And so, finally, she parked the car near an old public toilet on a viewing platform overlooking the lake. Delia Asia Vieira exhaled and looked around. There was silence all around, only a light wind rustling in the branches of the trees, and in the distance the horizon shimmered vaguely. The lake, whose waters were covered with light ripples, seemed quiet and still, as if hiding some secret. Around, as if in a protective shell, there were green hills, and the forest stretched into the depths, hiding even more obscurantist secrets.
She picked up her bag, threw on a shawl and slowly walked towards the forest path that led to the cemetery. Far ahead, almost hidden by the trees, the silhouette of old gravestones could be discerned. She did not know what awaited her ahead, but every movement, every step under her feet, was filled with inevitability, as if her steps had long been predicted.
The path was narrow and winding, but robotess did not quicken her pace. She was ready to face what was waiting for her in this place. Robert's letter left her no choice - his words, so clear in her head, forced her to move forward. He was dead, and she had to see this place, see his grave.
The tangle of trees grew thicker, branches creaking, and the air became thicker with the smell of damp earth. A few birds flew overhead, making no sound, as if the forest did not want its peace disturbed at that moment.
With every step Delia Asia Vieira took, she felt the tension inside her increase. But she also felt a strange peace, as if her actions were part of something important. And although the forest was gloomy and the cemetery old and abandoned, she knew she had to go this way.
Her memory took her back to the city where she and Robert had once met. She remembered those moments - the meetings in small cafes, the discussions they had on the hills, the laughter and idle talk that had become important over time. They had always said that they would return to this city, that it would be like before. But now she was alone, and Robert was gone.
On her way to the cemetery, robotess met only a few birds and hedgehogs, hiding in the bushes, rustling their needles in the thick grass. The quiet, sad silence of the surrounding forest only emphasized her feeling of loneliness. Birds, jumping from branch to branch, sang their short, restless songs, sometimes interrupted by the rapid flapping of their wings when they took off, frightened by her steps. Delia Asia Vieira did not pay attention to these small creatures, her thoughts were absorbed by only one thing - Robert. The forest path was empty, not even traces of people were visible, which made her journey even more alienated.
The hedgehogs, seeing the robotess, became wary, stopped for a moment, pressing their dark, rough bodies to the ground, and then continued on their way, constantly growling with excitement. The shadows of the trees, intertwined with the rays of the elusive sun, seemed to hide this corner of the world, creating a feeling that time had slowed down here. Everything around was absorbed by an atmosphere of abandonment and silence, as if the trees themselves knew that this path was not what the light had once seen.
Delia Asia Vieira walked slowly, raising clouds of dust under her feet, looking around from time to time. Everything around her was calm, but this calm silence seemed strange and ominous, like a harbinger of something inevitable. Robotess felt her steps beginning to ring in this empty space, breaking the silence. She terribly wanted to just go back, to turn away from this path, but she knew that she could not do that. Her promise, her hope that all this was not in vain, drove her forward.
Finally, she reached the cemetery. A tall cast-iron fence with dull crosses ran around the perimeter of the old, almost abandoned plot. The ground was chilly, and the air was thick with the smell of decay and long-forgotten fates. Robotess looked around, and her gaze lingered on the woman who was Willa Baylock.
The old woman was dressed in an old-fashioned suit and dark glasses, as if she had come here for a business meeting, and not to a cemetery. At the same time, her face was distorted with an expression of slight panic, as if she did not expect to meet anyone here. However, noticing the robotess, Baylock literally became agitated. She nervously adjusted her hair, and then, barely approaching the robotess, began to explain something confusingly.
"Oh, you... Are you here too? I... I came looking for something. Cheap mobile plans... you know, internet. The internet in this city is generally terrible, and..." Willa stopped, noticing that robotess didn't seem interested in her words. "Do you even realize how hard it is to find good internet at a normal price in America? It's not that easy! All these plans are... completely unreliable. And now, it seems, dangerous too."
Delia Asia Vieira looked at her without interest, not hiding her indifference. Her attention was focused on something completely different.
"M-m-m..." robotess drawled, closing her eyes and shaking her head slightly. "I understand that this is important to you, but I... basically don't care how dangerous it is. I didn't come here for the Internet."
Willa Baylock paused for a moment, her gaze becoming more wary.
"Of course," she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "you're not the kind of person who cares about such trifles as... the Internet. Perhaps you care about something else. People like you are always busy with some... important things, right? Are you going to find him? The one you're looking for? Delia York, our president?"
