Distorted

Chapter Eight, The encounter.

Concentrate. The confusion we embrace only distorts our vision more, it disorients the right and wrong, the real and the imaginary. That thin line we drew to separate our selves from the impossibilities, the unrealistic dreams and the inabilities human have is nothing but a fragile hair-like string that could be broken in a second, in fact, its just a matter of time till your borderline is shattered.

But, the confusion and fear that held Merit's comfort was stronger than an iron chain bounding her against the walls. Who would shake the young lady and tell her that life isn't a prison, no one but herself.

Awoke in her sweat and wet pillow, Merit welcomed another day with a heavy heart, anticipating a new failure, and a more mind twisting plot to her dead journey.

She yawned, hearing the silence of the room and the snoring of the girl in the bed right above her, she thought about waking her up and embarrassing her enough to stop that, but as she was about to do so, she found herself derived of all energy.

That day wasn't he best of the days, but wasn't the worst either.

Regular routine went on, the young ones were assigned to different parts all over the city and Merit was quick to jump out of the hideout in fear of meeting Elijah once more.

Time wasn't pleasant.

Streets were slumber at that time of day, there was a storm on the way. Vendors were protecting their dear products while the hideout recklessly threw away children younger than eighteen years old in the merciless streets of Izora. While Merit shivered and trembled across the streets, she was quick to notice a very strange presence haunting her.

"Did..did you feel that?" Merit whispered to Mechi who was in her pocket.

"Feel what?" He replied, popping his head out.

"I don't know..It feels like, we're being watched.." She whispered, looking around each corner in the street with a heavy bag on her back that slowed her down than usual.

"There's nothing. You just didn't sleep well." Mechi said.

But that didn't calm Merit's concerns.

Through the dark streets of the rain soaked city, she kept inspecting her surroundings, each vendor and each alley. She walked around with a slight paranoia obvious on her pale face, "Something is wrong" She cried out, moving in a circle around the same place, unaware of what to do to wash away that feeling of insecurity that was reaching its peak in seconds, she was breathless, teary and anxious, ignoring Mechi's constant questions that she hardly even heard, it wasn't until few seconds till Merit lost all of her senses, once her eyes fell on a certain object on the ground, beneath her feet. She collected it, looking at it in suspicion.

That object was a flag.

"Redemption day has ..ended?" She read it, and once these words touched her lips, Merit could do nothing but throw it away and scream as loud as she can, only to find out she can no longer hear herself, and no one can hear her too..No one even looked.

"What's..What's going on?!?" She cried to herself, running around in the muddy streets and going back to the hideout out as soon as she can.

"It can't be true.." She told herself, rubbing her eyes and biting her lips in hope of waking up, but that was impossible, that wasn't a dream.

In the midst of her isolation, her mind tangled its own self, instead of triggering her senses to move ahead and get help, Merit slowly fell into a paralysed state, looking around her to find no one can feel her presence, no one can lend a helping hand, she stood, feeling nothing but the killing silence surrounding her and her hopelessness devouring her sense of reality.