Chapter 18

Varg's house appeared the same as the last time I visited. Only one thing stood out; the deafening silence.

I knew Roxy was no longer around. However, there was another family member who should still be there.

"Varg, where's your wife?"

"She's dead," he answered very quickly. Then, he turned around, ducked his head down, and broke down in tears.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said, offering my condolences.

Right after hearing my words, he lifted his chin and wiped his dry cheek.

I cleared my throat and asked, "Where did you find it?"

He opened a large cupboard and said, "Under the bedding. This is where I keep Sana's bed."

I pulled out the bedding and inspected the bottom of the cupboard. Nothing seemed out of place, except for the condition of both pieces of furniture. They looked new.

"When did you buy these?"

"Buy what?"

I placed my hand on the bedding and the cupboard lid. "These."

He was startled by my question. His eyes darted around, and he avoided my gaze. "Sana brought them here. I don't know when she bought them."

As strong as Sana was, she was still a resident of Zone E, the poorest area of Genesis. Why would she spend coins on expensive things? Wouldn't it be better to purchase gas masks or supplies instead of rarely-used bedding and a cupboard?

Regardless, I took the clothing. "Can I have this?"

"Yes."

***

Public Store was located conveniently close to Zone A, and as I parked nearby, I stood still for a moment in front of an unbelievable sight.

Public Store was the main destination of all inhabitants, the most visited place in Genesis. We all needed Public Store to collect rations, buy supplies, trade goods with coins, and buy various things.

And yet, this key point was closed. The parking space was empty.

This was unheard of.

I approached the security gate locked with heavy chains. The frail gate wobbled as I shook it with not much force.

"Are they nuts to use this thing to protect Public Store?" I mumbled.

Though the fact that Public Store was closed was concerning, it wasn't the reason I came here. I turned on my heels and headed toward Zone A.

The tunnel leading to Zone A was massive, with a thick and robust security gate. A golden plate hung on the upper part of the gate, reading 'Zone A.'

However, something was off. The gate was unlocked, and there were no NSS soldiers guarding the entrance. The inner gate to contain fresh oxygen inside the zone and filter toxic air from outside was also opened.

Normally, there would be at least a dozen soldiers here, ready to shoot anyone who tried to force their way in.

I looked around, contemplating for a long time. No one was here, which meant this was my chance to sneak a peek at how the wealthy lived.

Perhaps the government had stopped protecting Zone A, and maybe it was President Irwing's idea? Aidan had mentioned something about rebellion, but wouldn't they abandon the plan after Pachis' death? Without the head, how could the body move?

"Alright. Let's see what the riches have."

This was probably the biggest gamble I'd ever taken in my life, but I had to do it.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to appear as fierce as possible and stepped inside the faded white line on the ground, entering Zone A.

My body shook, and I couldn't feel my arms or feet. It was as if my blood flow had stopped.

"I'm alive? I'm alive!!! I'm so freaking alive!!!"

I jumped around, touching my body as the reality of the situation sank in.

Zone A appeared to be in a wreck. The road was full of scattered things. Things were stomped and in tatters. Some lightbulbs were blinking. Torn papers were everywhere.

I stumbled upon an empty oxygen tank, and its clacking sound echoed throughout the tunnel.

"Tes?"

Nadia's small face appeared from one of the houses. After confirming, she jumped out and ran to me. I took her to my embrace and let her cry a little before saying, "Tell me this isn't how Zone A usually looks."

She shook her head, looking hurt. "I don't know what happened."

Nearby was a big, colorful house. Among all houses, that particular building was in the most sorry state.

Nadia followed my gaze and said, "That house belonged to Prime Minister Pachis. I mean, the late Prime Minister Pachis. Sorry, I still can't get used to her death. She was one of my mentors, although she rarely appeared in meetings."

The house had a garden with hologram plantations. You could see how much Pachis adored plants from the way she decorated her sanctuary.

"If she had lived a bit longer, do you think she could have found a new place for us to live?"

Nadia grew solemn as if remembering Pachis in her memory. "I'd like to think so. She was a great person, you know."

"They took everything!!" Aidan shouted.

"Who did this?" I asked.

"I have no idea. Nad, have you checked your things? Is there anything left?"

Nadia ran inside the house. The interior was enormous. Four times larger than mine, and that was just the first floor.

"Wow! Is that a television screen? My goodness, what does this do? Oops!" I accidentally pressed a button, and the screen disappeared from sight. "It's hologram?? It looked real. How do you bring it back?"

The twins were busy rummaging about what was left of their belongings while I was busy being crude.

I lay on a soft, plump thing in the living room. It was big enough for me and my mom to sleep on. "Is this your bed?"

"That's called a couch," Aidan replied from his room. "You sit on it."

"Ooh! I didn't know there is such a thing. We usually sit on the floor." I grazed the silky surface of the couch for the last time before moving to another area of the house.

Geez, this house was huge. It took several steps to move from one area to another. The twins' bedrooms were upstairs.

Suddenly, heavy steps came downstairs. It was Nadia, with a sour expression on her face. Seeing her, I felt ashamed for losing focus while my friends were having a hard time.

She sat on the couch, and I sat next to her.

"Nad, are you okay?"

She remained silent, her mouth quivering, but I could see tears on her face.

"I'm sorry it took me a while to come here. I met Varg on the way. He showed me something." I held up the clothing. "He found this under Sana's bedding."

Nadia took a deep breath and looked up, her eyes widening when she saw Ad Maiora's symbol on the piece of clothing. "You said this was Sana's?"

"Supposedly. Why?"

The tears were still wet on her face, but Nadia's expression turned serious. She studied the authenticity of the clothing and said, "It seems right. Hm. I think I've figured it out."

"What have you figured out?" I asked.

She sniffed back her tears and said, "This whole missing people thing. I think I've solved it."

I called Aidan to listen to Nadia's latest theory, which she believed to be the real answer to this mystery. After the three of us were gathered, she began, "Those missing people are not kidnapped. At least, that's the case with the strong ones. You see, Ad Maiora approached both of you. It's possible that Sana was also approached back then. If Ad Maiora offered her something she wanted, she might have left voluntarily. The way she blamed the government might be a decoy to mislead us from that secret organization."

"So, you think they went along with Ad Maiora," Aidan summarized.

"Yes. But that's not all," Nadia continued. "You see, Tes before you arrived, Aidan and I checked other houses. Prime Minister Pachis' house isn't the only forsaken house in Zone A. Other buildings are totally deserted. Houses, hospitals, labs, schools, and government offices."

My eyebrows creased. "What about President Irwing?"

"Hers too."

"What? If she left the house, where did she go? Didn't you say that those who were removed from their positions in Parliament are those who opposed President Irwing?"

Nadia bit her lower lip. "That's my initial thought. That's what they wanted us to think. I don't know where they went, but they don't want us to follow, that's for sure."

Aidan blinked several times, having a hard time processing the load of speculation. There was one thing, one precise thing that bothered him.

"Wait, Nad! If, and this is a big if, if your theory is proven right, then what about our parents? Mom's clothes are gone from her closet. Dad's files are gone from his office. And..."

He paused, clenching his hair tightly while suppressing a loud groan. It was an easy truth to find but a hard one to swallow.

"No!" he grunted.

"Our parents have absconded, Aid. They have abandoned us," Nadia said, a grim look on her face.

To be continued...