Lucky 13

Chapter 3: Ghost town

Lily's POV

It's funny how at 6 pm, nothing's moving in the streets. No one's walking around, or hanging somewhere; no one's riding their bikes or hoverboards or skateboards; not a single car or bus; not an airplane... Nothing. Just silence.

Before they were here or, better said, before they started murdering countless innocent lives, there was no such thing as a curfew. People were free and the towns were buzzing with night life. Well that was all gone.

And as I was riding through this empty town, I really felt alone. It looked like something out of movies, a ghost town. I just got the chills.

Dad never let me out past curfew, so this was a first to me. And it'll probably be the last time as well. This is just sad.

It's sad how our lives were completely changed because of them. Why? Why did we have to hide? And why so early? I mean, 6 pm, really?

Yet I've heard of incidents, killings, even before 6 pm, so maybe that's why they chose that time for curfew. I don't know.

As I was riding by the tall building from before, I couldn't help but stop. I stopped and looked at the tall building. I wondered what that woman was doing in there. What would her job be? Was she just a coffee-girl? She didn't look like it though, she looked important.

As if on cue, she walked out the building. She saw me looking and slowly made her way to me. And I wondered, why wasn't she safely at home? Didn't she know curfew had started?

She arrived and looked around. "What are you doing here? At this time?" She must know about the curfew, why would she ask that question otherwise?

I shrugged. "I was thinking about you."

She raised her eyebrows, and I get that. My sentence came out the wrong way...

"I mean," I thought it over. "I wondered about this building."

She looked from me to the building, then back to me. "What about it?"

"I don't know," I kept looking at the building, it had something. It was as if... As if I was drawn to it. I could feel something pulling me closer, but maybe that was in my head. Maybe I was just curious, for this building. "I just wondered." I looked back at her, she seemed confused by my answers. "It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded.

She looked around again, it was as if she was looking for something. Or maybe she was making sure nothing was looking at us...

"Are you ok?" I was too curious. I had to know. And I still wondered, why wasn't she home? "Maybe we should head home."

She looked back at me, but she had a strange look on her face. I couldn't make out what it was. It looked like she was flustered, or stressed out. But why?

"You know, curfew."

Right then her face changed. As if I had something she needed to hear. And then it hit me... What if she was one of them? No, she couldn't be. She seems nice, very nice. But then again, dad warned me they were very sly.

I cleared my throat before getting my bike ready, just in case I needed to suddenly sprint away. Because the longer I was here, the more I feared I'd have to do that.

She looked back to the building, and that's when I saw a lot of people, all dressed in black, come out of it. They were all making a pathway to a car. Then there was someone walking from the building to the car. This person was secured and safely hidden by these people in black. But why?

The woman looked from those people to me. "You should head home."

I gulped. I got a bad feeling. "Ok," I sat up on my bike. "Goodnight, be safe."

"I will." She smiled at me before waving and watching me ride away. 

I glanced behind me a few times, and that woman was still watching. I had this bad feeling that once I'd look away, she'd suddenly appear next to me. I think she might be one of them. But, she didn't hurt me. She didn't even try to. In fact, I think she tried saving me.

I got home as fast as I could and let my bike fall on the doorsteps of my house. I took my keys and immediately opened the front door, then I got in and locked the door behind me.

I leaned against the door and let out a breath, that was so close.

"Lily!"

I opened my eyes, seeing my parents stand in front of me, angry as hell. They weren't pleased and probably very upset with me.

I stood up, raising my hands in the air. "I'm sorry, I should've stayed at Avan's house."

"Yes, you should have!" Dad walked closer to me, he was breathing heavily. "What if they got you?!"

"Dad, they didn't."

He breathed deep in and out, probably trying to calm down. Mom walked to his side, holding him close to her. "We didn't raise you this way, Lily." mom said as she held dad close to her. "You know better."

I sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Go to bed, no dinner." Dad pointed to the stairs.

I sighed but followed his order. I walked up the stairs while I heard my parents discuss what had just happened. Dad was furious while mom was upset. But one thing was for sure, they were worried, about me. Or scared, they thought I wouldn't have made it home. But I'm here, safe.

I entered my room and let myself fall on my bed, sighing. I was upset with my parents but my thoughts didn't stay with them for a long time. Instead they went to that woman, the building, and those people. What was going on there?

Maybe that building's part of a secret society. Or maybe they work for the government. Maybe the person coming out of the building, who needed all those people as protection, was someone very important. A business person, an heir from a famous legacy, royalty...

I wanted to know more and, thanks to Avan, I was so curious that I'd go back to that building.