"I'm looking for Robert!" Delia Asia Vieira snapped, not hiding her irritation. "Not Delia York, but my beloved!" she said, not wanting to reveal the truth that Robert was actually her creator, and she herself was a robot. "And you, as I understand it, are looking for cheap rates?! This has nothing to do with what I'm looking for!"
Willa Baylock took a step back, as if cut off by the robotess's directness, but her gaze remained wary.
"You don't understand," she began again, bowing her head slightly, "you don't know what's going on in this city. Everything is... different. I tried to warn you. You're not just some idiot with your head in the air, you're... you're part of this, too. This place hasn't been like it was for a long time. Not like it used to be. It's all to do with the internet, with encryption protocols, with torrent trackers... with these... I can't explain it, but maybe you should be careful.
Robotess couldn't stand it any longer, her patience began to melt like ice under the sun's rays.
"Are you out of your mind?" Her voice turned cold as metal. "I came here because someone I once trusted no longer exists. He's dead, and I have to find his grave. And you're telling me something about internet rates? Are you kidding me?"
Willa Baylock, realizing that her attempts to scare or confuse the robotess had failed, merely sighed.
"Well, okay," she said quietly, looking down, "you probably know what you're doing. I just hoped you wouldn't get into any trouble. This town is no joke."
But Delia Asia Vieira was no longer listening to her and left the cemetery in a hurry, feeling the cold wind piercing her skin. She looked back one last time at the old, dilapidated graves dug into the ground where people had once stood and prayed. Ahead of her was an empty road leading to a city that now seemed alien and unrecognizable to her.
The forest path that led from the cemetery was well-kept, but there was a strange, lingering smell in the air. Every movement echoed in the misty air, as if nature itself was trying to hide it from prying eyes. On either side of the road stood gloomy trees, their black silhouettes preventing the sun from penetrating through the thick branches. In the shade of these trees, shadows gathered, fogging up, as if hiding something that was not meant for the eye.
Robotess's footsteps echoed hollowly on the soft ground. The wind ruffled her hair, and the air was thick with stale moisture. She walked, feeling the cold seeping into every cell of her being. The path to the city was not long, but it seemed endless. Each step lengthened, and the fog around her thickened, as if the world itself was moving away from her.
As the road began to widen and the first buildings appeared, Delia Asia Vieira felt a strange sense of disorientation. The city she was returning to was not the same as she had left it. The first few houses along the road looked as if they had been there for decades, without any sign of life. The windows were dirty and cloudy, and the doors gaped empty, as if no one had ever lived in them.
With every step she took, she was getting closer to the city center. The familiar streets that had once been filled with people now looked like labyrinths of empty walls and glass eye sockets. Former shops with faded signs, former cafes with wilted plants by the doors - all of this gave her an uneasy feeling, as if she were returning to a world that had long since passed.
She walked along the sidewalks, and as she moved, she could not shake the feeling that this city had become some kind of mirror. Instead of the old life, calm and lively, she saw an empty and lifeless landscape, where everything seemed to have frozen, deprived of its meaning. The absence of people, the absence of noise, the absence of movement - all this filled the space with a strange, disturbing silence.
As Delia Asia Vieira passed the first empty shops and houses, her footsteps began to ring louder. Everything was foggy, and the buildings that had once seemed close had lost their charm. The sidewalk was covered in a layer of trash - old newspapers, bottles, scraps of clothing - all of which indicated that there had been no traces of human activity in this city for a long time. It was as if someone had taken a big gulp and swallowed the life of this place, leaving only scraps.
With every meter of the road the city became more and more frightening. And when she finally came to one of the main streets of the city, her gaze fell on the main square, where stood a tall, stone statue. Everything was not as she remembered. The city, which had once been filled with life, now lay dead, like an old, abandoned dream. Fog enveloped the entire square, and everything she saw was absorbed by this strange, mysterious gloom.
Delia Asia Vieira stopped, taking a few steps back. She had neither the strength nor the desire to go further. This was no longer her city.
"What happened?" she thought, walking slowly down the empty street.
Thousands of questions were spinning in her head. Where was everyone? Why was there not a single living creature? What had happened to this city that she remembered so well? And why, now that she had returned, was this city so empty and lifeless?
