A dark path stretched ahead, sky-high trees pressing in from all sides. Lira felt unsettled.
" Lira… Sweetie" Her father's painful voice echoed through the eerie forest. Trembling Lira started taking slow steps in the direction of the voice.
"Dad, don't worry I am coming." Mumbling under her breath. As she walked deeper, the surroundings started getting darker.
"Lira," a slow whisper came from behind her, uneasiness engulfed her, with no courage to turn around she froze on the spot.
"Sweetie, turn around." She recognized this voice—her dad's. But it had an unsettling tone.
"No. Don't turn." Her inner self screamed.
"Lira, my love. Don't you miss dad." The whispers tried to lure her. " It has been eight months, I missed you."
Her yearning for her father clouded her mind and she turned around.
" Ahhhhhh" a high pitched scream left her lips.
Drenching in sweat, Lira woke up. She looked around only to find herself in her room.
"It's just a nightmare Lira! Just a nightmare! " she kept mumbling.
The look of her father in her dream flashed in front of her eyes, those hollow black eyes—void of any light. Skin unhealthy yellow with black veins prominent all over the body.
A hollow
She has seen that before, in books.
"No, don't think like that, dad is brave Lira. He wouldn't leave me alone. He is fine." Giving herself some encouragement.
She grabbed the glass from the nightstand and swallowed the water in one go.
Her sleep was gone for good, she walked up to the window. A beautiful high rise Skyline with a blanket of darkness greeted her sight.
Eight months!
Her father had made her promise not to visit him till he is gone. But her heart is restless, constant nightmares are making her uneasy.
"Sorry dad, I couldn't keep your promise." She mumbled.
As the sun rose, Lira finds herself in front of a huge high rise building. "The path of solitary"
Lira turned aside, a small high-tech building just beside it greeted her sight—this is her destination for today.
" Good morning mam, how can I help you?" eyeing a fifteen year old girl in front of her, the office on the gate softened her demeanour as she spoke.
"Hello, good morning officer." Lira looked at the cop in front of her, her eyes travelling from her face to her neck–a prominent tattoo of what seems like a wolf? Or was it a fox? Stop her gaze.
The black ink with hues of blue—something she was familiar with.
Ashward's
Only those people have these tattoos.
" I am here for a visit." Masking her emotions Lira spoke.
"Ah! Of course, family members are always welcome here." The officer spoke as she started typing on a computer in front.
" Please provide the information of the person you want to visit, their relationship with you and your identification."
" Here." Lira pressed on the sleek metallic bracelet on her hand–her identification Chip.
As the bar code got scanned, she spoke " I am here to meet Commander Theodore Hawthorne. My father."
The officer turned her eyes off the screen in front of her—staring at Lira with wide eyes.
" You! You must be Lira!" Her words couldn't hide her emotions.
Confused by her reaction, Lira responded in a slow voice. "Yes. That is me."
" Oh, sweetie. I would have never thought I could meet Commander Theo's daughter in person. You don't have any idea how famous you are in our departm–" The officer stopped as she realised she had given too much unnecessary information.
"Ahm! Let me get you pass." The officer tried to ease the awkwardness.
Lira's mind flashed with her father's unnecessary bragging about her silly achievements as they were the hardest things to conquer. She could understand where the officer's excitement came from.
"Here Miss Lira, room number 8 just scans this pass on the door."
Taking slow steps,as if she wanted to stretch the corridor to an endless path.
Lira stood in front of white metallic door. The heaviness settled in her heart.
She had no courage to open this last barrier between her illusion and reality. Her mind screamed to go back, be in her illusion that her father is alright and would be back soon.
But her heart wanted the assurance–assurance her father is alright, assurance he wouldn't leave. He is here.
In the battle between heart and brain–her heart won.
Taking a deep breath she scanned the pass. The door gave a metallic beep before it slowly slid aside.
The white walls of the room greeted her eyes, with slow deliberate steps she walked in. Her eyes fell up on two well armed officers sitting on a small couch.
"Yes? Miss" One of them stood.
"I am here for Theodore Hawthorne." Lira informed to his questioning gaze.
"Oh, right this way." The officer started walking and gestured to her to follow behind.
Walking behind, she looked at both sides. Small doors form uniform rows.
Each door must have someone inside, She realised.
"Ouch!" Her head hit the hard back of the officer, as she didn't see him stopping.
"Are you alright Miss?" he turned, blood rushed to her cheeks.
Feeling embarrassed for her actions. "I am fine, sorry for the bump." She mumbled an apology..
"It's alright. Here we are." He spoke and made Lira's heart skip a beat.
The officer entered a code at the panel, revealing a small room.
The room had nothing inside, no cozy decors or warm feeling, just cold metallic walls and a high tech pod shaped thing in the middle.
The pod was attached with various tubes and mechanical tools.
Lira's eyes blurred as she took a small step towards the pod. Each step felt heavier than the first one.