Estelle’s offensive was fierce and precise. Within ten minutes, the group that had tried to corner her lay sprawled on the ground, not one left standing.

She removed her sunglasses, stepping over a few fallen bodies to get to her next destination. As she passed by a man whom she had incapacitated with a needle to the eye, she noted he had long since passed out. She bent down, pulled the needle from his flesh, wiped it clean on his shirt, and regarded the gleaming metal with a playful smirk.

The tires of her SUV were blown out, so Estelle scouted the area and found another car that was still operational. She hopped in, spun it around, and drove right over a few bodies, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

The highway stretched endlessly, with not even a motel in sight.

Come noon, Estelle pulled over to the roadside, took out a sandwich from her bag for lunch, and then continued on her journey.

Driving into the night, she finally stopped in an area shrouded in darkness, the only light visible coming from a watchtower nestled among the rice fields.

She parked the car alongside the fields and made her way towards the watchtower.

Below the tower was pitch-black, but she ascended to the second floor, where a pile of hay lay in the corner and a single solar-powered incandescent bulb hung overhead. Other than that, the place was bare.

Surrounded by large windows offering views in every direction, Estelle leaned against one and gazed out at the mountain range in the distance, lying like a slumbering beast upon the earth, and the rice fields that undulated like waves. A sense of clarity washed over her, and the restlessness in her heart began to settle.

She had a feeling she was getting closer to her brother.

under a sky twinkling with stars, surrounded by silence, with only the sound of

evening breeze for a while before sitting down on the hay to

that the hay had been flattened, perhaps by a vagrant

sandwich. She also had some chocolate in her bag, but she decided to save it

finishing her slightly stale sandwich, her phone vibrated with a video

a warm

his study, his voice soft, “Have you had

came from Grandpa’s.” she replied, hugging

you have?

“Peppered steak and spicy crab. Mr. Justin cooks up my

well, I guess you don’t miss me then?” Jonathan teased with a slight curl of his lips.

head and laughed, “I didn’t want to disturb

excuses.” he

curved into a smile, her voice low, “Jonathan, I miss

he spoke in a husky tone, “I miss you too. Stay for two more days and then come back, okay? I’ll come to

set in, and Grandpa’s started coughing again.

“Is

she reassured him softly. “It’s an old issue, and the

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