05: COMPREHENSION II

The hotel was deafeningly silent. Nothing except the clanks of ceiling fans rotating could be heard. Luciana, who had been running for warmth, had become tired of it. She was on one of Jalon's couches. Jalon On the other hand, was outstretched on the bed, messaging feverishly on his smartphone. The television was turned on, but none of them bothered to search for a suitable channel to watch. On the screen, there was nothing except static. Luciana was finishing the final slice of the pizza they ordered. The remaining half-eaten crusts were strewn around the coffee table. They were each completely immersed in their own worlds. ]

Jalon would occasionally put his phone down and yawn long and loudly before picking it up again. Luciana began flinging pieces of paper she ripped from a diary on one of the table tops shortly after she finished rummaging through the remnants of the pizza. It was imprinted with the hotel's logo and came with a nice pen. She would crumple up some paper, squeeze it into the Pen's tube, and fire it into the rotating fan above her. The atmosphere and surroundings was drab, and she was bored. She continued to throw crumbled pieces of paper into the fan until one deflected off the fan's rotating blades and landed on Jalon’s forehead. He looked up from his phone and gave her a smouldering stare. She attempted to ignore him, but she couldn't stop giggling and soon busted out laughing hysterically.

"So you've decided that I won't be having peace any time soon? don't you have your own room?” Said Jalon. Luciana kept laughing a little longer. "We're all bored, to be sure. Luciana said, "I reasoned we would as well grow bored together than alone, that way I can get some precious time to disturb your peace."

“I've never wished for Norval to return as much as I do today,” Jalon stated.

There was a quiet knock on the door while the two were speaking with each other back and forth. It cut short their speeches for a short time. They exchanged glances for a few moments before hearing another knock.

Jalon, who was still laying on his bed, said, "Go get it."

"You go get it, what’s wrong with you.” Luciana answered, "It's your room." As he stood up, Jalon slammed his phone into a cushion next to him. He approached the door and opened it, only to be greeted by a familiar face. "You? “What the hell are you doing here?” Jalon inquired, taken aback by the unexpected presence.

" I just came by to say hi,” Stanier said. As he examined the room, he came across Luciana, who was laying on the couch.

"Oh sarry, was I interrupting something?”he said, trying to be courteous.

Jalon and Luciana exchanged disgusted looks and exclaimed, “Eww!” at the same time.

Their synchronisation amused Stanier.

Stanier remarked, “Good evening Luciana,” as he waited for her to respond, she did not bother. With a small gesture of her own, Luciana lazily waved back.

“I notice you were able to remove the stains from the potion that was draining you throughout our fight,” Jalon observed.

"They finally came out after hours of scrubbing,” Stanier remarked, smiling at the end.

"So, you're going to be here for a while, right?” Jalon inquired.

"yes. I'll still be needed for the second phase of the trials, they said. I had nothing else to do and nowhere else to be, I assumed I'd just hang around and see what happens next,” Stanier said.

“ I'm hoping to see the both of you soon. Stanier said, shaking Jalon's hand, "and I hope you get to have our rematch."

"I don't bother fighting those who have already been defeated. For me, that's the equivalent of reducing my standards,” Jalon wryly responded.

Stanier laughed as he fixed a crease in his jacket and walked away, saying, "Well, I guess we'll have to see about that."

“I guess you'll be seeing your boyfriend around a bit longer...” Jalon said as he pushed the door shut and turned to face Luciana. A pillow had already been propelled and was crashing into his face, knocking his head backwards and banging on the door before he could finish his speech.

"If you say another word, it won't be a pillow next time,” Luciana said. He took a step back and returned to his bed. He'd had it with the torture.

/…………………………………………………………………………….../

Her face was flushed with a cold, scorching sensation. As the sensation pressed on her flesh, she shook violently. It jolted her awake, bringing her out of her unresponsive stupor. Her eyes began to clear, and she looked around to see where she was. The deteriorating concrete floor had stains on it. Water had accumulated in puddles on the floor in numerous spots. It reeked of death. The rushing water she had previously heard was actually a stream of sewer water running behind her. She saw the two giant people standing in front of her as she gazed up. One had an empty bucket in one hand and a polythene sack in the other. She had gone back down to her feet when she noticed the wetness soaking her clothes. The man appeared to have splashed water on her to rouse her from her slumber. "Does the medication still work?” The man with the empty bucket inquired.

"We gave her a three-person dose, and I believe it's still working,” the other man replied. "Get her on her feet as soon as possible. Before daylight comes, we have to take her to the boss,”

The creatures crept closer and closer to her. She tried wriggling her toes and moving her hands, but nothing happened. Her limbs seemed to be divorced from her head, and she was unable to control them. The man walked over to her and threw the polythene bag over her face. She was then hauled to her feet and placed onto the shoulders of one of the men. She tried to move again, but she felt as if she were paralysed. Their voices could be heard by her. They echoed in the sewers for a long time before emerging into the open air. She could hear an automobile engine roaring from distance. In the air, she sensed the smell of burning tyres and smoke. As the automobile engine sounds moved closer, the scent became stronger. Finally, she heard a screaming sound and the distinct sound of mechanical doors opening in front of her. He was thrown into the van carelessly, and others behind her were shot with vigour. Two more colossal men joined the van and sat next to the driver. The automobile was on its way in no time. She couldn't tell how fast they were going, but based on the sound of the passing winds, they looked to be travelling at supersonic speeds. Judy appeared to be a little too cool for the situation. She hadn't eaten in two days, her wet, freezing clothes stuck to her, and the metallic van floor made things worse. Her teeth gnawed at each other, and her hands trembled as a result of the metal restraints.

Despite being drenched in chilly water, she was not thirsty. All she wanted to do was get away from the two people and find a safe place to hide. It was no coincidence that her visit to Cecily's house was followed by her kidnapping. She was aware that they were inextricably linked, and that they might even be the same person running the show beneath the covers of the curtains. And she realised there was only one person who could be behind it, the one who didn't want her story to be made public. Without a question, this was the closest she could get to the truth. She lived a life of her imagination, and it served her well on most days. She began to imagine new ways to make her timely escape, relying on her imagination once more. What is the best way for me to get free of these handcuffs? I'm not sure how I'm going to get off this moving van. How am I going to go to safety? Those were the nagging questions in her thoughts. She overworked her mind, visualising several strategies she could incorporate into her plans to improve its effectiveness. The first thing she wanted to get rid of was the polythene bag slung over her head. It wasn't ethical for her to be inhaling the same air she exhaled. It would frequently cling to her nostrils, nearly suffocating her. She tried to shake it off at times, but the noises it produced alerted the men in front of the van, who turned around and yelled at her to stop.

The van would slam into potholes, causing her body to slam into the van's iron flooring. She'd find a way to get out of her funk. The men in front of the van didn't seem to mind. They continued to converse, shifting from topic to topic as if she didn't exist.

I never thought it dawned to her that she may be taken to die; all she could think about was escaping and staying alive after that, planning for a future she couldn't guarantee. It was possible that it was her imagination's lone defect. In any case, death was not an option for her.