PLEASE READ THE PREVIOUS PARTS OF THE STORY IF YOU HAVE NOT.
"Seoul?"
Krao stood in front of me, an tall shadow blocking all surrounding light from landing on my frail figure on the bench. His voice was barely above a whisper, and I didn't dare to look up at his face, so I looked at his shoes instead. They both shined dully in the lobby light, newly polished. As if there were some special occasion to attend here of all places, the fool.
"Seoul?"
It came out as more of a mumbled "Seoul", but I understood him all the same. He was trying to be a friend, and once again I scoffed at his weakness... then I took it back. I had just cried in an elevator; who was I to judge his weaknesses? I laughed quietly, almost insanely, to myself as if some unspoken joke had taken place between us. Krao was dead quiet. The laughter echoed back at me, and only me, and I kept laughing. Then silence.
I stood up, still avoiding Krao's gaze, and began to walk towards the revolving doors by myself, Krao's gaze following me, but not his whole self.
"I'll be back in an hour or so. Don't leave." My voice trembled, but kept it's tone of seriousness. "Pick Goyro off the street." I didn't have to turn around to know Krao was nodding slowly, waiting for me to leave so he could fulfill my orders.
It was raining outside again as I walked out of the revolving doors, standing under the building's large outcropping to look up at the grey skies that hung above me, beyond the concrete shell of the city. The rain slapped uselessly at my face as I treaded out of the safety of the outcropping and into the onslaught of water beyond. My hair slicked againt my face, I picked my way down a labyrinth of dank streets and alleys, both hands in my jacket pockets for warmth as the numbness spread to the rest of my body. My face never changed as I grew colder and colder, almost to a state of hypothermia as I continued my trek deeper into the belly of a broken city.
Buildings in various states of ruin, businesses boarded up- closed for eternity, groups of people gathering flammable materials for the fires necessary to keep them warm. I passed all this by, registering it absentmindedly. Buildings not considered important to the Guilds had been abandoned by all but rats and the homeless, who had lost their homes because of the Guilds. Money being of no worth, businesses packed up and left town with the meager amount of money they had left. Power, no longer available to the public since the businesses had left town. People resorted to burning anything that could burn for warmth.
My feet came to a dead stop. I had arrived at my destination. Digging in my pockets, I found the only thing I ever did remember to bring with me- my key.
I unlocked the door in front of me, breathing in the dusty air of the only place I could call my own.
Home.
No decorations, nothing pretty adorned the walls to greet me as I stepped into the small box that was the front room to my humble abode. I greeted it the same way, saying nothing as I ventured further into the room, traversing over various boxes and piles of things unknown. My footsteps echoed in the narrow corridor that connected the front room to my bedroom, which did in fact have a bed, but nothing else to it. It was as empty as I was. I laughed quietly to myself again, this time in the eerie silence of my own home. Not even I could dispute my sanity at that moment. It was gone.
The bedroom.
The bed stared hollowly at me; had I ever used it? Just once? No. The shades were drawn, but the florescent light of a street lamp leaked through the slits between, creating a striped pattern on my body as I peeled off my wet clothing and threw them forlornly onto the floor. Opening my closet I groaned as I looked inside, slamming my fist against the side of the wall. Nothing except winter coats, scarfs, and a single pair of jeans. Woefully, I made my way to the small tiled bathroom, arms almost dragging on the carpeted floor across the bedroom.
Looking in the mirror, my expression worsened and another groan issued from my lips.
"I look like a walking corpse." I growled through gritted teeth, and a strained smile emerged.
The mirror also showed my hair being quite throughtly wet and plastered to my face unpleasantly, making it hard to blink without being stabbed in the eye by a strand of hardened hair.
"Well at least I'm feeling better." I muttered, turning on the hot water tap. The water and electricity was still running in all the Guild member's houses and apartments- depending on what rank you were. Comfortingly, I breathed in the steam the running water created before gathering a handful and splashing my face. It sent a shiver down my spine as the water ran down my face, warming my entire body at once. Color began to return to my pallid cheeks, and I looked like a freaking blushing girl. I grumbled curses.
