Father

I was heaving as Rox grabbed me by my arm. Slowly, he helped me walk through the dark corridor with the purple mist on the floor and the strange purple lights that now dimmed. I dragged my feet as I panted in pain. I could feel my neck swollen and a few drops of blood roll down my lower lip. I pressed my finger on it and looked at my own blood. I still couldn't believe it. What the hell was that, I wondered. My heart beats accelerated.

"You must calm yourself now Joe. The worst is over," Rox said. I heaved. It was a little hard for me to talk. I tried to, but only puffs of breath came out of me and on my second intent my voice was raspy.

"Joe, please avoid speaking. Your vocal chords have suffered a minor damage. I will fix them as soon as you return to your confinement," Rox replied. I wanted to reach out to him.

"Rox... please... I need to... leave this... place," I murmured with pain. Rox didn't answer me and continued to help me until we arrived at that room where there were no windows or doors. He placed me on the strange dark bed that seemed to be made out of something that looked like leather.

"Please lay down," he ordered and I followed his instructions, but I had to try to convince him to help me. He was a good guy. I knew that if I tried to reason with him eventually he would help me.

"Rox..."

"Joe, please be quiet," he said. Then he rose his middle finger to me.

"What..."

"Be quiet," Rox said again. What was that supposed to mean? Was he... Oh no, I was wrong. A two-inch needle popped out of it. He approached and leaned into me. He grabbed my chin and lifted my head up.

"This will hurt Joe, but your vocal chords will heal in one minute," he informed.

"Please... free me," I managed to mumble at last.

"I cannot do that Joe. My master has not ordered me to release you. Now please avoid to speak," he said and he injected the needle in the middle of my neck. I had never felt such horrible pain and I wished I could scream, but I could not. Tears streamed down my eye ducts and made a line all the way to my ears. I felt a heat run through my throat and then a horrible stinging sensation and a strange taste of metal in me. That damn minute felt like an eternity to me until it was gone. I screamed finally having my voice back. Rox touched the walls and digital symbols on them that I did not understand. A glass cup with purple liquid appeared on the wall and I didn't know how to describe what I was seeing, but I could swear that the cup became three dimensional and he was able to retrieve it from the wall.

"Holy shit," I uttered out.

"This is not holy shit. This is Lishktank. Drink," he said handing me the glass cup. I grabbed it and looked at the purple liquid inside.

"What is this?" I asked.

"A drink. I assure you it has all of the properties of your Earth water. The only thing that is different is that it has a color," Rox said. I looked at the cup and then at Rox. I drank from it. It was pretty good.

"Lish... what?" I asked.

"Lishktank," he repeated. I glanced at the liquid once again, nodded and took another huge gulp. Then I held out the glass to him.

"Thanks. Rox I need to get out of here. I have a family. I have kids. I can't stay here and I don't want to."

"I cannot help you," Rox answered.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because the master has not ordered me to release you," Rox said.

"Rox, please. Can't you see how wrong your master is? You don't think I'm just some inferior human, do you? I know you don't. You said I was an interesting subject," I said hoping to God that I could reason with him. He seemed intelligent enough to understand.

"Yes. You are an interesting subject, but I cannot disobey my master. I am programmed to obey him regardless of my personal desires. Now please rest. I will try to assist you whenever my duties are fulfilled," he explained.

"Rox, please," I begged.

"I'm sorry Joe, but I cannot act against my programming," he said.

"Why not? It's obvious that you're intelligent," I insisted.

"That I am, but my behavioral patterns are determined by my programming," he explained. He turned around to leave, but I got up from the bed and touched his arm. It felt strange because I felt it very thin, but hard under his robe.

"Isn't there a way to shut down that programming? Just that part," I said. Rox looked at my hand. I retrieved it quickly.

"Sorry," I said.

"Why?" He asked.

"For grabbing you like that. I didn't mean it."

"I do not understand your apology. Why do you apologize for grabbing my arm?" Rox asked.

"Because... I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. Look, is there a way to shut that part down?" I pushed on

"Not that I am aware of. My programming is intertwined," he said.

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked.

"It means that if you eliminate any part of my programming you terminate my existence," he said. Oh shit. I wished so bad that I could do something, but if it meant killing Rox things would just be harder. He had been so attentive to me and had even saved my ass back there with his master that it would be hard for me to kill him. Part of the wall simply slid up like a door and Rox left my horrible room. The lower part of his robe ruffled as he left and then the door, the wall or whatever just shut. I wondered why the hell was it so hard for me to shut him off anyway. In the end, he was nothing, but a robot and then that got me to thinking. No. I want to escape, but not like that. I'm going to have to find another way out of here. I wasn't going to kill Rox for being just a robot because then I would be like the beast who wanted to kill me just because for being a human.

***

Anabella

I walked through the forest and it was damp and muddy. Randolph's chubby and small figure paced in front of us as we followed him into the murky forest. My brother Brian was inches in front of me with his handgun out. He peered around the trees and trunks, but followed Randolph without any distractions. I saw a chipmunk munching on a small pine cone. He looked cute with his two front teeth nibbling on the pieces, but I moved forward.

The sky darkened and I had the impression that the clouds above would bring raindrops to the trees and ferns. My shoes were plastered with mud. Oh, damn.

