DANCE WITH THE ENEMY

CHAPTER TWO

ZARIYAH

"I've been in and out of slumber for the last couple of days. The last couple of days felt like an eternity. After I went hysterical when a news reporter claimed my father was involved with gangs, receiving bribes to pass false verdicts in court, and that's why he killed his family and committed suicide. I lost it, throwing a dish at the screen. Then I jumped out of bed, trying to grab the TV that was many feet's up. My outburst threw the entire floor into chaos; I thrashed the bed, wanting to rip the door off its hinges.

Nurses restrained me, quickly sedating me.

Ever since, they've had a dose ready to calm me down whenever they suspect another tantrum. It's always so quick I barely register my surroundings.

I groan and stretch on my bed. My limbs feel less numb, and the throbbing headache is more bearable.

All I want is to leave this place and find my family. My heart believes they're alive, and this nightmare will end soon. Maybe if I get out of this bed and go home, it'll all be over. Maybe. Just maybe.

I sneak out, avoiding nurses and doctors since I wasn't officially discharged.

After a while, I make it to the road. Wandering the streets in a hospital robe, I look tattered and worn. A few turns later, nausea hits. I retch into the gutter beside me, the torture in my body feeling endless. Helpless tears cloud my vision.

Relieved when the gagging stops and attempt to stand back up, but I stumble and pass out on the pavement."

I peeled my eyes open to a dimly lit room, surrounded by dark walls and furniture. The atmosphere felt void of life, mirroring my inner turmoil. I groaned in frustration, noticing the medical instruments attached to me. I was back here. But this room looked nothing like the hospital wards I'd spent countless nights in.

My heart racing, I reached for the IV syringe, desperate to escape. I wouldn't let them tie me down again. Despite my body's protests, I pushed myself forward, swinging my legs over the side of the bed.

Just as I stood up, the door burst open. A woman in her mid-thirties entered, her gentle smile failing to ease my glare. "Let me go," I demanded, my voice stern.

"You should lay back; exerting yourself isn't healthy for your condition," she urged.
"I'll let the boss know you're awake," she added, exiting quietly.

I ignored her warning and continued towards the door. Twisting the knob, I was relieved it opened easily. Stepping into a vast hallway with multiple doors, I took three steps before a deep voice halted me.

"You're headed in the wrong direction. The exit is that way, if you're thinking of escaping," he said, amusement lacing his tone.

I spun slowly to face him. His smug smile and trailing entourage screamed authority.
"Let me go. I have no business being here," I glared.

"She's feisty," the doctor commented.
"Making her even more appealing," he agreed.

"How about you sit and chat with me?" he suggested, gesturing to the room.

"I have nothing to say," I snapped, my back straightening despite the ache.
"I just wanna go home," I quietly add.

"By home, do you mean the house declared government property?" he asked. "That's been on lockdown for weeks?"

"That house belongs to my parents. Why would the government confiscate it?" I gritted.

"Because it belonged to the former Chief Judge, now a fugitive, who murdered his family and took his own life," he replied. "Everything your parents owned now belongs to the government."

Tears burst forth - anger, pain, frustration, and hatred. Tears for the cruel words about my family.

"He didn't do it! He'd never harm his family!" I yelled, my tone trembling.

"Only you believe that," he said. "Everyone else sees what the authorities feeds them."

"I don't care. I want to go home, to my family. They'll be worried sick," I chanted.

"Leave us," his voice boomed, echoing through the hallway.
The silence that followed was a welcome respite.

"We both know that's a lie," he said gently. "A comforting illusion. You watched your family being slaughtered. It's been two weeks since their death, one week since their burial."

Reality crashed down, and I crumbled to the floor. The agony I'd locked away flooded back. Memories replayed in my mind.
"Shhh... It's alright. Let it all out. I'm here for you."
His attempt at consoling me did nothing to ease the pain in my heart, or the torrents of tears that rained down m eyes.