NOTICES:
> Some scenes or transcriptions within the story may contain graphic or adult content, as the story deals several themes such as murder, cult, insanity, and violence, for instance. Don't even think about recreating it, unless using this as inspiration to create another fictional work.
> This is a WORK IN PROGRESS. Given that the author only makes stories as a hobby, do not expect to be always updated.
> Some of its story elements (or the plot itself) are inspired by a stage play event of the same name, from a side-scrolling shoot-'em up game Azur Lane, which it features Tempesta shipgirls who all play a role in the story that focuses on an amnesiac investigator trying to solve puzzles to escape. Despite this, it is entirely an OC story, not an Azur Lane fanfiction story (though could be low-key).
> No copyright infringement intended.
> This story will use 24-hour time formats.
> If there are any grammatical errors, let the author know.
> Enjoy the story.
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Inside a dimly lit room, on a glistening, comfy white bed, lined with the thick cushioning mattress, is an elderly woman, sounding asleep on her bed, eyes closed while the glistening sunlight began penetrating through the windowsill blinds that covered the windows across her room.
As she lays asleep, the digital alarm clock started ringing at around 8:00 in the morning, with loud repetitive beeps echoing across the room. The beeping on the clock took only a few seconds before the woman starts to regain their senses and slowly opens her eyes, who they face towards where the sound was.
Despite being an elderly woman, in which point she finds herself struggling to get herself up from the bed on her own, she manages to do so with the help of her hands and arms using their strength to hold onto one of the nearby end tables where the clock was placed, as support.
The woman now sat on the left side of the bed and silences the alarm clock with a slight smack on top, pressing the button above.
"Ugh... what time is it?" she said to herself, her hint of raspiness of her voice which suggests that her throat became dried out in her sleep. She drinks a nearby glass of water that had been sitting on the table to re-hydrate herself and to quench her thirst. After doing so, she also finds a plate filled with bacon, eggs, sausages, served alongside a few slices of garlic bread.
She touched one of the bacon slices and felt its warmth, suggesting that both the glass of water and the food, were just recently prepared for her. Before she could ascertain on who prepared the breakfast, she heard the door creeping open nearby.
She slowly turns her head to the door, and sees a middle-aged man, who he cheerfully spoke:
"Mom, you're awake,"
He smiled as he approaches her bed. The elderly woman said:
"Samuel... Good morning my dear..." as the two hugged each other out as the man, who is her son, said: "How's your sleep, Mother?" The elderly woman, yawned as she said: "Nothing unusual really," The two then sat down on the bed while the elderly woman grabs her first slice of garlic bread and gives herself a first bite after dipping the bread into the egg yolk. As she is eating breakfast, Samuel looks at the digital clock.
"Hey... Today's the day..." he said still looking at the clock. "You remember that my aunt's being released today, right?"
The elderly woman sees it too and she never felt this much relief, sadness and anxiety at the same time. Her nerves rattle slightly at the thought that something is about to happen.
"I do remember...." said the woman. "After all these years... Thank god for mercy..."
"I know you have some things you need to do, so I'll be the one to go pick up your sister, if that's okay with you..." said Samuel.
"Sure, my dear son.." said the woman happily. "I need you to take good care of her, and bring my sister to me... Tell the prison guards that I sent you, and here's the letter..." she said as she slips a note to Samuel.
He nods, and stands up from bed and sets off, leaving the woman behind, claiming there are some last-minute touches that need to be done before going outside.
As he disappears by clambering down the stairs, the woman continues eating breakfast whilst she then proceeds to watch the morning news channel to watch over what happened in the world. As soon as she finishes her meal, she stands up from bed as well.
She slowly walked towards the locked drawer across the right side of where her bed is. She uses the only key available in her possession for the lock to allow her to access the secret stash of her memories of her childhood, including various photographs that she had once kept with as their memento that dates back several decades.
Despite one of the photographs had become degraded and its color became grainy, she stares thoroughly at the photo, almost as if she recognizes who is in the photo. On one shot, she could see a brown-haired young girl standing by the garden beside a tall purple-haired woman, wearing her white wedding gown and holding their hands together. The elderly woman smiled by the sight of this photo, before she looks over to the next photo, where the same girl from before, is now in a different location unlike the last photograph, showing her warm, smiling face with another woman behind the glass partition wall, which the elderly woman recognizes that its photo was taken at the West Viriginia Penitentiary.
As she fondly looks at the photographs, a little girl, 6 years of age, who turns out to be Samuel's daughter named Carla, shows up behind her by the doorway. She at first wants to say good morning to her grandmother, but she curious of what she is looking, the little girl walks up to the side of the elderly woman and asked:
"Grandma... What's that in the photo?"
The elderly woman at first tried to hide her photo from view as she turns sharply towards Carla. The two stared at each other for a few seconds with a rather awkward fashion, almost as if the woman had initially no idea which words she wants to speak to her granddaughter. But remembering about Samuel's words saying that he is going to pick up her sister, she felt that her granddaughter, Carla, deserves to know, as she knew that it would be the first time to meet her sister.
Taking a deep breath, the elderly woman said:
"Carla, my grandchild... Come here," She then knelt down, handing the garden photograph. Carla asked: "Who is that?" to which the elderly woman spoke: "That purple-haired lady here, she is my sister... Her name is Vera..."
"She looks so beautiful even with that gown on, I cannot wait to meet her," said Carla. "I heard from my dad that he's going to pick her up, so where is she?"
The elderly woman sat silent again and sighed.
"You see... She was in prison..."
Carla was surprised by what her grandmother had spoken and asked: "What for? What's going on?"
The elderly woman gently rubs the photo where the woman wearing the gown was with her left thumb as she said:
"It was a long, long time ago... She did some terrible things that many people would find it hard to accept or justify, but I believed in her and I cared deeply, knowing that it wasn't her fault..."
She stood up and grabs another photo from her personal drawer to which she shows it to her granddaughter. It shows the same long-purple haired woman again, only this time, she is wearing prison overalls, standing beside a middle-aged man wearing beige leather coat and has a matching cap over his head. The two are seen standing side by side.
"I see, a handsome man, and that same woman from before in this photo..." said Carla. Her grandmother said:
"At that time, my sister was so close to losing her freedom and potentially her life... had it not been for this handsome man right here... He... is the reason why... my sister got out a free woman... He's the reason why my sister, and her friends, are still alive... and I owe it all deeply to him."
Carla was intrigued and asked:
"Tell me more about it... Who is this man? What did he do?"
The elderly woman giggled, expressing interest of seeing her granddaughter's curiosity and strive to know more, and she spoke:
"It'll take some explaining to do, my dear grandchild...."
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Prologue end.
Completed: November 25, 2023 - 3:45 AM PhST
Updated: May 14, 2024 - 5:02 PM PhST