Unpaused: Dwell of the Past

Chapter Four - Rewind

The sun rose from the east, covering the roads with the shadows of the buildings. Traffics and car horns were everywhere around. The dark sky slowly turned bright. The sunlight broke through the curtain of the window, waking Alexandra up from her sleep.

She got up and stretched her arms. "Same old mornings," she sighed

​​She checked her phone. Just like what she expected, there was a text from her mum, saying 'I won't be home til tomorrow, got a big case. Money is on the table, order whatever you want. Love ya!'

​​Another sigh.

​​It was a little bit colder in New York than usual. The floor was strangely cold like ice and she quickly put on her slippers.

​​She grabbed a purple robe and put it on. Her room was messy as always. Unfolded laundries and books were covering half of the floor.
​​She was carefully avoiding the clothes as she took a step. She opened the door and found that the aluminum door handle was just colder than the floor.

​​"It's still a few weeks 'til winter and I'm already freezing to death,"

​​She looked down the living room from upstairs. If the television was on, her father must've been there and preparing to go to work. But it was silence.

No one was home.

​​"Only 7 a.m. and already alone. Fantastic,"
​​She found a note on the table with one hundred dollars attached to it. The note said 'We'll be home as fast as possible'
​​"'We'?", she wondered. "Where did they go?"

​​Katherine Westbrooke hadn't been home since yesterday, so did Damian. Alexandra slept early last night and she didn't know what happened then. Kind of odd, but she didn't really care. The money they left on the table was more than enough for herself.

​​There was no day like this before. No new texts from her mother nor her father. Even in the afternoon, she still hadn't heard about them, yet.

​​She took a walk on the loft's balcony and watched the New Yorkers and the cars on the street. Afraid to catch a cold, she immediately went back to the living room to have her lunch. It was still quiet; all she could hear was the TV and her own chewing sound.

​​After she finished her lunch, she went upstairs to grab a novel to read. When she stepped on the first stair, there was a knock on the door. She wasn't expecting anyone to come except her parents. But if it was them, why would they knock? Beside, whenever they were on their way home, they always texted her first to ask if she wanted anything. It was strange.

​​She grabbed a baseball bat on the small table near the door and prepared to hit whoever was behind the door. She opened the door and swung her hand in the air, ready for a hit on the head.

​​"WHOA LEXA!" a guy said and ducked.

​​"IT'S US!" the woman beside him said.

​​"Uncle Dan? Aunt Alice? What a surprise, what are you guys doing here?" she asked and put down the baseball bat. "Come on in, guys,"

​​"Actually we are in a hurry, and so are you," Dan said with worried face.

​​Alexandra recognized that expression, it must've been something very important.
​​"Go dress up, honey. I'll pack your clothes," Alice said and went to her bedroom.

​​'In a hurry? Pack her clothes? And that expression? What was going on? Has there been an alien or zombie invasion that she didn't know yet? Or is it the end of the world?' she wondered.

​​While Alexandra and Alice were packing upstairs, Dan was cleaning the messy living room and washing the dishes. It was no doubt that something terrible was happening.