The House on a Hill.
The three walked across the town square and to Havillah's dismay more of the Gone continued to turn up. It was an epidemic or so it seemed and it really made Havillah wonder what was actually happening here to make them all end up in the state they were currently in.
"What do you think?" She directed her thoughts to her Guide but like always, he or she chose to remain silent just like those other times when she actually needed him. "How Typical!" She thought irritatedly even as she followed after the sibling pair like a little lost lamb.
They left the square through a gate. A quaint little thing that was made of thin creeking metal that was over grown with wild ivy and vines that scaled up the washed out metallic archway and dome that was full of pink and white blossoms above their heads. The white paint was peeled off with rusted metal occasionally poking out where the paint had completely fallen off. On a normal day, this sight would have been quite beautiful and even, a sight to behold, but now, all it gave off were some eerily vibes. Such beauty being creepy as nature flourished in the tragedy of the lives that were perishing.
The little double doorways creaked in the wind even as Jharey pushed the gates open to reveal more mist that was preventing her eyes from seeing ten metres ahead of her.
Still she followed them.
They went up a steep path up the side of a small hill which was made up cemented cobbled stones with the ocassional stairs on narrow pathway. It was narrow, yes but not for lack of space. For despite the looming jungle below them and around the town, the hill was bare and totally devoid of any shrubbery that would have otherwise crowded their little path. Short grass covered the entire hillside like a green carpet, rolling down to the edge of the town and the cemented town square that they had left behind and it made Havillah wonder why, in a walled town like the one they had left behind, the mayor's apartments had to be separate from the rest of the households such that they were literally outside the town walls.
She did not utter her question though. As it was Jharey was already mad at her as if she had somehow compelled his sister to drag her along. Either way, Havillah was not complaining if it meant having a roof over her a head and finding answers to questions that were continuously plaguing her mind.
Was this another terror or just a sickness? They couldn't have been that far from Bethesda, but then she had travelled for three days, this being the third day and had gotten lost while she wandered around the tropical forest. Putting her flight time into consideration, Havillah knew that she could have been anywhere only that, she had not been paying attention and now many doubts were plaguing her, crippling her thoughts and her powers of deduction especially where the geography was concerned.
The path before them suddenly forked as the trio continued ascending the hill albeit at an angle that was perpendicular to the main path. Havillah wanted to ask why they had left the main pathway but even then as she thought about it, she found her questions silly considering that Jharey had already said that he was taking Sophia home. That begged the question where the main path led, but even that Havillah was not about to ask. Not Jharey with his hard looks that reminded her of Calla or Sophir who would probably have gotten into more trouble for entertaining Havillah's curiousity.
Havillah's mouth therefore remained shut even as they came upon a ring of trees, rising up high like a wooden forest. The trees were unlike the ones in the jungle and more like the ones in the forest. What with with their high canopies and smooth trunks that should have been almost impossible to climb. The closely growing trees stood like wall against the outside world with a gap only where the path went through. Despite this, the light filtered through as was proven when they walked into the middle of a clearing that was beyond the botanical wall and there stood a huge bangalow with walls made of white lime and with a dark blue clay tiled roof. The roof was high as high as the walls and Havillah could have sworn that she saw a face gazing out of one of the many glass windows peeking out from within the roof itself. Windows that could have been easily missed were it not for the sun's rays which seemed to break through the fog at that very attitude, causing a glint that shone very brightly upon the glass's very reflective surface.
The walls went round for distance with huge glass windows that left Havillah with more questions than answers as most of them were boarded up. The ones that were not boarded were covered with billowing black curtains that could not have brought much light and it left Havillah wondering, in the smog that covered this place, how much darkness must have reigned inside.
How many rooms did this bangalow house contain anyway? Another question teased her thoughts and her lips but she managed to reign it in for fear of appearing nosy. She would find out soon enough anyway, she comforted herself even as the front doors flew open to reveal a matronly figure in a dark grey dress with white lace trimmed collars.