Black Equation - The Forgotten Ones

Black Equation - Chapter 27*

Chapter 27

 

“Am I still on earth?”

Her worried gaze wandered helplessly around for someone, anyone, who knew the crazy lay-out of the maze-like passages and might thoughtfully lead her back to her room. When she saw none, she cursed.

“Oh damn. Damn him –” she recalled the repulsive scene again, “– damn those lips, and the world be damned! This is his fault!”

Her angry voice echoed against the concrete walls, and continued on its way till the end of the halls. The absurdity of the place made goose bumps appear on her arms. She wouldn't be surprised to find a ghost suddenly materializing in front of her. What made it creepier was the sheer fact that she was by herself. One of the things she hated the most was being alone, and here she was, in the very situation she despised.

She had been irrational.

She turned left and then right, and for a minute walked aimlessly in the deafeningly quiet corridors. Her footsteps were loud, almost at par with the sound of her heartbeats. She clutched her white hospital gown closer to her body, seeking comfort from it. She eyed the place with growing uneasiness.

The smooth undecorated walls were painted with the same bleached color every room had. She had no idea whether she was going in circles. There was simply no way to identify her location. Blaming Arashi for her now hopeless situation, she ardently wished that he never had the nerve to do that, and that she never chickened into running again.

It was exactly like what happened before with… him, she thought grimly, reluctant to remember his name and face. Why was it that her first instinct was always to run away? Why was she such a wimp? A coward? And why was it that she felt so messed up, as if her world was slipping from her grasp, and now she had nothing to hold onto, nothing and no one to keep her sane?

She felt idiotic. Tired. Sick.

Her head was getting dizzy, probably because she overexerted her not-yet-fully-recovered body, or because she was thinking way too much for her puny human brain to handle. Perhaps it was the intense radiance of the fluorescent lamps on the low ceiling that affected her eyesight. She blinked thrice just to make sure that her vision remained focus.

She scowled when she realized that she wasn’t really making any progress. She did try walking towards the direction where she came from, but she couldn’t find her way back. There were too many twists and turns, plus false paths, which confused her.

She sighed as she slumped on the tiled ground. What should she do now? Wait for rescuers? Maybe Alexey or that doctor would spare some time to look for her. Maybe not.

She perked up when she heard some faint sounds from afar. Feeling terrified and relieved at the same time, she tried to follow the sounds without making any noise. The eerie sounds were coming from the farthest room on her right, the one with an open metallic door. She peeked inside the bare room and saw a child sitting like a ball in the middle.

She felt pity for him, enough that it left her gaping by the doorframe.

He was stark naked, emphasizing the purplish bruises on his pale leathery skin. It draped loosely over a collection of bony projections. It made him look as frail as a dry stick. His chestnut brown hair was parted in the middle, with streaks of blood clinging on them. He was shivering, and it took Faye a minute to discover that he was crying.

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. To top it off, he looked to be barely a child. More like a toddler. How can someone inflict this much pain on such an innocent kid?