The Bubble Popper

Chapter 9

Sud knew the possibility of being discovered was high. He knew it could happen, but the idea of being away from his treasure was not something he would allow to happen.

He stayed in his apartment for a few days trying to keep low, but being stuck in the house eventually had him needing fresh air.

Sud grabbed his treasure, placed it in his backpack, and very cautiously walked out of his home. His previous backpack had been confiscated by the police. The one he was using now was an extra he had.

He walked to the nearby supermarket, thinking of the route he would take if he decided to run away.

On the way, he kept observing his surroundings, thinking of the feasibility of running away but shaking it off as he felt like he was being watched. Very soon he discovered that someone was following him.

While in the supermarket, he used the shield of the aisles to observe the bubble following him. He didn't look like someone with evil intentions. He looked too clean for that.

Sud bought some random snacks and then headed out to the park. He wanted to see what intentions the bubble had. Was he there to arrest him or to steal his treasure? Whatever it was, if he tried to do something to him, he had his treasure.

He kept walking around the park without a destination in mind. Unconsciously, he walked to the fountain where the woman had waited for the unfortunate bubble a while back.

He sat for a while, observing the view. Wondering what would happen to his treasure if he was caught.

Fortunately, he didn't have a family to worry about. He had grown up alone, abandoned by whoever donated their soap to create him. A wife, he didn't have that either. He had tried, but the females all looked at him the way the stuck-up snob looked at the poor bubble. After failing a few times, he had given up trying to find a partner. Friends, he didn't have. He had acquaintances but not someone he could trust completely. He learned to love his solitude. Now he only had his treasure.

He stayed there for a while, then took the path back to his house.

Along the way, he noticed the bubble following him kept his distance but was never far behind.

Once in his house, Sud observed the bubble from his window. At first he didn't see him and eventually found him sitting in a car. At some point during the day he left, but someone else took the same place he had been at.

Sud kept an eye on the bubbles outside all through the night. They never left. Once morning arrived, they were still there. When one left, the other arrived. Always the same two bubbles.

It didn't take long for him to realize the detective had left them there to keep an eye on him. He was the only one interested in knowing his every move.

Sud sneered as he thought they were spying on him. They wanted to take away his treasure and send him to Thorn Island. He couldn't let that happen. He needed to get out of the city and find a place to start again.

Sud began to plan his escape. He found a map of the city and began to analyze the best place to go.

Cloud City was like a donut. Inside the donut, there are ring-like neighborhoods that go around the "donut." These "rings" divided the city. The center ring and smallest, also known as the first ring, had the government building and the transport station center.

The transport station connected Cloud City to other cities and the different rings. In the very center of the city was a park used for special ceremonies. It was known as Remembrance Park.

The next ring, the second ring, was where the businesses and apartments for the workers were. That's where he lives.

The third ring, a residential one, is divided into upper, middle, and low-class bubbles. The rich bubble residents are in the inner area, closest to the second ring. The middle class is in the middle of the ring, and the lower class is on the outside closest to the fourth ring.

In the fourth ring, the outer one lived the lowest of the bubbles. The poor and the ones who had little respect for the law. Every ring had local business restaurants, shopping malls, grocery stores, convenience stores, and parks.

Each big city, like Cloud City, had two smaller cities connected to them called sub-cities. Each city used them depending on their needs. Some housed bubbles, others used them as vacation spots, and others as their jails. Cloud City named one of them Thorn Island and used it as a jail. It is said that whoever enters it does not return.

Every ring was connected by four waterways that ran perpendicular to each ring. The sub-cities had one waterway connecting them to the main city.

The transport station was made of tube-like connections that ran parallel to the waterways. There were also bridges built by the bubbles to connect each ring. Those bridges were used by vehicles or to walk across the rings.

Sud's goal was the outer ring. There the poor were abundant and everyone minded their own business. There were also a few "dark" corners where illegal transactions took place. There he could buy a fake identity.

But first, he needed to find an opportunity to lose the one who was following him. Then, he would go to the nearest transport station and travel to the farthest city he could find. He would then hide in the outer ring of said city and slowly build a new life with his treasure.

He just needed an opportunity. That opportunity arrived during the monthly Remembrance Ceremony happening the next day.
*****
POV Police

"Do we have the forensic report back from Bobba's case?" Asked Detective Fizz.

"No, it still needs a couple of days to be completed." Answered Officer Bead.

"How about the background check on Sud?"

"We have it. Sud grew up in an orphanage and has been working in Dreams Delivery for a few years. According to the neighbors, he rarely goes out. He's usually alone and doesn't seem to have friends. He only knew the victim, Blob, from his work. The other two victims didn't know each other or Sud."

"Ok. Let me know when the forensic reports are out. Has there been any updates regarding what kind of weapon could have caused a pop like the one in Spot's case?"

"They are still running tests. Oh, and by the way, the officers keeping an eye on Sud reported something interesting."

"What is it?"

"He seems to be a regular visitor of the park where Bobba was found popped. He is also a customer of the store that's near the park. It's the same one that Bobba had a bag of when she popped."

"Excellent! Let's go get the surveillance from that store. Then gather everything to ask the chief to issue a warrant to let us bring Sud in for questioning on those two cases."