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┏━━━━━ CHAPTER TWO ━━━━━┓ ★゜・。。・゜゜・hope is such a fragile thing ──── Chicago Rhee
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❝ Sometimes I don't know where this dirty road is taking me sometimes I don't know the reason why so I guess I'll keep gamblin' ❞ — waiting around to die, the be good tanyas
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THERE WAS SOMETHING WRETCHED IN THE WORLD, a nameless entity that was determined to purge all the purity from the tainted land. It was dangerous to brandish no weapon but a soft-spoken tongue and hands that were not coated with the blood from moments of violence even innocent eyes could not hide from.
The nightmares of the real world followed me behind closed eyelids, a shallow scream caught in the pit of my stomach allowing for nothing but strangled gasps to escape my lips. The darkness had attempted to tear the still-beating light that clung to my soul, but it had not yet won. I walked along cracked pavement knowing that my good nature was not wanted, that I was not wanted, and yet I continued to fight back against death's abrasive touch for every day I remained. I had not yet lost.
Sunlight filtered in through the gaps and leaves of the towering trees, the broken light patches on the ground mixed with areas of shade. Even under the thick canopy of vegetation, the heat danced upon the surface of my skin, seeping into my body and making me groggy as sweat dribbled down my arms and legs and stuck my clothes to my feverish body.
Despite my legs begging for rest, for ease from the tension and muscle aching that demanded my attention every couple of minutes, I only continued to traverse through the endless sea of trees. Perhaps working myself to utter exhaustion and dehydration was how I would, unfortunately, succumb to death. For now, it lingered in the shadows, waiting for the one wrong move that I would make.
My throat was raw and my lips bled from lack of hydration. I ran my tongue along the surface of the flesh, tasting metallic and provoking a stinging sensation. The bout of pain did not stay for long and before I could become distracted by gnawing at the already raw flesh, I forced myself to scan my surroundings. Rule one: never let your guard down, even when out in the open. I pressed my lips tightly together in concentration, waiting for that one obstacle that would jump out from behind cover.
My stomach rumbled, the nausea that accompanied my nagging hunger was successful in its mission to distract me. My malnourished body screamed for nutritious food, not the pathetic scraps I had stumbled upon. Food was not a luxury, however. A world once rich in all kinds of foods imaginable had now grown starved. In a way, I could relate to this absence, because it had been so long since I had simply existed. How dreadful it was to feel the void of what was no longer but have no ability to acquire the fuel both mind and body required.
