the ugly swan

✿Day 3

Day 3

Mira sat on the floor of her chaotic bedroom, cross-legged and half-awake. She cleaned it ever so often, yet it somehow always ended up in the state of chaos. Photographs were strewn everywhere around her.

It 3:00 am in the morning. The moon, the stars silently waiting for the arrival of the sun. She wasn't sad. She wasn't angry. She wasn't bitter. It wasn't in her nature to hold sadness for a long time. Life's troubles and wars were like specks of dust on her shoulder.

It's just that Mira was lonely. She held a news article in her hand. Smiling at the headline, she still felt her heart skipping a beat at the memory

July 11th, 2011 NEW YORK TIMES WEEKLY REPORT

BOSS PUTS HIS LIFE ON LINE FOR HIS TEAM MEMBER

Like any other day, Silicon heights's programmer, Mira Shayma was the working overtime due to the increasing demands of work. Her boss, the project manager of the IT department, Atul Sachdev was finishing up cleaning his table of files and clutters that surrounds an average desk when there was a loud crash.

He instantly stepped out of his cabin to find his team member, Mira alert as well. The noise had come from the backdoor. Little did they know that a gruel sociopathic killer had escaped prison and was now in their office.

Mira closed her eyes and deeply inhaled. Suddenly Mira wished she didn't have such vivid memories.

Atul stared at her, slightly unsettled. "Did you hear that?"

Mira nodded. The back door was used by the delivery trucks for restocking office supplies and catering goods. It almost sounded like someone had shot a hole through the steel shutters that guarded the entrance.

"Maybe it's a delivery truck."

Atul looked at his Bvlgari watch and stared at her, incredulously "At 11:00 p.m."

Mira shrugged. "They have odd hours"

"It didn't sound like a truck."

The lights blanked shut. For a second or two, Mira and Atul stood alone in darkness. Atul was quick to grab her hand. Mira automatically wove her finger through his. Her heart beating fast, not from fear but the warmth of his hand. "Don't move." He whispered, his voice conveyed the fear.

Mira's phone flashed in the darkness. It had a warning in bright red.

[Maya Frond, a serial killer, has escaped prison and carries a sharp knife and M240. She was last spotted in Upturnt Bullard. If you spot a suspicious woman in your area, please notify the police.]

Atul, who was leaning over Mira's shoulder, reading the text- visibly ashened. "That's right around the corner."

There was another loud bang and lights in the office flickered to life for a second before shattering completely. Mira heart was beating so fast, she could swear it would pop right out of her rib cage.

She pointed her phone flashlight in all directions of the office to make there was no creepy woman hiding in the darkness.

Atul placed a cool hand on her wrist and turned her around to face him.
"I'm sure there's no-one here. It's probably some circuit malfunction." He looked a-lot calmer for a man who seemed scared to death a moments ago.