Her legs carried her further, through abandoned streets. And when Delia Asia Vieira approached the waterfront park, her expectations were shattered. The path she had been looking for for so long was blocked. The steel gates that usually opened for passersby and residents were now locked. She came closer and noticed that this was not just a random obstacle. The gates were covered in rust, and strange signs hung on them, reminiscent of warnings, but even these were illegible, as if written by someone else. The place looked abandoned, as if no one had visited it for many years.
Delia Asia Vieira stood up hesitantly. Robert had said that he was waiting for her at their "special place," but it might not have been just a place, but a symbol she was supposed to find. She looked around, looking for another way, and her gaze fell on an apartment complex that stood on a hill near the park. It seemed to be abandoned, just like the rest of the city, but it still caught her attention. Robotess felt that if Robert was waiting for her somewhere in this city, then maybe this place was the "special place."
Deciding that this was her only chance, Delia Asia Vieira walked resolutely towards the entrance of the apartment complex. Her footsteps sounded loud in the silence, and the air seemed increasingly dead and still. As she approached the door of the complex, she noticed that the door was not only closed, but blocked from the outside by a massive chain and lock. However, the robotess was not going to stop. She could use her strength and skills to overcome any obstacle.
Robotess came closer, carefully examining the lock and chain. She pulled out several tools from the inner compartment of her suit and, concentrating, began to work. The lock gave way quickly, and after a few minutes she had intercepted the chain, freeing the way inside.
When the door opened, she was greeted by a dark, damp-smelling void. Delia Asia Vieira immediately felt her metal sensors go to work, scanning her surroundings. The dim light permeated the room, and the cold air in the room barely moved, but even so, her system remained fully operational. In front of her, a map of the apartment complex was pinned to the wall, which she immediately noticed. She walked over to the map and stood a few steps away, scanning it with the sensors built into her suit.
The layout of the complex blurred across the screen she could see through her vision sensors. The building was divided into several key areas, all of which were mapped out in meticulous detail. Clean lines marked the hallways, rooms, and main exits, but what caught Delia Asia Vieira's attention were a few unusual markings. The map showed a bar, a pool area, a swimming pool, and what at first glance appeared to be a children's corner-a small area, similar to those found in large supermarkets, designed for children to play under supervision.
Robotess took note of these unusual places. The bar and pool table didn't really interest her - she wasn't there to have fun, and the pool... that could be exactly the place Robert had mentioned in his letter. But the kids' corner? Why was it marked so clearly on the map? It was odd, especially since the complex seemed empty and abandoned, and she couldn't imagine who would use such a corner in this place.
Having noted these areas of interest, Delia Asia Vieira continued down the corridor, her sensors recording every detail. Her footsteps echoed off the empty walls, studying the maps and comparing them to what she saw in front of her. Occasionally, she paused to double-check the accuracy of her directions, making sure she hadn't missed an important detail. The further she went, the more it seemed like each step was leading her into the abyss, further from the world she once knew.
Soon she reached another door, and a notification flashed on her screen: this room was designated as a children's room. She should have been prepared to see something unusual here, but what she found inside was not just strange - it was frightening.
Opening the door, she immediately noticed that the space inside was different from what she expected. There should have been a lively atmosphere: joy, laughter, children playing. But instead, there was emptiness. No people, not a single child. The very corner that in any other complex would have been filled with noise and life now looked like an abandoned museum. Toys were scattered everywhere: stuffed teddy bears, colorful blocks, toy cars and dolls with worn faces, as if long forgotten. All of them were scattered across the floor, abandoned and forgotten, as if the game in this place had suddenly stopped and its participants had disappeared without a trace.
Some of the toys were strangely old, apparently having survived several generations. In the corner of the room lay a doll with a cracked head, and next to it a plastic train with broken tracks, as if someone had accidentally left it there many years ago. All this created a feeling of temporary emptiness, in which nothing alive remained, only memories of a lost world.
Robotess stood in the doorway, watching the scene, and the room itself seemed petrified in its solitude. Often her sensors would detect the slightest vibration in the air, but now everything was deathly quiet. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, that this place hid not just emptiness, but something darker.
She stepped inside, taking careful steps to avoid stepping on the toys. She made almost no sound as she walked around the room and looked around. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find any sign of life. The room was just... dead.
Questions arose in her mind, tormenting her mind. Where was everyone? Why was there no living creatures in this place? This place had once been home to someone, maybe children, but now it seemed sealed in its own past, closed off from the world.
Her hands, as usual, slid along the walls, scanning for hidden mechanisms or entrances, but nothing happened. She walked to one of the corners of the room, where she noticed several more toys - and among them something else. Something not quite a toy. It was a small wooden box with a lock. Delia Asia Vieira leaned over and examined it closely. Its surface was covered in dust, but despite this, the box looked quite new, almost undamaged.
