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Chapter 99 — That Way
publish date:
2026-11-09 05:43:33
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Losing the Lonely Chapter 99 — That Way
OrionLara was running. Not fast. Not even particularly well. But she was running. I stopped in the doorway of the gym and watched her for several seconds before she noticed me. She was on the treadmill, one hand occasionally touching the rail like she still didn’t entirely trust the machine. Her ponytail swinging behind her with every step.“You hate running.”Lara: “I do.”“Then why are you running?”She looked at the display.Lara: “Because something told me to.”I walked farther into the room.“The Voice?”Lara: “No.”That got my attention.Lara slowed the treadmill.Lara: “Not exactly. It wasn’t words this time. More like… pressure.”“Where?”She gestured vaguely around her head, then her chest.Lara: “Everywhere. I don’t know.”The treadmill slowed beneath her feet until she was walking.“Does running help?”Lara: “A little.”I waited. She frowned.Lara: “No. That’s not right.”“What isn’t?”Lara: “The running isn’t helping.”Lara reached forward and stopped the treadmill comple
Losing the Lonely Chapter 98 — Not the Voice
LaraCrown didn't move and asked, “What did you hear?”Lara: “Help me.”His attention shifted from the computer to me. “Your voice?”“No.”“The one you normally hear?” He continued to ask.“Yes. No.” I rubbed my forehead. “Yes, I normally hear that one. No, this wasn't that one.”Crown stared at me.Lara: “This is becoming a terrible conversation.”Crown: “That depends on what you were searching for.”I looked at the computer screen in front of him then mumbled, “I liked you better when you were Tasty Chocolate.”Silence.I closed my eyes. Why did I say that out loud?“When I was what?” Crown asked.“Nothing.”Silky Vanilla is going to be jealous.I pointed at absolutely nothing and snaped out,“Shut up.”Crown's eyes followed my finger before returning to me. “Lara?”“Still not talking to you.” I gritted out through clenched teethCrown: “You were a moment ago.”Lara: “I've changed.”Crown: “Clearly.” I pushed away from the computer. Crown glanced at the screen again then said, “we're
Losing the Lonely Chapter 97 — Learning to Choose
Number One found the frightened woman where she expected to find her. She was sitting on the floor near one of the structures, knees drawn toward her chest. She wasn't crying. She wasn't shaking. She was waiting. Operator stood beside Number One. Neither spoke for several seconds. The frightened woman noticed them. Her shoulders tightened. Number One assessed the response. Fear. Anticipation. No immediate attempt to flee. Better than before. Not sufficient.Number One: “Stand up.”The woman stared at her.Shelter Woman: “Why?”Number One: “We're going to try again.”The response was immediate.Shelter Woman: “No.”Number One looked at Operator. Operator stepped forward.Operator: “The previous attempt failed because the transition was too abrupt. We will reduce the progression.”Shelter Woman: “No.”Operator: “You will remain here. We will begin with—”Shelter Woman: “No.”Operator stopped. Number One considered the response.Number One: “You haven't heard the procedure.”Shelter Woma
Losing the Lonely Chapter 96 — What We Recognize
Mr. Green had been on the conference call for nearly forty minutes.There were still companies to run.Problems requiring decisions had not stopped occurring because an injured woman was asleep in his bedroom, his daughter was recovering memories she couldn't explain, and Hunter had taken up temporary residence in the adjoining room.If anything, the accumulation of personal complications made ordinary business almost appealing.Ordinary problems generally came with numbers.Numbers behaved.He sat at the long table in one of the smaller meeting rooms in the main residence rather than returning to the Green Building. Several documents were open on the screen in front of him. Four people occupied separate windows on the monitor.Taryn sat several feet away with a tablet.The door remained open.Mr. Green listened while one of the men finished explaining a discrepancy that had required considerably more words than the discrepancy deserved.Mr. Green: “No.”The man stopped.Man: “No to t
Losing the Lonely Chapter 95 – She Was Here First
Number One stood before the opening again. The blue beyond the wall remained unchanged. So did the distant glow. She had begun measuring Lara's absences, but without a reliable measure of time, the information was nearly useless. Sometimes the visitor returned quickly. Sometimes the absence felt considerably longer. But she always returned. Number One turned away from the breach. The Operator was waiting. She had not needed to summon her. The restoration of consciousness had changed things inside. Connections that had once been distant were becoming easier to reach. That presented advantages. It also presented problems. The frightened one had nearly overwhelmed them. The Operator approached the damaged wall and examined the opening. Number One watched her perform nearly the same assessment she had performed herself. Direction of force. Debris. Fracture. Unknown space beyond. The conclusion would be the same.Operator: “We have to get those pieces back.”Number One looked through the o
Losing the Lonely Chapter 94 — Something Is Missing
The MindscapeThe hole remained. Number One had checked. Then checked again. The fracture had not changed since the visitor left. She crouched before the opening, studying the broken stone for details she might have overlooked. There were none. The debris remained beyond the wall. Outside. Evidence of direction. Evidence of force. Evidence that her first conclusion had been incorrect. Nothing had entered. Something had left. What concerned her was that she could not determine what. She stood and looked through the opening. Blue stretched beyond it. Open. Fluid. Without structure. It was unlike anything within this place. No rooms. No paths. No barriers. Far in the distance, the soft glow remained. She had watched it for what felt like hours. Perhaps it had been hours. Time had become difficult to measure. The visitor appeared and disappeared without pattern. Lara. She had given a name. Whether it was accurate remained undetermined. Number One had inspected the opening after Lara disap
Losing the Lonely Chapter 6: Falling Asleep
Upon waking I took a shower and got ready for work, I decided to text Orion. TEXT: Lara: Good Evening! After sending the text I was wondering what I wanted to eat. The thing is, I never know what I want to eat. Basically, it’s never fun or fulfilling to cook for myself. It feels lonely. So, I
Losing the Lonely Chapter 5: Unexpected: Orion
Orion“Bossman, why you here, man” Marcus asked as he spotted me walking into the shop. “Why not? If I don’t come, you guys might get into trouble and burn this place down” I said in a teasing way. “Ha ha, not even, you really helped all of us out, so we owe you. There is no way we would intenti
Losing the Lonely Chapter 4: Day 1 at work: Lara
LaraI’m starting to get to know my way around the hospital. Being in a new environment is exciting, but patients are still the same. It’s a good thing that I like what I do. Even though I only draw blood from these patients, it makes me feel that I am helping in some way. A very small way. Eve
Losing the Lonely Chapter 3: Alone with Orion
LaraAs I watched Eliza walking out I kind of felt uncomfortable. Bring on the social awkwardness. No matter how old I am, I will always be this. “Do you want dessert” Orion asked. “Um, no thank you” I responded. I looked at the table and most of the food was gone. I really wanted to have desse
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