The fog had long lifted. And Desaray had already made her way to the entrance to the terrace once more. “I don’t sense anything around here….” 

Pursing her scaly lips, Desaray continued forward, walking towards her home. The only thing going on in her mind at this time was the worry about her fathers well being. She hoped he had not disappeared like how so many seemed to have. She did not know what she would do if her father really did disappear or got killed by some monster.  

She made her way the same way she came through the park. No monsters were in sight at this time, which made her feel a little relieved since she was quickly making progress. With each step she took, the closer she came to returning to her home. Her steps were quick. She was basically in a small sprint which she found quite amazing since she was going pretty fast but did not feel tired at all.

About half an hour later, she had finally reached her street. She had not run into anyone or anything thing which made her wonder where all those monsters had gone. When she reached her building, she took a deep breath and took out her key, and unlocked the front door before heading toward the elevator, which was still operational. She had no idea how long the power would last, but she did hope that it would last a while. When the elevator dinged and opened up once more, she stepped out and looked down the familiar hallway. 

She slowly made her way down the hall while trying to figure out how to explain her current appearance and situation to her father. When she reached her apartment, she reached for her key but hesitated for a moment. “He won’t attack me, right?”

This worry filled her mind as she gritted her teeth and inserted the key into the lock, and with a swift turn of the key, she pushed the door open. She was nervous and excited at the same time, but when she saw that the lights were all still off and it was dead silent, her hopes were crushed. 

That was until she noticed the mess the front entrance was in. “Did he come home?”

She saw her father’s work boots thrown about on the floor as if he was in a rush when he came in. He only had one set of work boots, so she knew it was definitely him. She walked in slowly into the house, closing the door behind her with a bit of hope once more. “Dad?” 

Desaray called out softly, but she still only got silence. She made her way into the living room and looked at the coffee table. On it was a sheet of paper that was not there in the morning. She walked over to it and looked at it to see that it was indeed a note. On it was her father’s handwriting, something she would never mistake. “Dad….” Tears welled up in Desaray’s eyes as she held the note and began reading it.

‘Desa, I have no idea if you will ever read this, but the world has gone to hell. I have no idea when it started, but people suddenly started disappearing by the masses. As soon as I got to the station, I watched as two of my co-workers turned into balls of golden yellow light and rose into the sky. It passed right through the ceiling as if it was not even there. 

‘I immediately turned around and ran all the way to your school to find out that there was barely anyone there. I kept seeing all kinds of weird things on the way there as well. Home was the last place I could look for you. But since I am writing this, that means you were not home either…. 

‘Desa, if you are still alive, stay safe. The world is changing. I do not know what those beings are, but there are a lot of different ones roaming around now. They are killing people or taking them hostage. I even saw one woman… Never mind. Desa, I love you and will go out once more to search for you even if I have to tear this city apart. I plan to come home every day in the morning, so if you do read this, then please stay home. 

‘If I do not return by noon time the next day, then I am sorry…..  I love you, princess. Please stay safe. All that matters is that you are alive and well.…’  

“Dad….” Tears streamed down Desaray’s cheeks as she hugged the letter to her chest. Her father was probably out looking for her now, which means he did not disappear. It is also possible that he might have evolved and gotten a system as well. “At least I know you are alive…. I will wait…” 

Sniffing and rubbing her nose, she stuck the letter into her backpack before she walked over to the entry, neatened her father’s boots, and cleaned up the dirt. She then went to the kitchen and took out some food. She decided she would make her father’s favorite meal, spaghetti with homemade sauce. It was not hard to do. It only took a while to prepare. She wanted to give her father a nice hot meal in case he did come home. She would wait for him. All night and all day. She did not care. She would wait for her father to return….

If he did not return by noon, she would leave him a letter telling him she had to run back to check on Becky and bring them to her house. With the thoughts of being able to see her father soon running through her mind, Desaray happily began cooking a meal for the two of them to eat when he got home…..