Ablaze The Heart

Good Ol' Dema

The start of another day in the dreaded place we are told to call "home". Dema. What a joke honestly that we have to stay in this grayish place and expect not to escape. I walk to my closet, rummaging through the same old clothes I wear weekly. I grab a black tank top, blue jeans, and black boots. I know, not the best. We can't wear all the best designer clothes that's out there.

Leaving my bedroom, I hear a faint noise from the TV in the living room. The daily morning news and lies they feed us every, single, day. "Gooood morning Demaa!" says the anchorwoman. "Today is August 16, 2024, and we have breaking news. Well-known escapee, Clancy, has been caught trying to escape Dema once again. Haha, I mean, how can he not learn from his mistakes? Who doesn't learn after their 10th time being caught?" snarks the woman on the screen. 10 times? Really?  I wonder how he came up with his ways of escaping this place. " If you see this man trying to escape, inform the authorities immediately."

I turn the TV off and head out the door. Ah, fresh air. I deeply hate this place. I noticed that around the city, there have been markings left in the color red. Clancy. Has to be, right?  I notice that it must've been Clancy leaving these markings behind since he's known to be seen in red now. I wonder what message he's trying to leave behind for Nico. Screw him. Screw all the bishops. They made us all live in hell and made us do nothing but suffer.  I head to the nearby cafe.

"Hi, welcome to Dema Deluxe. What can I get for you today ma'am?" the cashier asks. "Just the usual," I reply. The cashier walks over to the barista and gives her my order. I find a seat next to the open window. I notice faintly a guy in a black hoodie, with the hood up, looking down at his table. He looks oddly famili- "Here you go, ma'am. Your usual, mochaccino [mocha] with some french toast. Enjoy!" the barista places down my order and walks away. I sip my coffee and eat my breakfast while also glancing occasionally at the man in front of me. He picks up his cup and takes a sip from it. I notice his hands are slightly black, like ash from a fire. Clancy?! There's no way it's him. He couldn't possibly be out in public like this after being on the news for getting caught trying to escape. I put my fork down on my plate and walked over to his table.

He looks up slightly and quickly looks back down. "Is it okay if I sit here?" I ask, softly. He doesn't say a word. He just stares at the chair with a sort of mean demeanor. I back up from the chair slightly. "Sure.." he says quietly. I pull out the chair and sit in it, I place both my hands in my lap. He continues to stay quiet. While we sit here, people are running on the sidewalk next to the cafe yelling random things. It catches Clancy's attention and he lifts his head and looks at me. I look back at him, questioning what we both saw. I look back out the window and notice security officers are chasing after them. Clancy ducks his head back down and pulls his hoodie over his face to hide from the officers.