Ava sat on a worn-out sofa in the dimly lit living room of their small apartment with her back hunched, her eyes fixed on the picture in front of her. Her once beautiful face was etched with deep wrinkles, and dark circles hung heavily beneath her red and swollen eyes.
She was dressed in a plain white mourning dress that hung loosely on her delicate body. Her hair, once long and shiny, now hung limp and lifeless, framing her gaunt face.
Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, leaving trails of mascara behind, and her lips trembled as she tried to hold back her sobs. Despite her grief, she managed to hold onto the picture of her son with a firm grip, as though it was the only thing left that connected her to him.
Her equally distraught husband sat beside her, staring unblinkingly at the wall, unable to utter a single word of comfort. After what felt like a long time, Dawson sighed and stood up.
"Let's go. It's time for the funeral."
Ava's lips trembled, but she did not move. Her heart seemed to have been gripped by a strange gravity, causing her to not have the strength to stand up.
Looking at his wife in such a state, Dawson felt a sudden sharp pain in his chest, as if someone had plunged a knife through his heart. His eyes reddened as he moved and gripped her by the arm, pulling her to her feet.
"Come on, Alan would be sad if he saw you like this." He forcefully steadied his voice and said.
Ava's lips trembled intensely when she heard this and a line of tears rolled down the side of her cheek. She straightened her back slightly and took an unsteady step forward.
Sighing heavily again, Dawson took out a handkerchief and wiped her face dry before supporting her to the hovercar parked under the block.
The couple rode in complete silence to the funeral house a few streets away.
As soon as they alighted, Dawson noticed a few familiar faces lurking outside the funeral house.
"F*cking vultures." He cursed under his breath.
Ava also looked up when she heard him. She saw a group of their neighbors, standing at a distance and watching them with disdainful expressions.
Dressed in white mourning clothes, Ava's beauty was marred by her red and puffy eyes, yet her delicate features were still evident. Even in the midst of her grief, one could not help but feel heartache for her.
Yet, the group of neighbors seemed to be delighted to witness the distraught state she was it. They marched over with undisguised sneers on their faces.
"It's a shame your son was mauled by a mutated beast on his first day at work. He was such a promising talent." A refined looking woman with perfectly coiffed hair and designer clothes said, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "My condolences."
"There's no need for that." Dawson replied with obvious annoyance as he stretched out an arm to push past them. "Now, get out of our way."
"What's the hurry?" The woman moved into his path again. "It's not like you have a body to burn." She laughed, her voice dripping with mockery.
Dawson narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Madam White, please watch your words."
"Or what?" A middle-aged man dressed in a black suit stepped in front of Madam White.
"Actually, you should be glad that they didn't manage to find his body. Otherwise, your family would be hard pressed to find a coffin capable of fitting a body of your son's...stature." Standing behind the protection of her husband, Madam White felt more emboldened.
"You!" Ava gritted her teeth in anger. Without warning, she stepped forward and raised her pale arm. "I'll slap that disgusting grin off your face!" She screamed as she slapped down with surprising speed.
Madam White shrieked and hurriedly stepped back, causing Ava's slap to miss. "What are you doing, you crazy b*tch! Do you believe that I'll send you to jail right now?!"
"Mr. Lee, you need to control your woman." The middle aged man growled threateningly. Even though he was standing in front, he'd failed to stop Ava from attacking, and his wife was almost slapped. The guilt and shame in his heart turned into rage.
"What do you want? If you have something to say, say it quickly. We don't have all day to stand here and chat with you." Dawson pulled Ava behind him and shielded her in front protectively.
Madam White's cold, calculating gaze swept over the grieving couple, her perfectly manicured fingers playing with the diamond bracelet on her wrist.
"Give us the money you owe to us and you can be on your jolly way," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Ava looked at her with a mixture of disgust and despair. The woman was dressed in an expensive silk dress that clung to her curvaceous body, her blonde hair styled to perfection, and her flawless complexion enhanced by layers of makeup.
"All our possessions...." Dawson was so angered that a bitter laugh escaped his throat, "Every single thing of value in our house...even the jade ring left behind by my deceased father was taken away by you people. Does your greed know no bounds?!"
"You were the one who told us to invest in that Gene Designer son of yours. Now that he's dead, you're planning to escape from the debt?" An aged voice rang out from the back, and the other neighbors nodded in agreement.
Madam White smirked. "It's not our fault that your son died. We were simply hoping to benefit from his success. But now that he's gone, you can't expect us to let go of what we're owed so easily."
Ava's hands balled into fists. "You people are heartless. We just lost our son and all you can think about is your precious money!"
"Pfft! Heartless?" Madam White laughed in disbelief. "Were you guys born yesterday? Here's a piece of advice for you. In this world, only benefits matter! You can't survive if you hold sympathy for other people!"
Ava gritted her teeth and her eyes blazed with hatred. However, she couldn't find the words to retort this logic. It was true that they'd borrowed money from their neighbors to support Alan's studies. This was an indisputable fact.
Now that the subject of their investment was gone, it was only natural that they would swarm over immediately to salvage whatever they could. She was naïve to expect pity and understanding from her debtors.
"Forget it, there's no use talking about this at this point. The order from the regime should have arrived by now. They'll have to move to the Outer Ring in a few days at most. At that time, you can return to claim your money from the sale of their house." An elderly man stepped out steadily from the back of the crowd and said in a calm tone.
He walked forward and reached out with a slightly shaky hand to pat Ava on the shoulder. "I'm old and have no use for money. You can keep the amount I've lent you. This way, you can at least survive for a while in the Outer Ring."
Ava's body shook visibly at this, and tears poured out of her swollen eyes.
"My sincere condolences." Old man Gray shook his head and left with a sigh.
"Tch." Madam White narrowed her eyes and spat in disdain. "What are you all looking at me for? Let's go. This depressing environment is really—AHH!!! OH MY GOD!"
Everyone: ???
"Mom? Dad?" A youthful voice sounded behind Ava and Dawson.
"G-GHOST!!!" Madam White screeched in horror.
Alan's clothes were torn and tattered, covered in a thick layer of dirt and sand. His exposed skin was a fiery red, sunburned from days under the scorching sun. Wounds, both fresh and healing, littered his limbs, and a trickle of blood trailed down his chin from a split lip. His hair, once neatly styled, now hung in wild tangles, adding to the disheveled state of his appearance.
Compared to his usual self, he looked like a ghost that'd fought his way out of hell, clawing and biting.
"I...I'm sorry...please don't haunt me! I didn't mean what I said!" Madam White stumbled backwards and tripped, landing on her butt.
Ava whirled around with incredible speed. The instant she saw her son's familiar figure, she burst into tears and fell to her knees, wailing loudly and uncontrollably.
Dawson appeared to be rooted to the spot, his body trembling visibly.
"Eh?" Alan was confused.
After arriving in the Second Ring, he switched to another high-speed rail bound for District 32 and went home directly. But he found the door locked and no one was in. So, he decided to walk around the blocks and eventually wandered here.
He looked at the black and white photo of himself, clutched in his mother's hands, smiling back at him.
What the hell is going on???