I gave it the address I’d carefully selected after plenty of research - a small coffee shop with a
ridiculous name
near a major trailhead. One that led toward the wilderness area where the
hunter’s hideout
waited. Close enough to my destination to help minimize travel time on foot.
"Common enough of a destination to not raise suspicion as to why I wanted to be left there. Especially in the getup I’ll be wearing. I hope."
A minute later, an alert came through the device: [Driver On Route: ETA... 15min]. The app showed
my driver’s face
, name, and vehicle details... along with a
little dot
that moved slowly through the city streets towards my location on the map.
I spent the time getting dressed before having nothing left to do but
pace uncomfortably
, stare at the wall, or silently bicker with Vrika about
things it isn’t asking me
.
> It’s not like I’ve never experienced moving vehicles... I’ve ridden in carriages. And boats. This is just... faster. And louder. And made of metal. And Helene knew some vague things about ’statistics’ that I really should not have looked up this morning. Humans can wear ’contacts’ I suppose. I can’t imagine willingly sticking something directly onto my own eye. Not. Helping. Maybe next time, if I need to do this, it would be a better idea to just walk towards the city edge and be picked up there... Another thank you wouldn’t be too much, but it also would be... in a way. Everything got so complicated so fast. No... it was always complicated. Transmigrating, pregnant, system... <
It’s not like I thought this world was a real ’vacation’, with everything in Helene’s memories - and the circumstances I was put into upon my arrival. But slowly, relentlessly... it’s feeling like I ran out of the black cage being placed around me.
The one placed around the
original
body.
For through its many
large holes
, I could see and
fit through
clearer than her.
Only to find a shiny warm
white
one seeming like it
waited just for me
.
With no holes at all, but an open
glowing orange
door and clean
inviting
scent.
The
protection
it offers paired with the sense of
not seeing anything else outside of it
once I’m inside.
"...How am I not supposed to be terrified of that?"