Road to Fucking Nowhere

The woman in the red dress

It had been two years since Bella had arrived in Strangetown.

She still didn't remember a thing-where she'd come from, whether she even had a family back home-all she knew was that she was abducted by aliens and dumped out their UFO, here in Strangetown.

Aliens, and alien abduction, wasn't unusual for Strangetown, and Bella had grown used to being around them too. The members of the Curious family who lived around Strangetown had had their fair share of experiences with aliens. The brothers in the observatory home, with its telescopes looking out all over Strangetown from atop a hill, were obsessed with aliens, to the point they would give themselves to them willingly. At least Pascal and Vidcund, who had even come back bearing children, and who they now raised with their other, more laid-back brother, Lazlo. Bella, and a lot of other sims, still didn't know how it all worked, how the aliens were able to impregnate males like this. The pregnancies had gone well for Pascal and Vidcund anyway, with them both receiving c-sections. Their father Glarn had gone through it too-with Lola, then Chloe. Jenny, the eldest child of Glarn and Kitty Curious, had even married an alien, who went by the name of Pollination Technician 9 Smith. They had two half alien children together, Johnny and Jill. Only Johnny had inherited the green skin though, which Jill was jealous of. Jenny seemed to be unbothered by the fact PT9 was also the same PT that had impregnated her father. Johnny and Jill's aunts, Lola and Chloe, were also their half-sisters. Their family was... complicated, with all their alien relations. And speaking of relations, Bella was convinced she was related to them herself. She had no idea why-just some strange feeling she was. The aliens in the UFO had really messed with her brain.

"So you still don't remember a thing?" The reporter who had come to visit her in her motel room asked. She had a black corset top over some black ripped jeans and black doc martens. Her eyeliner and lipstick was a similar shade of night. She went by the name of Lilith Pleasant. Apparently she was familiar with Bella back in Pleasantview. Wherever that was.

"No, I'm afraid not," Bella responded. "Or anything about my family, or life in Pleasantview. Nothing has changed since last time you saw me Lilith, or for two years."

"Well I hope it does come back for you eventually," said Lilith, writing down some more notes in her pad. She changed the subject. "So how's it going with Ajay?"

"It's going great! Bella said. "Actually, I'm meeting him after this. He says he's even found me a place to stay! Better than this motel anyway. With him around, I'm actually not that fussed about leaving Strangetown any time soon," she joked. That part was true-Bella had been in Strangetown for so long now that she had made it a new home and was already planning on settling down with this Mr. Loner. Or at least do as much settling down as a romance sim like her would.

"Well, I hope you have a good time with Ajay, Bella," Lilith said before getting up from the chair she was sat in. "So I'll see you again next Sunday?"

"Yes. Goodbye Lilith."

Bella watched as Lilith closed the motel room door behind her then she started getting ready for her outing with Ajay.

Ajay had told her to meet her in the castle that overlooked one side of the road to nowhere. Bella thought this was a strange place to meet, but if he said so. There was a good place to stay there apparently, according to him. As Bella parked her car and got out outside the road leading up to the eerie castle with its foreboding red walls and unsettling aura though, she started to become unconvinced. Was Ajay sure about this? The castle looked straight out of some science fiction horror movie, with its strange blend of medieval architecture and high-tech telescopes that looked out over the balconies. Well, she wasn't going to doubt him. She made her way down the path towards the iron doors of the strange place, then knocked on the door.

It wasn't Ajay that greeted her, but a woman with a lab coat, short red hair and glasses.

Who are you?" The woman asked, sternly. She appeared to have a serious expression stuck to her face, and barely showed any emotion.

"I'm Bella. I'm looking for Ajay Loner? He said he'd be here," Bella responded.

Ah, yes," the woman said, somewhat gruffly. "Ajay isn't exactly... here yet but I could show you around. My name is Circe Beaker. Dr. Circe Beaker," she added, introducing herself. "Please step inside."

Bella did as she said, following Circe into the strange place. It really was unusual. The room Bella had walked into appeared to be a laboratory-various devices of different kinds lined the walls, along with shelves which held stacks of scientific books and test tubes. In the centre of the room was a fenced off area, and a stair case leading down into another room, sunk lower into the ground. As Bella looked down into the dungeon-like interior of that room out of curiosity, she found that it was a bedroom of sorts, with a singular, cheap looking bed and a desk with a computer. She couldn't help but ask what the llamas she had stumbled onto. "What is this room?," she said, perplexed.

"Oh, that was where our test subject lived before he... escaped," Circe replied, completely nonchalant.
Now Bella was really concerned. "What do you mean "test subject?," she blurted out.

"Loki-ahem, I mean Ajay, didn't tell you?" Circe said, still void of any remorse for whoever this "test subject" was. She continued; "we had this test subject before, we called him "Nervous." He had some, let's say, interesting heritage, that would've been beneficial for our research. If he hadn't taken off one night and escaped."

The name Nervous sounded familiar to Bella. She was sure she met him at the Curious house once. The guy didn't speak much and constantly twitched anxiously, like he'd been through something awful. Was this the reason?

"So what does this have to do with me or Ajay?," Bella asked. "And who's Loki?"

"Ah, that. Well you see Bella, Ajay was... working for us. Me and my husband, Loki, that is. He's at a science convention in San Myshuno right now, but he'd love to meet you when he gets back. We were in need of a new test subject, and Ajay thought you would be a perfect candidate."

Bella didn't believe a word she said. Ajay wouldn't just sell her to be a test subject like this would he?

"Well I'm afraid you must have heard wrong, because I don't agree to this at all," she said, edging back towards the entrance again. Circe stepped in and blocked her.

"We'll pay you for this, Bella. You want to get out of Strangetown eventually, don't you? And I think we could get your memories back too," she persuaded. "Find out what really happened in that UFO..."

Although Bella loved Strangetown very much, and had made a home here, she had to admit that last part sounded appealing.

"Fine. I guess I'll take this room then," she said, glancing towards that strange chamber. But where is Ajay? I would like to see him first." She wanted to have words with Ajay about this.

"Oh, he's not coming until tomorrow, once we start running tests on you. Sorry that wasn't clear before."
"I'm sorry, but I came here to see Ajay! What do you mean he's not coming until tomorrow? Should I change my mind?" Bella said, getting irritated now.

"Well, there must have been a miscommunication. Loki-I mean Ajay sent you an email to meet here. He never said when. Now make yourself at home, Bella."

Circe had mistakenly mentioned Loki again-Bella had a feeling something was not right here, or even that Ajay had anything to do with this at all. She was not going to question it further though, as Circe left Bella in that miserable excuse of a bedroom.

And Bella was right-something definitely wasn't right in that creepy castle. She slept horribly that night, in that caged chamber. It could have been the unsettling aura it gave off, or the menagerie of strange devices around her that didn't look safe at all-that Circe said she wanted to test on Bella. Or it could have been the fact she felt watched, by the odd, glowing, green duo-pyramidal shape that was placed in a display case labelled "property of Dr. Dominic Newlow" at the end of her room.