[ The Administrator ]

Part II Chapter 20 - Disappearance

   -Earth

The sleek subway was running over the railway so fast that the world sliding by the window became a hazy blur. Inside, people were invading each others' personal space, jostling back and forth each time the vehicle accelerated or slowed down. As the windows were whistling, sucking in the stale tunnel air, there were small movements among the passengers. Most periodically checked their phones, playing a game or reading texts. Others read books, did crosswords or simply watched the passing scenery through the shaking windows; anything to avoid an eye contact.

As a voice announced the next stop, a young man stood up from his seat. From afar, he looked like a proper adult. However, up close, there were still some childish facial features betraying his young age.

"Alex? What are you doing?" Another passenger asked.

"I'm getting off," the young man announced.

"Already? That's not your stop."

"I have to go somewhere today."

"Is that so? Well then, see you tomorrow!"

"Yeah."

The brakes squeaked and everyone became careful not to fall as the subway came to a stop. The doors opened with a gasp of air and passengers arrived and departed, jostling one another. In the rush hour, the subway station was a seething mass of impatient people. It was a challenge to navigate through the crowd with so many people, each heading to their respective destination.

Once out of the subway, Alex moved along in the thick crowd, orienting himself by intersections. The city was a maze of streets and alleys. Tall buildings were smudged by a sunless sky filled with smog and the streets were so busy that you could hear the incessant honking of the vehicles even from the darkest alley.

The young man trudged along the street at an unusually slow pace, somewhat nostalgic. The scraggy clouds were rolling in and he had no motivation or energy. It was a day of melancholy. He was not the kind of person who was always sentimental and thought about the past a lot, but today was a special day, so he couldn't help but revive childhood memories.

It was her first anniversary of death.

Recalling the days when she was still here, before he knew it, Alex had arrived. He was now facing an apartment complex. The building was large and made with old-fashioned bricks, making it look as if it was ancient. Among the modern buildings made of glass and steel, the complex looked out of place. On the ledge, pigeons were peering down at him. Used to being fed by some of the tenants, they were probably waiting for him to drop something to eat.

22 Haven Street. It was here.

The elevator had been out of service for a couple of days now. The residents were forced to climb the stairs and there has even been a few cases of elders falling, forcing the landlord to take action and invest in renovations. Fortunately for him, Alex was only going to the first floor. Yet, his brain was still struggling to tell each foot to take the next step. He wasn't tired or anything, but his body just refused to go further.

One year was not enough.

The young man was still not ready to return there and face the reality. But no matter how slowly he walked, he still arrived at his destination. Next to the door he was facing, a mailbox was fixed on the wall, with a single name written on it.

'Woods'

A little apprehensive, Alex rang at the door and waited. Only a few seconds later, he heard the approaching of footfalls. There was the noise of a key in a lock and the door opened. Standing before him was a middle-aged man. His eyes were bleary; Alex could tell he was exhausted, both physically and mentally. This man was his uncle, David Woods. He was in his late fifties, but life didn't go easy on him and he aged much faster than he should have. He looked much older than his real age.