Hidden Worlds

Lilliana Locke stood in the barbershop her late mother, Adriana, inherited after her parents retired. The shop was built by Lilliana’s great-great-great-great grandfather and his wife. The shop was quaint with six, red leather barber chairs, vanity mirrors at each station along with all the proper tools needed, besides the neck drapes and capes. Lilliana’s father kept those on the movable cart that sat in the center of the floor. The walls had a white wallpaper with little pink flowers scattered across it. Red leather chairs sat in front of the bay window, just left of the door. A short walk straight from the door led you right to the check-in desk. The shop was the only place where she felt close to her mother after she passed away ten years ago from a brain tumor. The shop, like generations before, was left to Lilliana, but with her only being eight at the time, her father was granted temporary custody until she was eighteen. A date that was just a few short months away.

Her father, Dexter, sat in the back office, working on paperwork while Lilliana cleaned up the mess from the last appointment. It was nearly closing time, and the sun had already gone to bed, allowing the moon to come out to play. Even with a slight chill that the night time brought, it was still in the early nineties, making it almost suffocating hot. Summer was in it’s prime with warm waters, scorching hot days followed by uncomfortably hot nights. A beach lay across the street, giving the view of daily swimmers and late-night partiers. Clear blue waves lazily drifted to the shore, and a sandbar went out nearly a mile before dropping off into darkness.

Music played softly from her father’s office, and the lights hummed. Lilliana finished sweeping up the last bit of cut locks and tossed them in the bin. She leaned the broom against the wall between two stations and walked to the back office. Her father was in his mid-thirties, with pale blond hair, and ocean blue eyes. He was still a charming man who visited the gym with his daughter on the weekends. He was only seventeen when he got Adriana, who was sixteen, pregnant. A discovery that did not sit well with either of their parents. Despite the ‘little’ hiccup, the two were faced with, they all did love the idea of having a baby, albeit, they would’ve preferred being in their mid-to-late twenties.

“Want me to lock up early?” She inquired, and he looked up at her. He rubbed his smooth chin as he thought, and he let out a long sigh.

“Sure,” he placed his hand on the table and smiled at her. “I have a few more things to do.”

“Alright, she flashed him a quick smile before turning.

She made her way to the front door, locking the bolts, and turning the sign to closed. She went to the check-in desk to grab the money drawer. She picked up the locked metal box and carried it to the back office. She placed it next to her father, giving him a pat on his shoulder before walking out. She saw two Marshal Lawmen waiting out the front door, and she froze. Marshal Law was enacted shortly after the shop was built. A group of people, who were thought to be human, tried to invoke a mass riot against the government, nearly destroying entire major cities. People learned about aliens living as humans, and as an effort to never have a call so close again, Marshal Law was enacted. The men were dressed in heavy armor, holding high caliber rifles, and had a pistol holstered on their hips. Lilliana slowly walked up to the door, feeling her heart beating against her rib cage. She rumbled as she unlocked the door and pulled it open.

“Can I help you?” She muttered, and the men pulled off their helmets, showing hair that was a few inches too long for a Marshal.

“We need a haircut if you guys can squeeze us in,” the first man replied, and Lilliana’s father emerged from the back room.

“I’ll get these gentlemen settled. Go finish the paperwork,” her father whispered, and she gave a quick nod before leaving the men.

She entered the back room, leaving a sliver in the door to try to eavesdrop on the men. She heard hushed voices but couldn’t make out anything that was said. She sighed, looking over the paperwork. She picked up a pen and moved the notepad closer to her. She started working on the work, dividing up profits, checking repair schedules, and dates orders are meant to arrive. A slight commotion pulled her from the papers, and she peeked out the door. Her eyes widened as her mouth opened. A small with their entire body hid with black clothing held her father and the two Marshal men at gun point. The Marshal men couldn’t reach for their guns since the weapons were on the ground.

“Where is the gem?” One of the people yelled, switching the aim of his gun between the three men.

“What gem?” Dexter asked, and the man fired a warning shot, breaking the vanity mirror next to Lilliana’s father.

“Don’t bullshit me! I know you have it!” The man screamed, and Lilliana pulled her phone from her pocket, quickly dialing up the police.

“We have to gems,” Dexter replied, and Lilliana’s phone stopped ringing.

“What’s your emergency?” The voice on the other end asked, and Lilliana stepped away from the door.

“Men have my father and two Marshal men held at gun point. We’re at Bitterson’s Barb on Ocean Park Way,” she whispered and more shout sounded from the other side of the door.

“We have units on their way. They should be there momentarily,” the operator told her, and Lilliana slide close to the door, peeking out.

“Last chance,” the man threatened, and he shot one of the Marshal men in the head. Lilliana covered her mouth to suppress a scream, and she reeled back.

Her heart hammered in her chest, and her stomach twisted tightly. She felt the remaining continents from her lunch threatening to come up as the scene replayed in her head. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she inhaled sharply unaware that she stopped breathing for a moment. Despite her better judgement, her father was still out there, and she needed to make sure he was safe. She slowly looked out the crack, her breaths shaky. Red and blue lights flickered outside, and the group turned to look. The remaining Marshal man took the opportunity to pick up his weapon and open fire. He was able to shoot down many in the group, but one turned around shooting both the Marshal man and Dexter. Dexter collapsed to the floor, and a scream escaped from Lilliana’s throat as tears spilt from her eyes. More shots opened as Marshal men mowed down the remaining group.

“Dad!” Lilliana screamed as she rushed out of the room and up to him. She crashed down next to him, her knees ringing in pain as she pulled him to her chest. “Dad,” more tears slid from her eyes as she bowed her head.

The smell of blood and feces flooded the room, and the Marshal men just stood, allowing the mourning girl to work through what happened. Lilliana slowly rested Dexter back on the floor, her white cotton dress stained with his blood. One of the Marshal men walked up to Lilliana and placed a gloved hand on her shaking shoulders. Whimpers escaped from her lips as she clenched fistfuls of her dress skirt. The man pulled her up, rushing her into the hot night. The temperature change didn’t register with Lilliana until she started coughing from dehydration. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and the Marshal man handed her a bottle of water.

An ambulance showed up, and Lilliana was given white scrubs to change into, and her dress was taken as ‘evidence’ of the crime that happened. She sat in the back of the ambulance, watching as they wheeled out body bag after body bag, knowing one of them were her father. More tears fell from her eyes, tickling her cheeks as they slid down. Her chest was constricting, and it was hard for her to breathe. All she wanted to do was scream. The lights started swirling together, and the structures bended together. The bottle in her hand fell to the ground, and blackness filled her vision. She fell forward, but a Marshal man caught her before she tumbled onto the pavement. She quickly regained her composure, and her eyes opened. A small part of her hoped that it was just a bad dream, but the scene hadn’t changed. Her father was still dead.

“I’ll take you home,” he told her, and she gave him a small nod.