The warehouse was a place where the world went to forget.It sat at the edge of a dead road, choked by weeds and strangled ivy, hemmed in by chain-link fences that had long since given up on keepin g anyone out. Its roof sagged, heavy with rust and time, and the broken sign above the main loading door bore only three legible letters: "C—O—R".Inside, time had slowed to a crawl.Pillars of dust swayed gently through the sun-shafts leaking in from above—sunlight fractured through shattered panes of glass in the ceiling, casting a kaleidoscope of dull gold and rust-red onto the cracked concrete floor. The air was thick with the scent of old grease, cardboard rot, and forgotten sweat. Somewhere high in the iron skeleton of the ceiling, pigeons cooed and shuffled, unsettled.Stacks of crates formed uneven walls throughout the massive space. Some were burst open, their contents half-spilled—tangled wires, rusted gears, frayed documents. Old tarps flappe
"You're back," Alice said softly, a smile breaking through the still-healing tiredness on her face.Travis paused in the doorway, the sound of her voice wrapping around his heart like a warm blanket. "I told you I would be," he said, pushing his wheelchair in slowly, locking eyes with her. "I can't stay away too long. You know I get separation anxiety."She chuckled, her hand reaching out slightly from under the covers. "Is that what this is? You looked more like a man worried someone was stealing his wife's pudding.""Pudding theft is serious business, Alice," Travis deadpanned, but his lips were already curving upward. "And I happen to love my wife's pudding."She rolled her eyes playfully. "God, I missed your ridiculousness."He wheeled closer to the bed and took her hand gently in his. "I missed your everything."A silence settled between them, soft and comfortable. Her fingers curled slowly around his."How was work
"Well, I'm the one keeping you here. If she wanted to get you out, it would've cost something—but she would have done it. Told her father to pull some strings, get you on house arrest, and boom—you're a free man. Well, not free, but you get my point.""But you've gotten none of that. She hasn't even visited you once or sent a letter, even though she was crying like she was about to die when you were taken.""You're lying. You must be preventing her communication with me somehow. Octavia would never leave me in this place alone. She loves me.""That's where you're wrong. You are just a tool to Octavia. A very convenient tool who would do anything to get into her good graces, to see her happy. To her, you're just a loyal servant. A loyal sheepdog without a purpose.""You're lying. You're just trying to get into my head so you can get information from me.""Why would I do that? What would I gain from lying?" Travis asked, shrugging his shoul
Naveena ran away from the nook as fast as she could. That was so close. Did she notice anything out of sorts? Did she think she was lying? Does she know? Her heart beat loudly in her ears. Mom was right. This was too risky. She was risking her safety as well as Alice's. Everything that had been built would be destroyed in a matter of minutes. She needed to leave the hospital as soon as possible. She moved through the hallways as fast as she could, mistakenly quacking someone. She fell to the floor due to the impact. "Are you blind? Your eyes are fancy? Can you not see where you're going?" Victoria asked, sneering at the nurse. "Sorry, ma'am," she muttered. "Lady, are you okay? You need to be careful passing through these hallways. It's a hallway and anyone could get hurt," Mr. Willis said, helping her to her feet. "Thank you, s—" Her words got stuck in her throat a
Victoria froze as she heard the words from Alice.Alice is alive. She talked. She said something."Doctor!" she shouted.Everyone burst into the room, looking around."What's the matter? What's happening?" the doctor asked."What did you do to her?" Travis asked in a sinister voice."I didn't do anything," she stuttered out."What's the matter?" the doctor asked again."She's alive. She just said something to me. She just talked.""What?" The doctor moved to check her vitals."She talked to you? What did she say then?" Travis asked her suspiciously."I really cannot remember right now. I heard her say something. I'm not really sure what it was," she lied."Hm.""Her vitals are normal. She shows no signs of having woken up. Are you sure of what you're saying, Mrs. Willis?""I'm sure. She said something to me. I heard it clearly.""But you just said yo
The door closed, and Lee and Nora were finally alone once again. An awkward silence stretched between them. "I'm sorry that you had to see all that. My dad has always been careless in his words towards women because of my mother." "It's okay. You don't have to apologize for his actions. That's all him." "And thank you for what you did too. No one has ever—" "No one has ever stood up for you?" "Yeah, that." "Worry no more then," she said, taking his hand into hers. "I'm here for you now." He smiled at her. "And I'm here for you too. We're here for each other." "Forever?" "Hopefully." ~~~~~~ The drive to the hospital was a quiet ride. Victoria sat, her nerves almost bursting out in anticipation. Everything was finally going according to plan. Alice was finally either dead or paralyzed by the