The streets of Piety, typically narrow, wove through a tapestry of houses and shacks in a kaleidoscope of colors, forming a colorful maze. In the residential areas, the almost complete absence of trees gave the neighborhood an unnaturally stark and barren appearance.
Positioned mainly on the outskirts of major cities, Escapes like Piety were often encircled by towering walls. Notably, in Aurelia - the capital of Outon and the nation's most populous city - these enclosed communities featured amenities like parks, small woods, and essential services, including hospitals and schools, augmented by leisure facilities such as nightclubs. Piety had almost everything a large Escape should have, along with ongoing constructions like the soon-to-open new shopping center.
Marcos was heading to a house near a corner while the community was gradually coming to life. Some residents were setting off for work within Piety, while others journeyed towards the central area of Aurelia. He greeted some familiar faces uninterestedly, his head really heavy, unresolved problems passing through his mind.
"What could be happening to Marcelo?" The overwhelming train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted when he noticed Linda stepping out of her home. Curly blonde hair framed her face, which held pretty features that seemed neglected, revealing a bitter sadness in her expression.
"It's probably nothing major, she's just 18. Women can be complex, but I should probably ask if she's okay." Marcos mused.
"Good morning, Linda. Are you okay? You seem upset."
"Hi, Marcos. I'm getting by, had some problems, but it's all okay, thank you for asking." Linda replied, her voice tinged with disheartenment.
"Are you late for something? If it's not a problem, I'd like to talk to you. It's really important."
"Talk to me? What happened? Something wrong? Is someone sick? Tell me, Marcos!" Inquired Linda.
"Calm down, calm down. No one's ill, but very strange things are happening lately. Can we talk inside? I don't want anyone to overhear and misunderstand me.""Now you're worrying me," Linda went inside the house and waited for the boy to enter before locking the door behind him. She sat on the couch, bracing for a shock, not knowing why, but she felt like someone was sick and he was about to tell her, probably female intuition or something. "what happened?"
"I've been working on some simulations for Piety using a set of programs I developed. I was excited to predict our growth over the next few years, even had some market strategies. The problem is that the results were terribly disturbing. At first, I couldn't believe it, thought it might be a programming error, but after many code reviews, I sadly realized that there was nothing wrong with my analysis. I did some digging, trying to understand a bit more about what was happening, and it was in these searches that I found the real problem. I can't tell you exactly what it is right now, but be assured it's really important.
"What? I don't understand much about programming, Marcos, you need to explain a bit more," The girl responded, still lost amid everything Marcos had said. "why are you telling me all this?"
"I was actually looking for Marcelo. Given his connections to the Official Guard, I thought he might have some insights. But his mother said he left last night, saying he would sleep at my place. But I haven't seen him for a few days, so I don't know where he could have gone, I'm a bit worried."
"Maybe he's just out, drunk somewhere," Linda commented, showing little interest in Marcelo's disappearance. "but I still don't understand where I fit into this story, why did you come to me?"
"Not Marcelo, definitely not, there is something very odd about this story," thought the boy, but pushed the thought, aside, he had more pressing issues at the moment. "I thought maybe you could talk to your boyfriend since he works for the Guard."
"Oh! That won't be possible, Marcos. Fábio and I split up over a week ago. Besides, Besides, I don't think Fábio would give you any attention. He's more likely to mock you, I'm really sorry."
"Please, I need to try, I have to do something. I'm desperate here. Could you at least give me his radio frequency code? I have no problem dealing with some laughter, if that's the case."
"Alright, I'll find his code for you. I'm really bad at memorizing things. Just give me a moment." Linda said, rising and walking down a hallway, likely leading to a bedroom.
Returning shortly with her cell phone, Linda opened her contacts.
"Here, use my phone. He might pick up, thinking it's me. We didn't exactly part on mutual terms."
The call was brief. At first, Fábio could hardly grasp what was happening, hoping to speak with his ex-girlfriend. He desired nothing more than a reconciliation, but after listening and barely understanding the situation, he decided to give the boy a chance, finding himself interested in his story.
Marcos quickly arranged to meet him, thanked Linda for her help, and rushed again. He probably ran, that day, more than in the entire last month, he was not quite sure how his heart was still functioning. Passed by numerous houses and then ascended a hill, the flow of people was now much more intense, dodging some, but unable to avoid occasional bumps, he made his way to the highest street in that area, from there he could see almost all of Piety.
For a moment, he took in everything around him and felt in his heart all the love he had for the Escape, for his home, and for all the people bustling through the narrow streets. But that was it, just a moment. He took a deep breath and entered the house.
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