The Damned

Chapter 5

I sat there, my mind staring into the open and my heart beating vigorously. It was my fault Zakir died and Amir was right. How could I be so stupid to underestimate my handlers? All I wanted to do at this moment was to die. A mixture of guilt and remorse tightened my stomach into a sickening knot and my mind contemplated on all the disgusting things I was.

'You are a murderer.'

"You are a Liar'

"You're so stupid to think your handlers weren't following you.'

The words echoed in my head like the voice in my mind was yelling from the top of a cave high up in the mountains. Then, suddenly, I felt my face heat up and my throat tightened as hot, fat tears rolled down my cheeks and I started to sob loudly. I tried to hold it in but I couldn't. Now these two strangers were going to think I'm nothing more than a stupid, needy girl.

Instead, I felt arms around my shoulders with the soothing, loving words.

"Everything is going to be alright."

It was the same girl that slit my shoulder earlier. I looked at the man that was with her and he exchanged my distressed look with a look of sympathy. There was nothing more than kindness and pity in their eyes.

This calmed me down a bit.

I hugged the girl back tightly and cried my heart out. How was I going to find Amir and apologise? Even worse, how was he going to respond once I told him about the tracker? I shuddered at the thought of seeing him again and it was probably safe to say some things were better left unsaid.

After a long, painful breakdown and a few more minutes of more kind words from the girl and the sincere nods of understanding from the guy, my sobs subsided into little hiccups until I came to a composed stop.

"So what's your name." The guy asked.

The girl shot him a death glare and I panicked in my mind. What was I going to tell them now? But I told him the truth.

"I honestly don't know." I bit my lip in anticipation of what could unfold but strangely they didn't look anything but calm.

"You must have lost your memory then." The guy stated as a matter of fact.

The girl just nodded in approval.

"I don't know but I was also told it is a possibility." I said.

"By who?" The guy curiously asked.

"Why would it even matter?!" The girl snapped.

"I'm sorry about this idiot's rude behaviour. But I understand your situation really well. This guy was in the same position as you but he started regaining his memories through dreams."

Did she just say he started regaining his memories through dreams? A ball of happiness formed in the place where that sad knot had earlier and I felt like dancing and running around the forest. I took a deep breath and composed myself and my emotions.

"But the difference between you and me is that I forgot everything that happened during the elimination. I still knew my name and everything else before that." The guy added.

"It all makes sense!" I blurted out.

"What does?" They both said in unison, taken aback by my sudden excitement.

"I think I know my name. I had these dreams and everyone in my dream called me Karima." I squealed in hysteria. There's no way I was going to hide my excitement from them. This was the first time I acknowledged the feeling of joy. I felt over the moon.