––––––––––––––––––––––––
🌸 Chapter 3: Reality Outside Her World
––––––––––––––––––––––––
Beyond the pastel pink sky and away from the blue grass of field, out of Miss Feather's reach and control.
We'll see the real world, much darker and more deadly than the Comfort zone.
The cities and roads were reduce to ashes. Building already lying in waste and covered in nature.
Monsters of all kinds roam through these wasteland. Not a single human could be seen.
All that remained of the real world was bone dry air, and the ever present stench of iron. The monster don't sleep, they were always watching, waiting, and hunting pray.
They were always hungry for more, never able to satiate their eternally starving stomachs.
And yet—
in the middle of this endless wasteland..
Miss Feathers field of blue grass and ever present pink light glowed with radiance and life.
Her world stretch into a circular serenity of a kilometer wide. No stench of rot could be smelled inside, and not even the wind could penetrate her world.
Soft music drifted from it, audible from a distance. A child-like lullaby echoing across the wasteland.
Her world smelled like sugar and cookies from the outside world, luring anyone curious enough to follow the scent and never come back.
It looks like a heavenly world, contrasting with the cruel and harsh wasteland that surrounded it.
....
A scout in torn armor knelt down, carefully hiding behind a building. He peered through her binoculars at the pastel land ahead, her body shiver from the cold night wind.
|"The same as ever captain. The `Comfort Zone` as the victim calls it, is still active and expanding slowly" The scout whispered into his intercom.
There was static. Then a reply:
|"Any sight on Miss Feather?"
|"No, not yet. No sight of her anywhere. Just music and pink glow of her worlds border" The scout replied, shaking his head.
Another static as a reply came through:
|"Continue with the plan"
|"As you say captain" The scout spoke, turning the intercom off.
He took off his backpack, unzipped it and pulled out a small drone the size of a fist.
He turned it on, and the tiny camera flickered red repeatedly.
With the controller in his hand, the drone buzzed and flew towards the Comfort Zone.
As it got closer, it begin to shake, its connection weakening more and more. until...
The drone camera feed turned soft pastel pink. Its straight path bent towards left, then down, then right—even though it was flying in a straight line without him moving the controller other then forward.
After that the drone just..stopped.
It paused mid-air. Propeller not spinning. It hovered like time had stopped.
Before the scout could do anything to save the drone, it dropped to the ground. Its camera feed turn black.
"Another drone lost inside" The scout muttered, sighing he turn on the intercom and reported the situation.
Static noise and a reply came:
|"What a waste of drone. We have no choice but to go with plan B"
|"A-are you sure captain? This could be dangerous!" The scout exclaim, the hint of fear couldn't be hidden from his tone.
Another reply came:
|"Yes, remember not to step a foot inside the Comfort Zone, and make sure to keep the intercom on at all time"
A cold sweat formed on his forehead, his hand shaken, but he forced himself to calm down and take a deep breath.
|"Alright... For the sake of humanity survival, please wish me luck captain" The scout spoke, preparing to face a life and death situation with an unknown entity.
Static noise and a reply came:
|"May God be in your favor, Hiko Nordin"
The scout hummed, before standing up and beginning to walk towards the pastel world.
It was a few hundred meters away and it would take a while to get there. But that didn't matter, he had walked further just to get here. A few hundred meter was nothing for him.
....
|"Captain, I am currently near the edge of the Comfort Zone. few meters away and out of reach from accidentally entering"
A reply came through:
|"Good. Do not enter the area. Maintain a safe distance"
|"You got it captai—"
*Woosh*
The scout words paused unfinished, his eyes staring ahead towards the Comfort Zone edges.
A woman was standing there with a smile painted on her face.
No sound. No warning.
She simply appeared like a ghost.
A girl with ocean blue hair, pale pink eyes, and a cyan dress glowing faintly in the dark.
Her cyan wings folded behind her back.
She wore a perfect painted smile as if happy to see him.
|"Captain, Miss Feather is right in front of me" The scout whispered into his intercom.
Static. Then a reply came through:
|"Engage and ask the planned question"
|"I'll do my best, captain" The scout nodded, taking a deep breath to calm his nerve.
He stared at Miss Feather, her eerie soft pastel appearance didn't warm him but instead make him cautious.
Miss Feather giggled softly.
"You're scaring my guests dear~"
"Your 'guests' are missing persons."
Miss Feather nodded. "But they're safe," She chimed. "They smile now. They sleep so soundly with a smile on their face. I took care of them~"
Miss Feather replied, and with an inviting gesture she happily spoke.
"Why don't you join them~? I have everything you ever want, there's no need to be lost in a harsh world"
The scout shook his head. "They haven't been seen in months. Some of them for years or decades."
Miss Feather tilted her head and smile more. "Isn't that better than screaming? Better than being eaten alive? They are more happier inside~!"
The scout's face darken.
The intercom noise out, and a reply came through:
|"Hiko, ask her where the `guest` are and what she did to them"
|"Yes captain" The scout took a deep breath and calm his nerve.
"Miss Feather, where are the guest and what did you do to them" The scout asked bluntly.
From the other-side of the intercom, the captain face-palmed at how blunt he was.
Miss Feather chuckle. "They're happier then ever! The memories of all bad days are forgotten, as if they never existed. They don't want to go back dear~" She chimed with a delightful smile.
"It's better to stay in the Comfort Zone then go out and suffer right~? Why don't you come in? I treat you nicely!" Miss Feather invited again.
The scout shook his head. "No, I take my chances out here then whatever your trying to bribe me in"
Miss Feather eyes twitched, her smile didn't waver but harden.
"You should come inside~ Isn't it exhausting there~? Aren't you hungry and tired? I bough these for you~!" She spoke, her voice like a lullaby singing in his ears.
Space distorted, and a fresh chocolate bar appeared in her palm. It looked appetizing and the scout was even tempted to enter.
The way she spoke, reminded him of his little sister antics when she was...—
Static noise and a reply came from his intercom:
|"Focus now Hiko, whatever she's offering is too good to be true"
He snapped out of his thought, now more serious then ever.
"I apologise Miss Feather but I reject your offer" Hiko exclaim, shaking his head.
Miss Feather's smile never changed, but her eyes… flickered.
"Okay~ Then please take care of yourself if your not coming in~ Whenever your ready, I'm here waiting for you" Miss Feather warmly spoke, like a mother caring for him.
"But don't worry. This world will be mine soon. One pastel paint at a time~" She chimed, giving him a smile.
She twirled once, and in a blink—she was gone.
××××××××××××××