Tyrant (Lazaretto Sequel)

five

April 2, 2094

LAUREN

I stayed home an extra week to help Val with some things that needed to be taken care of, like selling the house for instance. We both had our own places, and we hardly ever visited anyway except for on holidays. Holding onto the house would only make things harder. We donated their clothes to local shelters after the council dug through my mother's like some rabid animals in search of food. I guessed they were going to build some kind of shrine in honor of her. If only they knew what she was really like.

The day after the funeral I had received a cryptic phone call. It was from a blocked number, but I answered it anyway in hopes of it being Camila. In all of the chaos surrounding the funeral, Val had forgotten to take my phone. I hadn't thought of calling Camila until I answered the phone. I figured it had been lost amongst all of the ash and debris. Though when I picked it up, there was no one there. My heart rate went from placid to rapid in a matter of seconds. I looked at the screen again to check for a number, but all I saw was the word "blocked". I could have sworn I heard someone muffling a cry on the other end at one point, and my heart leaped out of my chest. Another second later I ended the call. I shook my head as I pushed it back into my pocket. It couldn't have been Camila, could it? Now was not the time to get my hopes up. I picked up the last box of clothes and walked outside to the car, not once thinking about the cryptic phone call again.

I was surprised at how long Val let me keep my sanity before activating the contacts again. Once she felt that I had endured enough suffering and pain and longing, she finally turned them back on. But when she turned them on this time, they felt different. It was like both of my worlds were morphing together, like they were losing their mojo every time they were turned off and on frequently. I still obeyed Val like a mutt, and I would kill if she ordered me to, but this time, I would feel it.

"Find her and bring her back to me. Understood?" Val asked as I made my way out of the front door. "Don't let anybody stand in your way. If they do, kill them." She shrugged nonchalantly. My neon eyes glowed into her blue ones as I nodded, continuing to walk down the sidewalk where I jumped into my car and sped off, figuring I would head back to the same place where I heard the laughter in the woods.

I parked the car in front of the pile of burnt wood that used to be the warehouse. I grabbed my backpack out of the backseat and started on my trek through the woods, finding the trail I created before and continued to walk until I ended up in the same ravine as last time. I found the fire pit I used to be untouched before looking up at the sky to see the sun just descending over the tree line, looking off in the direction of where I had heard the laughter and ran a frustrated hand through my hair.

Just then, I had a thought. I dug my phone out of my pocket and scrolled through my contacts until I found the girl's number. If she had happened the call me that day, maybe she would pick up this time, and I could have Val trace the number. It would make my life a whole lot easier.

I pressed 'call' and held the device up to my ear. Instead of ringing, it went straight to voice mail. Hearing her voice caused my stomach to turn. It was so sweet that I could taste it on my tongue, and I shivered at hearing her laugh at the end. Before I knew it, I had called her again, becoming intoxicated with her voice. After the third time, I finally put my phone away. What is happening to me? I took a deep breath and walked through the woods. I wasn't sure what I was going to find, but I was hoping it would be her.

After an hour of walking, the sun had set over the trees completely, painting the sky dark pink and purple. It was starting to get cold, but my super human body allowed me to not feel a difference. I heard a twig snap, and I instinctively pulled the gun out of the side of my backpack and aimed it at the noise.