Hidden Life

05. Runaway

Zeyn stood at the edge of the bustling market, his heart racing as confusion washed over him. The figure from earlier—the man with the bent knife—seemed to pull at the corners of his memory, flickering just out of reach. It was maddening, like trying to catch smoke with his bare hands. Zeyn couldn't shake the feeling that this person was looking for him, but he brushed it off as paranoia. After all, he was just a ghost in his own life, an unknown character trying to remain hidden from the world that had turned its back on him.

His social life had dwindled to nothing; university had become a series of isolated days filled with classes he barely paid attention to. The friends he once had had faded away like autumn leaves, leaving him alone with his thoughts. His heart ached with the weight of loneliness, a heavy shroud that wrapped around him tighter with each passing day.

Two days drifted by in a blur, each indistinguishable from the last. Zeyn sought solace in movies, the flickering screen a welcome distraction from the chaos in his mind. One film in particular, College Boy, resonated with him on a deeply personal level. It followed a boy named Paterson who, much like Zeyn, found himself utterly alone. Attacked by peers and abandoned by friends, Paterson's story took a dark turn as he contemplated suicide while living under a bridge. Zeyn watched, captivated yet horrified, as the narrative spiraled into despair, only to find resolution when the principal intervened.

"Anyway, a good and nice end," he muttered to himself, the words feeling hollow. In contrast to Paterson's plight, Zeyn was left grappling with questions he couldn't answer. Was there even a problem in his life, or was he simply lost in a labyrinth of his own making? It was a messy existence, filled with painful breaths, falling tears, a screaming heart, and aimless eyes. The burden of loneliness weighed heavily on his spirit, rendering him powerless to change his circumstances.

As a web developer, Zeyn found himself chained to a desk for hours, tapping away at a keyboard, his mind drifting in and out of focus. He earned just enough to scrape by, to buy the essentials: food, a few luxuries, and, most importantly, a small amount of savings that had slowly accumulated in his bank account. The thought of using that money to escape this life—the life that had become a series of dark memories—hovered tantalizingly close yet felt incredibly distant.

But deep down, Zeyn struggled with the word "runaway." It carried a weight of defeat, a failure to confront the pain that clung to him like a shadow. After all, this was the place where he had once built a life with his family, a sanctuary that now felt like a prison. Memories echoed through his mind, each one a sharp reminder of their absence, cutting deeper into his heart. When you love someone truly, forgetting their memory is an impossible feat. Those memories had burned into his soul, igniting an ache that never dulled.

Finally, after days of introspection and battling his thoughts, Zeyn made a choice—he would go on a vacation. Perhaps he could call it a "runaway" from Western Polly, but in truth, it felt more like a necessary retreat. He began to arrange everything, meticulously planning each detail as if his life depended on it—because in a way, it did.

He sold his house to a new student at Western Polly Science College, feeling a bittersweet pang as he packed away the remnants of his past. Each box he filled seemed to echo with the laughter and love that had once filled those rooms. Zeyn glanced around the empty space, the walls whispering memories of his family that still haunted him. The thought of leaving this place behind both terrified and exhilarated him.

With each passing moment, he felt a surge of determination. This was it; he was finally taking control of his life, however small that control may be. As he closed the door for the last time, a mix of fear and anticipation coursed through him. He took a deep breath, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders.

"Let's RUNAWAY," he whispered to himself, a newfound hope flickering in his heart. The world awaited him beyond those familiar streets, and perhaps, just perhaps, he would find a way to redefine his existence beyond the painful memories that had chained him for far too long.

With every step into the unknown, Zeyn felt the pulse of possibility. The journey ahead promised to be arduous, but it was a path he needed to take.