Waiting to board that damn boat was really one of the most annoying things I had ever experienced.Under one jacket and a hoodie, I was freezing so much the tip of my nose was cold even behind the mask.Over the edge, the sea was agitated, crashing against the rocks time after time as a reminder that I shouldn't be there.Truth be told, I didn't need to go to the farm right on the next day, but being at home just made me go over and over countless useless files Sergeant Toni had just to avoid searching for the cases Officer Abrom told me about.Running away before the woman came knocking on my door again seemed to be my only option. Even though I agreed to help, my consciousness struggled to decide if it was a good idea to get involved with that woman.Sure, the whole case was very sensitive to her and I genuinely believed her intentions to protect my identity, but she wasn't the one I worried about. Just like I had the means to surveil her and other officers, so did the Force. They could trace me through her, and having the cops looking over my life was a solid no.However, when I thought about her theory that the farmers' suicide was staged, my curiosity was triggered. Who would go through the trouble to do such a thing, and for what? Who would benefit from their death? The son probably had something to gain, that much was obvious—pointing him as the first suspect was natural. But did he?There I was, shaking to my bones, thinking about it again. So many innocents died every day in the city for multiple reasons—starvation, diseases, police brutality, leadership negligence—so why was this old couple that passed away peacefully in their comfy home more special than all the others?"AH…" I took a deep breath and watched the vapor fly away from my mouth.My brain was overloading with speculation—one of the reasons I decided to go visit Louise even with that shitty weather. A change of scenery would refresh my systems and give me some direction."All passengers heading to the country, please direct themselves to the boarding area."On my way to the said location, I admired the ugliness of that ferry.A black monster that looked just like a floating bridge with a one-level cabinet for the crew that also worked as a roof for the passengers.On board, I looked back at the city covered in a dense fog that hid the tip of the buildings and muffled the light of the ads.From down there, Eoncity was a block of sparkling concrete.At the other side of the narrow passage, another wall rose—this time made of ugly metal.From the tip of the continent, there was no way of seeing the green landscapes that rested beyond. Thousands of containers stained the view and cut the sky shorter. Hidden behind them, construction sites spread out left and right. Some weren't there last time I was here.Two hours later, the bus doors closed behind me as the clouds began to open up, letting isolated sunbeams touch the Earth.The walk to Louise's house was the same as the first time.Not long after I started my journey side by side with the cornstalks, my organs began to melt the ice they had accumulated due to the cold. In my veins, the blood turned liquid again as my heart restarted, pounding in my chest because of the effort.A cup of hot, refreshing coffee crossed my mind, leading me to wonder if Louise would have some. She didn't strike me as the canned coffee type of person.Distracted by my caffeine addiction, I didn't notice until a few steps later that the imposing farm owner awaited me on the porch.A few more meters and I noticed she was holding something that emanated heat close to her face."Is that what I think it is?" Standing before the three steps on the porch, I leaned on the white column that sustained the roof structure."You bet it is." Louise never disappointed me.The woman was sitting in a rocking chair, with a large brown hat covering her face, wearing a flannel shirt tucked inside a black, threadbare overall."Mind if I join you?""Sure you can handle it?""Try me, old lady."With a smirk, Louise got off her chair and entered the house. Shortly, I followed her.Took me a few seconds to situate myself; that place really came out of a western suburb. Every step was like walking into a simulation—the walls were made of actual wood and the floor creaked under my boots.I pushed the front door open and peeked into the first room. There was so much space. On both sides, there were big windows covered by curtains that filtered some of the natural light.To my right, a long dining table filled the space with six chairs. A thick gray layer of dust sat on everything, making me wonder if they were ever used. Louise lived alone, as far as I knew.I turned the other way and the rest of the room was used as a social area. Two sofas were displayed facing a wall that had a dark hole with a hidden tunnel above it. On both sides of the hole, there were empty bookshelves, also collecting dust.Following the corridor that led to the interior of the house, a staircase came after the living room, leading to the second floor.A couple steps after, I found Louise."There's a hole on your wall, in case you didn't notice." Without the hat, I noticed her hair was threatening to turn gray while placed behind her ears.She was leaning over a white cabinet next to the coffee machine."You don't know what a fireplace is, genius?""Is that what it is?" I had seen it in movies—a place where people used to light real fire to heat up their houses during winter. As cool as it sounded, I had my doubts regarding safety. "Does it work?""Yes, but I haven't used it in a long time."Looking around the kitchen, it was massive. On the east side, there was a window over the sink and a small round table in the corner next to the back door. On the west side, there was a living room area that seemed to actually be used. The difference was that this one had a black frame in the middle of the wall."Is that a television?" I asked, astonished."Yes." A familiar sound let me know the coffee was ready, and Louise was pouring it into two tall mugs."What do you watch with it?""Movies, a few shows…"A fireplace, a television, a coffee machine—these ancient items were all in one place. It was like time had stopped in that white house.I felt weirdly misplaced in the middle of that kitchen, as if I were a foreign object. Louise laid the mug on the island counter in front of me, pulling me out of my paranoia."You know, my whole apartment could fit in this room.""I believe ya." She grinned. "What do you wanna do first? TV or fireplace?"During my entire life, only a select number of times had I felt that excited. I wasn't ashamed of looking like a kid who had just been allowed to choose any game they wanted from a platform.Louise was sipping her coffee with a smirk—she knew this would be my reaction, and I had to compliment her for that."Show me what you've got, lady."
