Waste

Chapter 7

A million thoughts ran through Lila's head as she laid down in her office room. "Who are these hostile people? Why are they so unfriendly? I should spend more time with my daughter. After all, I did leave her when she was an eight-year-old..."

The middle aged Lila sat up, rubbing her head. She stared at the papers on her desk. They were so tempting to read, even if she already knew what they had to say. They held the pain of her past, but there's something about memories that make you compelled to revisit them no matter if they were good or bad. They bore the writings of her ex-husband, James, as he plotted against his family.

"Bastard," she swore in her mind, "I would give anything to kill you. I would give my life to make sure I rid the world of you."

Lila paced around her room idly, her mind elsewhere. She wrapped her hands around her head as if she were blocking out noise. Lila crumbled to the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I left Rosalie... I should have taken her with me... James... I'm coming to get you."

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It was after Rosalie's eight birthday, late at night. Lila and her husband, James, were fighting again over the same issue. Rosalie was peacefully asleep in her bed, unaware of the chaos ensuing downstairs.

"Why do you question me?" James snarled at Lila. She backed away in fear, holding up her hands as if to shield herself.

"Darling, I'm sorry! I just don't understand why you don't let me in your work life!"

"Maybe I have a good reason! Don't ask me about this again!" James tried to leave the conversation, but his wife persisted.

"Let me know! I'm your wife! I need to know these things!"

"It's a government project! Goddamnit, Lila, leave me alone!" He slapped the side of her face then turned and left. James stormed off to bed, leaving Lila alone with a red handprint on her left cheek. Lila wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up straight. She was determined to figure it all out.

Her husband kept his office locked, so Lila plucked a small, black bobby pin from her graying hair and used it on the lock. At first, she failed and started cursing under her breath. Finally, she heard a click and she could enter.

The office was very neat and clean, but it wouldn't be for long. Lila hurried to find any information at all on her husband's work. She found absolutely nothing. Lila plopped herself down on his office chair in exhaustion. Her eyes caught something in the corner.

"That picture... He hates putting our pictures up..." Lila jumped out of the chair and raced to the the picture of their family on the wall. She took it off of the nail and nearly dropped it because of its massive weight. She peered at the back as she set it down. Lila removed the backing to reveal numerous papers and letters from the government.

Lila also found a tattered brown leather notebook entitled 'Project TC20.' Curious, Lila opened it to find horrifying news. Her husband was working on nuclear bombs to wipe out the world. But why? Population control. The bombs wouldn't be ready for a decade or so, but Lila wore a completely shocked face. Lila reached for something to brace herself, knocking over James's desk lamp. James jolted awake and rushed to his office to find Lila in her shocked state.