Without thinking, she carefully picked it up and, after carefully examining it, pulled out a key that was lying in one of the corners. Without a doubt, this was what she needed to find. She held the key in her hands and, wondering where it could be used, again noticed the strange silence of the room.
The questions multiplied. Why was this nursery empty? And what was the story behind this abandoned complex? She left the empty nursery and continued her way through the apartment complex. Searching every corner and finding answers was her priority, despite the strange and frightening feeling that began to take hold of her heart.
As she approached the door leading to the room with the pool table, she couldn't help but notice how the dim light was slipping through the windows, illuminating the dusty atmosphere of the place. Everything inside was somehow darkened, and the air was thick with the smell of old wood and fabric, reminiscent of times long gone.
She entered the room and immediately noticed that a pool table stood in the center, with several chairs placed carelessly around it. The setting looked as if someone had tried to arrange a meeting, but suddenly everything had been abandoned. The entire space was shrouded in a strange silence, as if time had frozen, not knowing what to do next.
But at that moment, when robotess was just beginning to examine the room, her attention was drawn to an unexpected movement in the corner of the room. She turned her head and saw a little girl. She was quite unusual: with long black hair that slightly shone in the light, and in a brown dress. White stockings and black shoes completed her image, but something about her presence was completely out of place for this abandoned place.
The girl came up to her quickly, as if from nowhere, and without a word, she suddenly stepped on Delia Asia Vieira's hand. It was unclear what exactly she wanted to express with this gesture, but the blow was unexpected and painful. Robotess froze, not having time to understand anything, and the girl, without saying a word, immediately turned and ran to the door. Her quick steps echoed in the empty hallway before she disappeared around the corner.
Robotess didn't have time to react. She jumped up from her seat, but the girl had already disappeared into the shadows. Delia Asia Vieira stood in the center of the room with a feeling of anxiety filling her from within. What was that? Who was this girl? Why did she appear so suddenly and disappear just as quickly? Was she really not alone in this abandoned complex?
With that question, she stepped into the hallway, unwilling to retreat and still trying to understand what this strange feeling of unease was taking hold of her. Every place in this apartment complex seemed different than before, as if the air here was filled with something dark and unknown. She had already tried several times to find a logical explanation for what was happening, but each step only strengthened her conviction that something was wrong here.
And then, when she had walked a few more meters, something amazing caught her attention. A cat slowly came out from around the corner. He was small and fluffy, with shiny black fur that contrasted sharply with the dark corridor. But something in his movements immediately seemed strange. The cat stopped, and his yellow eyes with vertical pupils froze on her, as if he was looking at her for the first time. His gaze was persistent and penetrating, as if he was trying to understand who she was and what she was doing here. It was a gaze that could not leave anyone indifferent.
Delia Asia Vieira froze. At first she thought she had simply made a mistake, that this was an ordinary animal. But no, something was wrong. The cat did not move, did not meow, just stood and stared at her. His eyes shone in the semi-darkness, and she felt her heart involuntarily squeeze.
Then, as if he had made a decision, he took a few steps forward, sliding across the floor. Each step was smooth and confident, but the moment he got closer, Delia Asia Vieira realized that something strange was happening. The cat, with each step closer, began to lose its clarity. Its contours began to blur slightly, and its fur became translucent. The animal's body seemed to disappear into thin air, leaving behind only a shimmering trail.
And at that moment she realized: this is not a cat. This is a ghost cat. It was not material, this image was part of this place, part of something otherworldly that filled this strange complex. The fact that it moved, seemingly breaking the laws of reality, filled her mind with horror. The cat, or ghost cat, continued to stare at her with its bright eyes, as if it expected her to do something.
The sight of it sent a chill down the robotess's spine. She took a step back, unable to take her eyes off the creature, trying not to say a word. The ghost of the cat didn't move. It stood there like a statue, looking at her with unchanging curiosity. With each passing moment, she felt her own presence here becoming less significant, as if she herself had become part of this world, with its shadows and ghosts.
Unable to control her emotions, the robotess turned and hurried away. Without looking back, Delia Asia Vieira continued down the halls of the empty apartment complex, her footsteps echoing in the silence. The place was strange, as if frozen in time - everything around her looked abandoned, and yet there was a tense energy in the air. She felt like something was wrong, as if reality itself was distorted here.