What they now called the ominous Red City had once been the place I grew up. I had lived there my entire life, until suddenly I packed a few of my belongings and left. I just disappeared, leaving a city-sized crime scene behind. It had been time for a change of scenery.
I build a new life for myself in an abandoned castle in an entirely different country.
Years passed before I met Roana. Still, I remembered the day like it was yesterday. She had looked every bit the leader I now knew her to be. That hadn't mattered when I first met her. I didn't take kindly to intruders and she certainly had been one.
Noticing her arrival from miles away, she had been easy to spot. The snow covered ground and barren trees did little to hide the approaching jeep.
Rarely did people stumble upon my castle. There wasn't a living soul for miles in the area. But once in a while someone did stumble upon my place.
I had been watching the car approach from my seat in the window. I didn't like visitors, but there was nothing I could do now. It would be a waste of energy to make a fuss about it, so I watched them approach. I'd just wait them up and sent them on their way.
I wasn't a very generous host, but I couldn't have anyone know of my existence. Or rather of my still existing. I had been ruled dead years ago and liked it that way.
From the jeep emerged a woman in a red pantsuit. A bold choice. She looked around and went to the front door. The bell rang and even though I had seen them coming, I still took my time making my way to the door.
Opening the door, I took a closer look at the woman. She was old enough to be my mother. "Yes?" My voice came out rough. I didn't speak a lot. I rarely had anyone to talk to.
Curious for the reason of her visit, I looked behind her and saw a man and a woman still in the car. They were closely watching our conversation. Far too invested in our conversation to have stumbled upon this place by accident.
The woman smiled like a mother trying to make their child at ease. I wasn't. Not at all.
"Hi, sorry to bother you. We're terribly lost. Could you give us the directions to the nearest city?" She sounded too sweet. She was trying too hard and I didn't buy it. She wasn't bad at acting, just not good enough to fool me. But for now I would play along, pretend I didn't know what she was trying to do.
"Yes, of course." I explained to her how she would need to turn around and drive straight ahead until they arrived at the city. It was really such a stupid lie. The road to the city didn't have many junctions and was in the exact other direction.
"Thank you so much," she trailed off, clearly fishing for my name. But I wouldn't tell her. I might be seen as an asshole for that, but I had been dead for years now. I wouldn't risk that just to be polite.
She coughed awkwardly, "Right. Thank you so much for your help. Have a great day." She smiled and returned to the car.
I was curious what they could possibly want from me, but so far they hadn't pried too much. I hoped they were simply curious locals that wanted to know which weirdo lived alone in the castle, but feared for the worst. I really didn't want people from my past here, but I suspected they were. I didn't recognise them, but that didn't mean they couldn't recognise me. I couldn't have that. After one more glance, I shut the door.
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Lightning lit up the night, followed by the sound of thunder. I was watching the sky all afternoon.
Then the door rattled, breaking the silence between the last thunder and the next. The lights were all off, making it seem like nobody's home.
The door rattled again. They were trying to break in. It wouldn't really surprise me if it was the woman from a few days ago. A few days had passed since then and with baited breath had I been anticipating her return. Because of that much I was sure. She would return soon. And here she was.
I walked to the door quietly and unlocked it. I opened the door and kneeling before me was a hooded guy trying to pick the lock. I had been right.
"What do you think you're doing?" I asked.
He backed away and tried to make a run for it. He was fast, I had to give that to him. But I wouldn't let him get away.
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