollar.", the man said with a confident smile as if it was going to convince Caroline.

"I don't want your stupid discount! Just leave me alone!", she screamed at the man as she slung her bag on her shoulder before walking away.

The man quickly ran up to her and blocked her path, "Miss, I give discount again. One, twenty dollar. Very cheap."

Caroline clicked her tongue in frustration as she tried to get away from the man. She tried moving left and right to avoid him but he kept following her relentlessly. She kept walking until she got to the part of the beach where there were no one in it save for her and the man. She decided to turn around and again, he was already in front of her. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't seem to lose the man at all.

With a frustrated sigh, she finally said to the man, "Look, I'll give you ten bucks if you'll fuck off and bother someone else, okay?"

"Okay, miss.", the man quickly nodded with a gleeful smile.

Caroline quickly pulled out her wallet from her bag and gave the man a ten dollars bill, "There, now leave me alone."

The man swiftly pocketed the money but still stood there. Instead of leaving, he extended the collar to Caroline, "Miss, this free for you."

Caroline's patience was seriously being tested now. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh as she spoke in an annoyed tone, "Fine, fine. I'll take that stupi-"

As she opened her eyes, Caroline could see that the man's hands were already around her, ready to clasp the collar behind her neck.

"Wait- no-", she tried to back away but it was too late. With a metallic click, the thin collar was firmly clasped around her neck...