35 Lackadaisical (1/2)
”Uuuuuuuh,” a female groan fills the dark van.
The thin layer of snow on the windshield lets in tiny streams of light onto the front compartment of the van. The passenger side window is completely covered in snow.
”Uuuuh.”
Sia rolls her shoulders and sits back against the headrest. She blinks a few times and squints at the small flows of light that poke at her face. A hand comes up to block a beam that is aggravating her right eye. She gradually leans to the side against the center console and attempts to crawl into the back.
It takes a bit of lazy maneuvering to wiggle over it, but she achieves her task without bumping her head.
Her body lies on top of wrappers and plastic water bottles. She huffs as she pulls the water bottles from under her body. With nothing poking at her back, she can enjoy stretching out her legs.
It's been quite a while since Sia has been able to enjoy a full stomach. The food might have tasted bland, but it was all greatly appreciated. The device may cancel out most aches and pains, but the hunger still left Sia feeling empty and nervous. The device works off energy that is stored in her body, if it has nothing to fuel itself…would only it turn off, or would Sia turn off as well?
She does not want to figure that out any time soon.
Also, she does not want to fully meditate on her decisions. Not quite yet. Maybe the mercenaries weren't the only people that were listening to her broadcasts? Maybe leaving ExplorerTech has made her miss her rescuers as well? She can focus on a new rescue plan when she finds a new location to lay-low.
”So, we're at the port. Tell me again, what can we find here?” Sia finally breaks her silence after taking a moment to herself.
As the machine replies, Sia checks if the torn cloth pieces she wrapped around her head and hands were still wet. She put on the damp 'gloves' and left the 'hat' and 'scarf' to dry more on the dashboard.
RECORDS SHOW SEVERAL SHIPPING CONTAINERS
CONTAIN RICE, OATS, HONEY, SALT, POWDERED
MILK, POTATO FLAKES, AND BOUILLON CUBES
”Do you have the blueprint records?”
AFFIRMATIVE
”Okay, well. Let's get started.”
Sia sits up and grabs her backpack. She puts all the items within the kidnapper backpack into her own along with the empty bag. She'll only need to take it out if she finds something useful.
She tries to open the side door, but it is stuck shut. She slides her entire body against the handle and it does not budge. She slaps the metal and changes plans.
'I'll just…use the passenger door.'
With a strong shove, Sia breaks through the thick block of packed snow that had formed outside the vehicle. A burst of light shines into her eyes and she shivers as freezing bits drop onto the back of her neck from the roof. She slaps the chunks of snow off her neck and head. Most of it flies off, but a small amount slides down her jumpsuit into her shirt and makes her jerk as it melts down her spine.
She heads straight for the port entrance.
Kreeeeeee
The demolished gates creak under her weight. She hops off the loud metal and looks around the inside of the area.
'Someone or something crushed the gates from the outside, but why?'
It's devoid of activity. A few storage containers are open and lying on their side. There are abandoned machines and vehicles left with their doors open. Strips of clothing litter the ground. She sees a rusted metal staircase that connects to a building.
'A watchhouse? Guard station?' Sia thinks as she passes by.
When Sia makes it to the edge of the port and looks out across the river, she gapes at the sunken ships. They are half submerged in the river. She can see at least three ships poking out on their sides.
'Did this all…happen at once?' Sia thinks as she looks at the demolished crane system that is strewn across many containers.
The snow blankets much of the ground with natural frost but she can clearly see that chunks of the ground are missing. Craters of varying sizes decorate the harbor.
Some of the shipping containers are still neatly stacked, but from where she can see…many are in disarray and tumbled down from the orderly formations.
Sia blows her breath. The warm cloud sits before her for several seconds before a brief rush of wind passes by. Sia shivers and walks back toward the guard tower.
'That might be a good place to settle down.'
The silence unnerves her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sia was familiar with silence.
She enjoyed traveling around Washington City after a blizzard and the quiet that went over everything. From the suburbs streets to the urban avenues, everyone was tucked away hidden in warm shelters, or wrapped in several layers of clothing trudging to work, except for Sia.
She would see the notice for 'NO SCHOOL' and put on her warmest coat and her insulated boots. Her fluffy cap would be pulled over her ears. She would wrap her scarf around her head until only her eyes could be seen. Her gloves were always last. Old orange gloves that her younger sister had bought her. She pulled them on and then put on another larger pair that was black. Her hands always remained toasty.
The fresh, crisp smell of winter was the first thing that greeted her as she stepped from her door to the icy pavement.
No matter what direction she went in, no one would be there. Sia would pretend she was the last person alive. She would put on headphones, some soft music, and moved her body to the beat. Her heart would stutter a bit when she hopped into the street and looked around for any oncoming cars. None ever came. Then her dance marching would resume, and she would feel so powerful. She, Chen Sia of New Cinalia, had conquered the Snowmaggedon.
Her scarf would run down her face over time revealing her nose. The warm air from her mouth always contrasted with the chilled tip of her runny nose. Her sniffling never made her feel downhearted. She didn't return home to wipe her nose. She would absentmindedly swipe at it with her puffy sleeve and continue her trek.
Sia strolled down any street she wanted without a care in the world. That was a silence she was familiar with.
After high school ended, and she lost meaning to her weekdays, Sia realized just how silent her home was. Ever since middle school when her parents divorced, she had known things were going to be different. Her dad had distracted her during summers with leadership camps and other activities, but in the middle of high school, she stopped being forced to go. This summer would be the worst.
Sia didn't have friends from school to talk about unimportant nonsense with. Near the end of the last year, she noticed how everyone had drifted apart. Everyone went off to do their own things. Sia was abandoned.
That summer Sia realized, her father indeed did not return home most nights. He went to stay with his new wife at her home. Robin never felt comfortable coming to live at her father's original house. Where he had built his first family with his first love. Robin hadn't felt comfortable seeing Sia every day either.
That was a silence she was familiar with.
~~~~~~~~~~~`