Salvation

Captivated

Without the time on hand, it was almost impossible to tell apart night from day in the city. All the light was manmade, the only luminance coming from the hundreds of chanting TV screens and dim street lamps that hardly served their purpose. Currently, it was around seven o' clock PM, another day having passed with a dreary drag weighing down its hours. On top of that, the air and buildings always maintained a heavy dampness, even though there was no rain to wet it, and the ash stuck to the precipitation like a murky paste.

His hood was drawn over his head as he trudged through the streets towards the apartments, eyes darkened with solemn disdain as they watched the activity around him. Every day it was the same. It almost made the hunts feel like a release. Here, everyone was a dull, grey, drone-like clone of each other. They reminded him of ants sometimes with the way they skittered about with no sense of coordination or direct path. No focus. It was like someone had programmed a chip and inserted it into each of their brains that shut down any sense of independent thought process. That was how it was once you moved to the cities. The lack of sunlight and constant hounding to atone for your sins seemed to suck the life right out of everyone day by day. In truth, he was a lot like them, but they had a place in society. He didn't. He blended in just like the rest of them - just another head in the crowd until someone got close enough to catch a glimpse of the cross tattooed across his forehead, and they turned their eyes away in avoidance.

Once he reached his apartment, it was as he was slipping the key into the lock that he paused suddenly, eyes shifting towards the apartment next to his. And then there was her. Before he had met her in person, he had seen her a couple times in the city, bright eyes alert and lively as she moved around. Her hair always had this healthy bounce and shine to it despite the dampness that always hovered in the air, and there was always a smile on her face. He had followed her earlier that day, curious after the previous night. She had been running errands of different sorts, and everywhere she went she left smiles behind. It was as if she had a contagion, leaving whoever she came in contact with infected with higher spirits. He knew it was all in his head, but he could have sworn there was a soft glow surrounding her, seperating her from the crowd even if he wasn't aware she was there at first. If she was, he always spotted her, like a moth to a flame.

When the door to his apartment pushed open, he stepped inside, and then froze when his foot stepped on something thin and crinkly. Looking down in wonder, he frowned when he saw it was a paper. It was a note. Picking it up off the floor, his eyes scanned it over, and he realized it was a note from her.

Hey, when you get a chance stop by my apartment. I just want to make sure your wound is healing properly.
~ Tessa

So her name was Tessa. Having nothing better to do at the moment, he closed the door to his apartment and headed next door. When she answered, she greeted him with one of her brilliant smiles, and if he had been the type he would have returned it - and he almost did, mind you.

"I got your note." He said.

"Damn, and here I thought you were coming here just to see me." She chuckled softly at his expression. "I'm kidding. Don't you people ever joke around?" Stepping aside, she allowed him space to pass.

______________________________________

"Your wound looks good." She mused in a pleased tone, as she checked his side. "The sealant and stitches are holding well. With any luck, the scarring shouldn't be too bad once it's healed, but it'll probably feel sore and tight for the next few days." She rolled his shirt back down and looked up at him, only to see his attention was turned elsewhere. Her eyebrows creased together a bit, and she followed his gaze to where one of the paintings hung on the wall. It was the one of the blue eyes.