Not a whisper {Short Story✓}

Not a whisper

A bead of sweat trickled down Ember's jaw before it reached her chin and let loose from her skin, it soaked into her black shirt joining the other droplets that did the same. Ember had a pale complexion that was slightly blushed by the icy breeze that blew her dripping midnight hair back, her long eyelashes shielded her forest eyes from the harsh water, her lips blended in with a purple bruise that blossomed at the corner of her lip as her yellowish teeth chattered. The crying sky was the reason for her dampness, its tears didn't hold back on any centimetre of the whole town, dips in the jagged pavement and the stone fountain kept the droplets captive. Brick and wood buildings gathered around that fountain; some had wooden signs that squealed in the cold wind, others had rusty metallic numbers and some building's bones were scattered across the pavement. She treaded down the life stripped street as white plastic rustled in her grasp, her expression was stone cold as her whole body was numb, her back slouched as the shining handle got closer and closer towards her and her hand reached out in desperation.

She grasped onto the glistening handle and pushed the door open and a warm gush of air hit her face as she stepped in and she slammed the door behind her.

"I'm back." She hollered as her lips quivered.

"Did you get everything?" An older female voice shouted as the water that had ridden on Ember felt to the oak floor below her.

"Yes." She groaned as she placed the plastic on the stone counter beside her and tip toed to a wooden door. A middle-aged woman rose from one of the smoky grey sofas and walked out of the living room and towards the stone counter, she pealed the plastic open and inside were colour deprived vegetables, a red stained paper package and small bags of crushed leaves. She pulled everything from the plastic and put them on the empty counter space beside her and compressed the plastic between her palms, her foot pressed on a metal pedal beside her and the mouth of a metal cylinder opened wide and swallowed the plastic. The kitchen was made of light shades of stone, wood and metal but it was separated off from the living room by a short wall that stretched out halfway across the room. A door creaked open behind the woman and Ember stood in the doorway. Her face had gained a slight tinge of colour as her even damper hair hung down from her scalp in clumps, it ruffled against a grey towel that brushed against her hair.

"Did she get you everything this time?"A rough voice yelled as a door near the sofa slammed open.

"She did." The woman yelled back as Ember froze in the doorway.

"Good!" The rough voice said as an older man came towards Ember, her attention diverted to the floor as his warm breath brushed against her cheek,"I don't think she wants to end up like her brother."

She slowly inhaled the contaminated oxygen around her before she made her way over to the sofa and sat herself down, she reached out for the black rectangle ahead of her and pressed on a red button on the upper corner, a large screen beyond her beamed its light onto her face and she slightly squinted. Muffled gibberish blared out of the screen as black and white squiggles tumbled over each other, taps behind her got louder as she stared at the squiggles as they continued to tumble.

"Ember can you make dinner please, your father and I need to watch this program." Her mother said as both of her parents placed themselves beside her.

"But there is nothing even on." She said as her eyebrows frowned, she looked at her father who stared right at her and the towel fell from her shoulders onto the grey couch.

"Do as your mother says, Ember." Her father growled as she shot up from the couch, her parents' knees and arms were at perfect right angles as they sat.

"I don't want to." She said as she walked behind her parents facing another wooden door. Silence fell upon the house and she turned around to face the back of her parents, their heads began to turn, and she furrowed her brows. Their heads had reached what Ember thought was their limit until they continued to twist. She stumbled back and her fingers trembled against the wood behind her, her parents' eyes eventually met hers, but their bodies hadn't moved a slight bit, their ruby like eyes stared deep into her soul. Flickers of bright colours beamed onto her face. The large screen she turned on also stared at her with the same red eye.

"Listen to your parents, Ember." Automated voices echoed, "It would be a shame if you disappeared too."

Her body violently shook, lumps went down her throat while she stared at the unfamiliar things that were situated in her living room. Her nails scraped across the door before she grabbed a metal ball behind her, she jumped forward and the door behind her flung open, she jumped inside and slammed the door shut. A plain bedroom laid in front of her as a cold breeze snuck in through the slightly open window and made her hairs stand on end. She dashed over to the window and her rough palms rubbed against the plastic seal that held the glass as she tugged on the plastic's handle, she squeezed through the small gap that she had made. As she pushed herself out, she caught a glimpse of a young man sat on the bedside table, she froze as her leg hung out of the window, her eyes seemed to lose all the colour as she gazed at the man and her expression lost. His gaze back to her is all she wished for, even just a moment is all she wanted with him even if it was just a millisecond. She pushed herself fully out of the window and her naked feet got consumed by cold water, icebergs replaced her feet as she dragged herself through the water. She shivered as the water from the sky hit her dry body, she stepped out of the puddle and began to sprint down the street and check behind her.

Her feet slammed against the jagged pavement and she pricked her feet as she ran but suddenly, she came to a halt. The cold air hit her as the concrete in front of her opened exposing an assortment of coloured tubes that were bundled together by strong plastic, from the opening rose a screen that illuminated Ember's pale face with vibrant colours. Its ruby eye stared into her eyes; it was them once again. She froze as loud sirens echoed around the street.

"Six six five, you have violated the Presidentials' orders." Its automated voice spoke again, "Do not resist."

The sirens continued and she shook her head and retook her steps, but another screen blocked her, she covered her ears as she looked back and forth at the screens. The noise pierced through her ears and sliced through her head; she fell to her knees but continued to look around. Families peaked out of their homes ,including her own, and peered at her. Her parents gazed with no emotion while she huddled with the floor and continued to get drenched.

Suddenly, her arms tugged up and she flailed her legs, she screamed out as her heals scratched along the pavement. Two men all in white held Ember in a tight grip, she attempted to pull herself away but with each try their grip only got harder. She stared at her parents faces and they were exactly the same, everyone else who stared at her had the same expression. She continued to cry out but her stop signs only got drowned out by the sirens. The men swept her hair to the side and numbers laid on the back of her neck, "665", they pinched her neck and a rectangle of skin peeled of her neck revealing shining metal and an empty slot. Underneath that was two small circles, one red and one green, they pressed the red button and her motion as well as her screams silenced. The sirens stopped and everyone casually went into their homes, the screens descended into the floor and Ember was dragged down the street like an old porcelain doll.