After walking about two miles Randolph stopped and leaned onto a tree. His elbow lay on a tree trunk. During this stop I was finally able to take a break and look at the Manila folder that was in my hand. I noticed something I hadn't noticed before, a birthday sticker on it and thought that maybe the answer to our riddle was in here.

"Brian, look. Dad gave us the answer in this folder," I said showing it to him. Randolph squeezed his eyebrows together in confusion, but I opened the Manila folder to prove his scam once and for all. However, this had nothing to do with a game. It was a purchase agreement of my father's house.

"What is this?" Brian asked.

"Your dad was selling the house for Anabella's dream," Randolph said. I was still shocked with disbelief.

"Oh my God," I said amazed. I didn't want my dad to sell his house, but to see that he would go to these lengths to help me with what I wanted was just unbelievable. I wanted to give him a hug and cry. Brian snatched the purchase agreement and the Manila folder from my hands. My hazel eyes traveled towards his ill-tempered face.

"So, he'd give up his house for you, awesome," Brian said. I knew he was jealous, but he didn't mean any harm by it. He loved me, but he just hated the idea of dad selling the house over for me and not doing the same for him.

"Brian..." I mumbled as he tucked the papers away and then he walked towards Randolph and handed him the Manila folder and not to me.

"I'm sure that's probably just another one of dad's amazing jokes, but don't destroy it, just in case. Good to know that dad cares for somebody's dreams," he said.

"Brian..."

"Randolph where the hell is my dad? I'm tired of jokes. Just tell me where he is," Brian asked losing patience and as always avoiding to speak about his own feelings. He wasn't going to talk about this again and so I let it go. Randolph heaved for a moment before answering and then he spoke to Brian after catching some serious amounts of deep breaths.

"It's a bit further on," Randolph answered.

"Okay, stay here," Brian said leaving.

"Wait!" Randolph shouted.

"Brian, wait up. I'm going with you," I said as I trotted towards him to follow.

Randolph spoke up.

"Don't go out there alone Brian! I'm begging you, let's get a group together and-"

"Shut up and stay here. I'll be right back," Brian spat back.

"Brian, don't speak to him like that," I reprimanded.

"I'm sorry," Brian said with wide awkward eyes at me.

"Not to me Brian, to Mr. I'm sorry, what's your last name?" I asked looking up at Randolph.

"Tolle. Randolph Tolle," he answered.

"Mr. Tolle," I finished.

"Mr. Tolle, Randolph I'm sorry, okay? Let's go," Brian said and he pulled my elbow. I watched how Randolph, Mr. Tolle with flattened, worried eyes. I saw him shake his head and I could almost feel that he was warning us to stop, but it was just my imagination and nothing more.

*****************************************

We walked some more into the forest and I had to gaze more at the ground then on the front due to the twigs and annoying deadwood. Then Brian suddenly stopped me with his arm.

"Brian?" I asked annoyed, but then I gasped wide eyed and a dropped mouth. I covered it as quickly as I saw it.

"Is this serious?" he murmured unmoved. A large dark object, cone like shaped made of some sort of a metal, rock kind of a material stood before us, like a giant metallic Native American teepee. Brian carefully approximated the unknown object and I was just as curious about it myself, but my brother stopped me with his hand.

"Anabella go to Randolph and tell him I believe him," Brian urged.

"No. I'm not leaving you here. Are you crazy?" I whispered back as he held me back with his arm.

"I said get the hell out of here... and go get help" Brian insisted. I didn't care what that thing was. I didn't want to leave my brother there.

"I'm not leaving," I answered back and Brian pushed me hard and I fell to the muddy ground.

"I said beat it," Brian said and ran towards the object. I clambered to up to my feet again when there was no sign of Brian anymore.

"Brian?" I asked and imagined that he was behind the object so I walked towards it.

Boom, boom! I heard the echo of two gunshots and knew that my brother was using his handgun, but why?

"Brian!" I screamed panicked and raced towards him. He had been behind the object just as I had suspected, but he was lying on the ground. I covered my mouth shocked as I took all of this in. My brother was dead, I thought. No, check him, another thought said to me and I immediately pressed my finger on the side of his neck and on his wrist. It was beating which meant that he was alive. However, there was a fading light coming out of the object, sort of like an aperture that leaded towards some sort of a tunnel and I could see the shadow of someone.

"You! Where is my father? Come back right now!" I demanded and followed the strange figure who wore some sort of a cape. I ran as fast as I could, my heart beating, but demanding for answers that needed to be fulfilled. I wasn't leaving this strange place without my father. I didn't care who or what that was. Purple lights surrounded this place and as I ran turning left and right I lost whoever I was pursuing in that strange, corridor.

"I don't care who you are, do you understand? I want my father back! I want him back," I said with desperation. I heard a sound, footsteps and walked towards the sound. I felt a panic that tugged into my trembling legs and for a moment I stopped walking.

Maybe it was luring me into a trap. What if my father was already dead and this... this whatever was doing the same to me. I wanted to turn back, but it was too late and besides the torture of not knowing whatever happened to my father would be more severe than my own survival to avoid an atrocious end.

I waited for a moment, thought about everything that happened in my life including the purchase agreement. If I left right now I still had a chance to live my life, my dream and to do what I always wanted to do, but what would happen if I left? Could I leave my father, the man who was willing to give up everything he owned for me? No. I couldn't betray my father like that. My father had to be alive. I could feel him in my heart. He was here and he was alive and I was going to find him no matter what.

https://youtu.be/Ht8WVgaEzaE