Leavened

| Chapter 6 |

I had had two dreams over the night. After getting beaten for speaking the truth and being completely honest about their dubious actions and kept in an extremely dark room, I fell asleep. Although, I became unconscious after the beatings, there were some series of incidents that I could visibly remember. Asides the dark room and its mystique nature, there was something gothic about the dreams I had.

Whilst in the room, quite a long time after Harvey's actions, one fair man pushed his way into the room, left the door to slam and dropped a nylon bag which had a greasy bottom on the cabinet that ran across the walls of the room. Once he had dropped the bag, he stooped low behind the chair I was placed in and untangled the twine wound tightly on my wrists. He moved forward and untied the one on my ankles and did the same for the one in between my lips. Once the twine was removed off my lips, a thick drop of saliva and blood dropped and landed on his bald head. Instantly, he bellowed a curse word and stood on his feet. He stood by the window, lifted his coat and used it to wipe off the hot liquid on his equally hot head. He paced up and down the room, panting ferociously just as Alexis' husband had done when his last daughter denied him access to her. It was the last straw and live on national television, he had fallen into unconsciousness. But this time, this man was still standing strong, fists balled and lashes falling unto each other at exactly a minute after another. He portrayed a powerful physique.

A loud voice from the door asked , " Are you hurt? Is she up to something once more?" He looked over to me and said, "Shouldn't you quieten it down a bit? I mean, after Harvey's expression of words, I'd advice you adhere to the rules here."

"And what are the rules?" I struggled between saying those words and not choking on saliva and blood.

He left the spot he was standing in and bobbed his head to the left side.

On the poster pasted on the brown plywood door that was blessed abundantly with lots of holes and peeled wood, it said, The reward for noise and strategized escapes is death.

The whole room grew quiet and the only sound I could hear was the drops of the heavy rain. I looked around, staring at the rain splashing itself against the window. I chewed on my lower lip and tightened my thighs against themselves.

"Good. I see you're very good at comprehending things. Harvey was right after all ; you're the co-operative one." He laughed it off while my throat burned off hot tears and chest squeeze due to lack of breath. With that, he stepped out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

I dropped my head as the rain increased, afraid that if I had looked at bald head in the eye, he'd pluck my eyeballs out and pull out my teeth. But as I started at the floor, his shadow moved closer. In terror and fear, I looked up. He had a fulfilling smile. He handed me the nylon bag he had dropped and dropped on his knees saying, "Woman, you....I'm only doing this for an unknown cause. And handing you a meal, untying you and speaking with you means I'm a step ahead to death."

I had a form of fraility as he spoke. His words only caused a hole of emptiness and vulnerability. But I kept an unbothred face and forced myself to pay attention.

He slapped his palm against his nose and mouth. He held my thigh and rose upon his feet. He took a deep sigh before proceeding to continue.

"Exceptions are made, and you're one."

I had a strong feeling of animosity towards him. Despite his kindness and show of compassion, there was a significant show of deception in his words. Perhaps, the way his nose glared at each word or the lisping of certain words as he spoke made him seem dishonest.

When I showed a disapproved face, he sighed. He pulled his trousers upwards so that he could bend down so effortlessly. Once he had his eyes staring at mine, he smiled. His face had become lucid that I could understand the concept of his words. With the way his brows curved, his tongue mispronounced a lot of words and the irregularities in the movements of his eye balls.

"Something tells me you're just one of the manipulative and pretentious men. If you think I was going to believe all of your brain-bursting lies, then, permit me to conclude you're just dumb, spurious and fictitious rather than being wise and technocrat with deep thinking abilities." I twisted my wrists so as to reduce the tightness of the twine. On my wrist, the skin had turned red and soft. I removed my gaze from my wrist and switched it unto his face. I was certain he was ludicrous for him that I could say such a thing, and yes, quite similarly, was it to me that he'd thought his plan was going to succeed.

He scoffed, bit his lower lip and guarded his stance by holding unto his knees. A few seconds later, after being a pretty passive, he lurched across the room. He slid his hands into his pockets. Whilst walking up and down the room, he eventually ended at the door. He pulled it open, turned to face me, walked out and jammed the door closed. The loud sound caused my heart to skip a few beats.

As I thought of the far-fetched speech he had rendered, fascination was all I could think of. I was bewildered at his pretty face and ocean eyes and the opposed actions, the words he spoke and the plans he had. I was stuck between bewilderment, confrontation and conviction.

Realization dawned on me when I thought back to last night. From thinking of last night's occurrences, I remembered Harvey's outbursts, the injections, the loneliness and the two strange dreams I had had. I rested my head against the chair and as I tried recollecting what the dreams entailed, I gasped. I felt terror. I pressed my fingers firmly under the chair I was seated in as my whole body convulsed with fear. As more encounters of the dream came back to my remembrance, I became more frightened.

I had not only had two untypical and worrying dreams but I had, in reality, witnessed it. And as I fought between doubt and belief, the second dream began to manifest itself.

I felt myself slowly weakening. All I remembered was the loud shouts, murmurs and my body being injected with more than five syringes. As those liquid swam into my body, I let my body take over as my head sagged and breathing ceased.