Gazing deeply and very throughly into the mirror at my own reflection, I determined it was my hair that was the root of the problem. Tearing the dual mirror cabinet open, I found a the pair of scissors I kept to occasionally trim the split ends off my hair.
Black hair began to fall into the sink.
The scissors slid out of my hands and into the sink as I lugged myself out of the bathroom, eyelids already drooping from exhaustion. I crawled the last quarter of the way then dug my way under the covers of my previoulsy untouched bed, burying my head under the covers, but well on top of the pillow.
It's been over...an hour...now. My half-concious mind reminded me, but I pushed the observation aside. Even I needed sleep.
I am only human.
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Do the fallen have dreams? I blinked in surprise, for that's where I must have been- in a dream.
The city was as it had been before the Disease. Bright glass windows reflected the morning sun, as businesses to my left and right opened their doors to early morning customers who enjoyed bathing in the light of a new day. The streets bustled with people trying to get to work before the rush hour, but instead were creating a rush hour of their own.
I whirled around, confused, the people around me just as confused about me. Thank God I had pants on.
Then the scenery was whisked away and replaced by large, sprawling palatial office decorated by everything an elite corporate tycoon would ever need and more. I ducked behind a very extensively grown office plant as the door slammed open.
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE OTHER PEOPLE! GET THEM OUT!" A man with strawberry blonde hair roared at the smaller spectacled man, cowering with a peach folder in his arms protectively. The man coughed, adjusting his voice back to an almost normal tone. "Promise them something, anything! Just get them out of here before our mistake "spreads."
The spectacled man pushed his glasses back onto his nose in their proper place, wiping the sweat from his face as he nodded. "Yes, s-sir. I'll do what I can, Mr. Valentine."
The strawberry blonde-haired man slammed the door on the spectacled man, grunting with the effort he put into it. I watched as he slumped into his plush desk chair, half-wondering if this dream was not a dream but rather a vision. The man opened his mouth and I silenced my doubts and thoughts. "The Roulette can not fail because of this minor...annoyance." He sneered. "MILES!"
The spectacled man, Miles, ran back in as if the yell had been a death threat. "Yes, Mr. Valentine, sir?"
"I want everyone except the affected out. By bus, by train, anything. Transportation is free at first. If they won't leave, well, offer them death or...or... Paradise!" The man's laugh rang out, it rang out horribly, everywhere. I saw Miles shutter, but he nodded. "The sick- wipe their memory. Promise them a cure... but wipe them clean. We can use them for entertainment before the end! We can turn them to our advantage."
"Sir, the sick, what will happen to them because of the "accident"?" Miles asked quietly, obviously knowing well the complications of being overheard.
"Nothing. The disease does nothing. But why pass up an opportunity to become God? Tell them-"
Huh? What? TELL ME MORE!
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A knock on my door had woken me up. Groggily, I rubbed my eyes to get a clearer view of the light coming through the blind cracks. Morning.
"Krao." I grumbled, slipping out of bed and dazed onto the floor. Fumbling with weak limbs, I managed to make my way to the closet. I pulled on a button up winter coat and the single pair of jeans I had in my closet in a slow lumber. As an afterthought, I pulled on a scarf too, just to entertain Krao.
Had the dream been real?
I couldn't deny the dream was vivid, but I couldn't confirm the information I was presented with. Mr. Valentine, Miles? Were they real people?
I tripped over a pile of old yellowish newspapers that I had kept from my parents house after thay had died. The headline in front of my face as I stood up screamed at me. "Valentine promises...?" I read it aloud to myself, feeling a bit crazy and paranoid. "It was a dream." I repeated it as I walked to the door as calmly as I could.
I opened the door. And was greeted quiet nicely.
"HOLY-"
I twisted the ends of my hair with one hand as I stuffed the other into one of my winter coat's pockets. "You don't like it?"
"I can actually see your other eye. And and...you're wearing..." Krao passed out on my doorstep.
"How rude. I didn't even invite you in."
