VAGUE

CHAPTER 7 (PART 3)

CHAPTER 7

-PART THREE-

-AFTER THE INTERROGATION-

No sound in the room, yet everyone is moving, just moving and not talking. Someone walks back and forth by the front window, always in easy reach of the phone, either doing the jobs that has been meaning to do for months, somehow they are now pressing, urgent even. I sit, unable to read, foot tapping up and down like some dumb wind-up toy. We sit knee deep in silence. The faucet drips into the mini sink, each one reverberating around the room like a cymbal, yet no-one blinks or moves to stop it. Outside there is no traffic or bird song, by now it must be afternoon the time in which today becomes nearly tomorrow. When it does the men will move, gather the arms and head out. 

The air is so brittle it could snap, and if it doesn't, I might. No-one speaks, what is there to say? Platitudes won't cut it right now. An hours ago they were all anyone was saying, anything to ease the terrible burden of worry. In this suspended horror that we all will to end and to last an eternity at the same time, every eye is on the anywhere. In seconds we will know, we will cheer the roof right off or pain will engulf us entirely. The water sits coolly in the glass before me, condensation beading the outside. I run my finger around it as if slicing the top off and watch the transparent "blood" drip to the pristine mirrored table below. In this bloody maroon room of feminine perfection that my ancestors have created, but I am forbidden to drop even a crumb lest I spoil the magazine cover replica of relaxation. I can feel the fear in my chest waiting to take over. I can feel the tension around coming from everyone. Perhaps it only wants to protect one another specially me but there really isn't any danger. I switch the radio off and stand from my seat and go to the nearest window. 

The air is sweet, the weather is fine, there are birds in the sky and I can hear water not far away. There's something about being outside that evaporates my fear, maybe the fresh air scent reminds me of fresh washed laundry, I'm not sure but my body has already begun to relax. I let out a slow controlled breath and attempted to loosen my body movements. I've been walking like a clockwork soldier and that was no way to be in this room. The wall clock ticks like the timer on a bomb. I can't stop it, reverse it or slow it down. Each tick drags me forward, helpless and nervous to the allotted time. I can no more avoid it than the beating of my own heart as it pounds with futility against its cage of bone and cartilage. The dread is an invisible demon sitting heavy on my shoulders and only I can hear the sharpening of its knives. I sweat and become pale, then the tremor in my hands begins. My head becomes a little giddy and my stomach nauseous. All I can do is wait on through window.

"Should we Trust them?"

I look behind to see who broke the silence that is covering everyone.

"Maybe yes either no" Gray utters as he drinks his glass of elixir

"first of, we should think inside the box" as Pendelton spoke

Walking back through the direction of my seat while listening through their argument.

"Then we should discuss what Bailey Peterson says through his set-up interrogations" Lock suggested while drinking his coffee

"The question is, should we trust Bailey Peterson and that Reed?" I stated while sitting on my couch.

"there's nothing we can do but to trust their words" Knight-lock stated firmly

"but they can actually manipulate us" Gray opposes his idea

"And lie to us" Price utter while getting some brewed for each one

"I get what Knight-lock wants to say" I stated "We can trust the two or maybe their team yet we can manipulate them as long as we want" looking at their faces seems they couldn't believe on what they just heard.