Distorted

Chapter nine, The Cycle.

A month had passed since Merit's contact with the mysterious voice. Heavy rain soaked the muddy streets of Jacklot. Street vendors rushed to cover their machinery from the acidic rain in hope not to lose their only profit in this poor town. The robots' eyes were teary with the impure water as if they were genuine cries of pain echoing from their steely depth.

In the muddy streets, Merit walked with a heavy bag on her back that made her fall deep into mud, but that seemed like the least thing that would concern her. The rain soaked her icy white hair and her shiny eyes lost their glimmer, black circles embraced her weary dim eyes as she walked slowly and silently.

This gloomy state drowning her was only caused by her burden and confusion. The bag on her back was filled with stolen machine parts. She kept wondering if this was the right thing to do, spending a life of stealing to build a new empire she may not even live long enough to see, the mysterious signs of unease disturbing her everyday constantly ever since she lost the camera made her start seeing life from a completely different perspective, a dark one.

Her diaries became more crowded and filled everyday, there were no new notes, there was nothing to fill the emptiness inside her, nothing but a mission after a mission making her grow more bored and less excited about the life she has ahead of her.

"Something feels.. Wrong."

Merit stood in the midst of the rain with people around her running to cover their goods, she kept sniffing the rain as if she'd know what was wrong from it, she kept eyeing the place in a suspecting manner that her legs didn't dare to move an inch, and she was right, something was truly wrong.

There was it...Again.

Merit's dim eyes grew wider in fear, her head spun around and she felt unbalanced, the familiar sight hit her once more, the grey sky turned grim black.

Screaming echoed among the terrified people who left their goods behind and ran like maniacs, yet, Merit remained quite and calm, this time, she decided to conquer her fear and face this nightmare she thought she'd never understand.

"So, that's it.. I knew it. "

Merit felt an unexplained sense of bravery that made her drop her bag and take her note out, avoiding all crowds panic and gluing herself to a wall of an alley as she starred at the black sky beating with a red light each few seconds until a siren turned on.

She scrippled the sky in a messy way and drew everything around her as she anxiously gasped for air and tried to shelter her ear from the noise by her shoulder, her quivering hands made the drawing even sound more creepier and mysterious.

The sky was as black as coal. People's faces were as pale as the moon, they stumbled upon each others in muddy ponds and almost killed each other in attempt to find a shelter in this bleak darkness where only the glitching moon guided them. The sirens grew more ear piercing and unbearable, most importantly, an old memory ravaged through her misty vision.

Merit's eyes strayed away from her note and only starred at the black figures popping out behind each corner in the street. Quietly observing the panic and almost expressionless towards the masses falling over each other like sewer rats, their black hats covered their pale faces but Merit could already see through them. Their iron hands and robotic smiles, their non human attitude and shiny black shoes, she knows all that. It's all familiar.

Merit crawled to the back of the alley as the siren grew louder and louder. The sky kept flickering violently showing static screen and white lights, Merit succumbed to her fear knowing it'd eventually be a dream.

"Impossible" She cried as she took her pen and started drawing the men with black hats and flipped quickly to another page and drew the static sky, and as she did, the countdown was already starting.