34 The deserted building

Beth rubbed her eyes sleepily. A loud yawn escaped her mouth as she stretched her limbs. The sound of the tower bell tolling echoed around the place loudly. With one last bang, it stopped, signaling the start of the Feast of Light. Her eyes lazily scanned the room, mind still distorted from the sleep. A few paper flowers lay on the wooden floor, flying around from the slight breeze that swept the room in a cool embrace. 

"No!" She exclaimed, her eyes wide in horror. 

Fifty-eight was nowhere to be seen. Beth stood up hastily, her mind pushing the worst possibilities at her. How had she fallen asleep? She remembered that she was wide awake and alert a few moments ago. No. It was quite long ago, she thought, looking outside the room through the door that was left slightly ajar. The room outside was empty, with only a few servants hurrying around, placing silverware on each table. 

Beth stepped outside the room, forgetting the warnings that they had gotten from the minor gods. Her mind was full of concerns for the missing girl. She hoped that she was wrong. 

Stopping one of the servant boys, she asked, "Did you see Fifty-eight?"

The boy looked at her in confusion. "Who?" He asked, shifting the weight of a huge silver bowl from one hand to the other. 

He held the utensil with a thick cloth, impatient to keep it down. Steam was rising from inside it, filling the room with a sweet pleasant smell. Her stomach grumbled, but she ignored it. 

"The girl who was in the room with me," Beth said, pointing to the small door that was attached to one corner of the common room. 

The servant shook his head. "I don't think so." He said, the corners of his mouth drooping to form a scowl. "But you better go to the backrooms. We don't want any gods to see the slaves roaming in here."

Saying that, he walked away, climbing the stairs to the second floor. Beth cursed under her breath. It was not possible that Fifty-eight would be helping the servants set up tables. That only left one possibility. Her heart raced as she rushed out of the building. The sun had set long ago, and the sky was lit with a million stars, signaling the joyous occasion. 

Both sides of the street were decorated with paper lanterns and flowers of varying colors. The warm light emanating from them lit up the otherwise dark street. There was not even a single person on the road. It was completely deserted. She could hear the music from where she stood. It was coming from the West. Firecrackers burst in the sky above the spot. 

"The gods must have gathered for the ceremony." She murmured to herself.

She remembered the details of the night. She had heard the servants discussing it earlier. The gods wouldn't come back to the area until the ceremony wasn't over. It would give her quite a bit of time to find wherever they took Fifty-eight to. But where would she begin? She thought, walking in the opposite direction. There were too many footsteps on the street, and none looked small enough to be of the girl. 

"Think, Beth! Think!" She said, hitting the side of her head. 

Suddenly she heard footsteps. Beth quickly ducked behind the pillar of the nearest building. If someone were to spot her roaming in the streets, she'd be punished severely. She had no time to waste now. Every minute was precious. She had to get to the girl as soon as possible. Beth peeked from behind the pillar, only to see a familiar figure disappearing behind a wall. 

She rushed towards the direction where Two went. It didn't take her much time to catch up. The man was so occupied in his own thoughts that he failed to notice her following him. He went through winding streets and dark alleys to reach a deserted building. Beth looked around nervously. The place was quite far from the city center. There were no shops or residential buildings for miles- only winding boundary walls that separated the street from the dilapidated remains of destroyed buildings. Charred bricks lay around the road, collecting moss. It was as if the whole place was destroyed by a big fire long ago and deserted subsequently. 

"Two! You're here. The girl is awake. I cannot handle this." A high-pitched voice rang from the other side of the wall. 

Beth recognized the voice. It was Three. Spotting a pile of bricks next to the wall, she climbed on top of it, standing on her toes to get a good view of what was happening inside. She saw the minor gods wrapped in a hug as Three sobbed onto her lover's chest.  

"It's okay, Three," Two said, stroking the woman's hair gently. "I will deal with it. You should go and get One. We need to get back before the others notice that we're gone." 

Three nodded, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "Are we doing the right thing, Two?" She asked, sniffling.

The man smiled, looking at her with warmth in his eyes, "Yes, we are. We are making sure that we stay alive." He said, patting the woman's arm reassuringly.

Beth gritted her teeth. They sure are playing gods, deciding who gets to live and who does not. It made her sick how the gods were trying to justify their actions. She felt guilty, knowing that Fifty-eight was bearing the consequences of her actions. 

"But she's only a child." Three said with a sigh.

Two shook his head. "She has the soul of a ninety-year-old human. She's not a child." He said with a frown. 

"Still." She insisted. 

Two grabbed his lover by her shoulders. There was a determined look in his eyes. "Go get One. It's already late, Three." He said, his eyes hardening. 

"Fine." The woman replied nervously. 

Beth made herself sparse as Three stepped out of the compound. The woman didn't notice her as she rushed past. Beth turned back towards the building. Coming from behind her was the celebratory music from the city and from ahead, was a cry for help. She watched as Two opened a creaky metal door and looked inside with narrowed eyes.