A Promise

Synopsis

The demolished buildings lined the streets which was once occupied by the towering skyscrapers. Cars ripped apart and occasional cries for help echoed the otherwise silent city. There was silence and emptiness all around with ambiguity to the eyes of the perceiver. The lands on the other side turned barren and there were lives gasping for their last breath. There were footsteps that trudged in the unconsolidated sand. The footsteps were that of a kid who walked with struggle keeping herself together amidst the chaos around. The plumes of smoke erupted at a distance and there was a rumbling nearby. It was the kid's shadow that remained outlined in the darkness that swelled deep on the land. The cries died down as the mysterious shapes appeared in the sky.

"It is important", she said. The voice was faint and the kid turned back and nodded patiently. The woman who was down on the ground bleeding profusely struggled to move away from the debris. The woman could feel her pulse dropping as she was sweating uncontrollably. Blood drops trickled down from her eyes and nose. Her vision got blurred as she tried to look into the kid's face. The kid looked at the woman understanding something was wrong and there was hopelessness in her eyes. 

The woman held out a key to the kid. The kid hesitantly took it from her and kept it in the pocket. "It might be challenging but you love your mother, am I right?, the woman asked. The kid hugged the woman lying on the ground. "Yes I love you to the sky and back", was something that the kid tried to express as the words were not clear. "It might harm you and our family as well but the cause is important", the woman spoke." Stand up for the cause as you grow up and the world acknowledges and follows you, believe in me", the women let out her words with difficulty. 

The kid's eyes were determined as her tender palms wiped away the tears that flowed down her cheeks involuntarily, trying to be brave. "Use this key to open the box in the attic at the grandpa's shop after his death and search for the cause you are destined to strive, promise me you will never open the box before", the women said as she knew the end was inevitable. As the kid placed her palm over hers, the woman began to feel the soul being carried away and everything around appeared so serene. 

The figures formed silhouettes as if they guarded the kid from all the evil. The kid's footsteps left behind traces of green color on the path and life seemed to germinate from her footsteps. The Sun which remained beneath the clouds emerged out radiating its warmth as the flowers bloomed and danced in the kid's direction. The birds that remained inside their shelters fluttered out in the wild. The buildings began to repair themselves and the debris began to disappear. The trails of smoke fused with the wind and it carried a sweet fragrance.

When there is darkness and gloom, there is a light that emanates from a small point spreading out the light of hope. The light was the kid they whispered as they hoped she would be their diplomat to undo the injustice done to their race...

Chapter-1- In The Interrogation Room

She sat there all alone in that dark creepy room which looked like an interrogation room. Her eyes fluttered as she tried to adjust to the heavy neon lights. With great effort she opened her eyes to look around. The heat was blistering her skin and the ropes used to fasten her seemed to cut through her skin. The building looked more like a myth as it looked different. The wall before her had paintings of witchcrafts and some Egyptian sculptures were scattered here and there on the floor. She tried standing up but then she realized she was tied to the chair. Attempting to stand up just worsened her pain further. The chair was made out of hard steel that screeched as she tried to move her ankles or wrists. 

Being tied to the interrogation chair she was staring at a shadow that appeared to be a man standing opposite. "What is happening?", she cried out loud. There was no response and she felt her throat getting dry so she remained silent for a while. She needed water desperately but no one was around except for the walls that surrounded her. 

She kept staring at the wall hoping that a hole might appear in the bricks beckoning her escape, but nothing happened. It was getting more profound as time passed, her perceptions were shifting from loss and discouragement. It indicated her sense of hopelessness that slowly set in an orientation that is presupposed by the possibility of actually hoping for anything in life.

She kept uttering to herself that things would get normal. Holding onto the grief and pondering over it made her cry which was very rare for her. She was emotionally strong and stable but with time her emotions were getting shattered. Emotions appeared just like the broken glass shards before her. Reflecting back the sense of hopelessness back to her again and again.

The restraints made her feel weak and it increased her agitation. She was in a very confused state. With her mouth gagged she felt nausea tic and drowsy. The long hours of restraint made her get exhausted. Her thoughts got intrusive and she felt an unconscious bond taking birth. She felt intimidated and very vulnerable to her unknown captors. She has not seen anyone of them since she was lodged in this room. She felt a gnawing sensation in her stomach due to hunger. She slowly began to have an irresistible headache.

She kept fidgeting the ends of her dress hoping to get some distraction. She knew that she needed to figure her way out but her thoughts were fragmented and it was fear that gripped her. She heard noises around her, strange ones. She heard people laughing and speaking, but all of them were unintelligible. She gently closed her eyes to run over the events of the past few days. Nothing came up at this conjuncture. She was about to go unconscious that was when she heard faint voices at a distance. She felt something lurking around her. Some weird creatures seemed to climb over her, she felt her skin itching and burning. She could see in the shadows, his eyes that were peeping into hers. She shivered in fear as the real nightmare was those eyes.