Collateral Damage II

Chapter 10

sixty seconds make a minute, sixty minutes make an hour, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, four weeks a month, twelve months a year. at any given point in time you could and can lose someone close to you, someone you love, someone who you hold dear, gone just like that. for me right now it's my mom, who was punched through the wall in our house. not to say I'm miss negative but I personally was expecting a hole in her chest, though I'm glad that's not the case, she didn't come out unscathed. the caregivers tell me she has broken bones and internal organ damage, I can't even begin to imagine the pain she's going through even while she's unconscious. I'm sitting close to her bedding and nana is sitting on the other side, sleeping and snoring, which I don't know how she can do that at a time like this. but overall we're both hoping we've seen the worst of it, then I start to think of isol and I'm honestly pissed. before I know it I fall asleep and I start to dream about the white figure again, but for whatever reason I only now notice he's just a figure without much distinction from a painting.

it seems like I know and recognize him or it but at the same time he seems a total stranger. and as per how my dreams go he pulls me in closer, this is the moment where we'd stare into each other's eyes and be lost in each other but my guy doesn't have eyes. strangely enough I'm well aware of what's happening in my dream, I'm very aware of the dream and it's weird as hell. he kisses me, against my will obviously, cause who would want to kiss a muscular white figure with no eyes. we kiss for a bit and his lips taste like old spice for whatever reason, while I start enjoying my dream I feel a gentle tap on my shoulder and I wake up to find it's cept.

" wake up, we'll be leaving for the capital soon " he says

" but it's just the crack of dawn, who moves by this time " I reply

I'm still sleepy but I decide to leave mom's care to nana, we agree to meet up at the village chiefs house within the hour do I head home to freshen up. I cut through the market to get home quickly, then I notice somebody tailing me. I start walking faster but this guy is not relenting, I see a corner and I make a quick turn waiting for the bastard to stick his head so I can vent my anger on him. as soon as I see his head I throw the meanest punch I've thrown in a while, he dodge's it and what do you know, it's cept.

" come to prove my suspicions right "

" what are you talking about ? "

" you're following me so you can silence me right "

" you have a childish imagination "

apparently the village chief told him to follow me and make sure nothing happens to me, like I need protecting let alone from cept, I should have punched his head off when I had the chance. while we're walking through the market I see a hypnotist's shop and though it isn't open yet the shop next to him is open so I go in. it seems an older man runs the shop, probably in his late forties or something, he only seems to sell salt in his shop. I ask the shopkeeper about the person who ran the hypnotist shop next to him.

" I'll only tell you if you give me a piece of sugar " he says

" what ? "

" give me sugar and I'll give you the information you want "

" where the hell am I supposed to get sugar from ? , I don't walk around with sugar on me "

" here you go fine sir, it's brown sugar of the best quality "

cept hands him some sugar, now I begin to wonder why cept walks around with sugar on his person, he just gets weirder and weirder.

the shopkeeper says the hypnotist's we're finding is named " abez " and he hasn't been seen or heard from in a few months, though I'm wondering what kinda name abez is. cept then asks if he knows anything about how we could find him, and though he says he doesn't know. he does say we could ask the guy he gets some of his merchandise from, some guy from the capital named " Pina codala ". these guys and their weird names.

we thank the shopkeeper and make our way to my house, upon entering I feel my once normal home is now eerie and creepy. cept then politely asks to come in to which I grudgingly agree, cause I don't like him.

" nice place you got here " he says

" yeah, that is minus the hole in the wall, everything else is great " I reply with sarcasm then there's silence and it's a very awkward moment, I guess I just can't get along with him. I finish cleaning up we then head to the village chief's house with not so much as a sneeze at each other while going there.

" there they are, I trust nothing happened on your way here " says the village chief

" no, cept would have died before he let anything happen to me "

" yeah right " cept replies

there's silence again, the village chief takes notice of this and quickly changes the subject. the chief points out that we from the kingdom borders being invited to the capital for the council meeting is a rare honor and should be taken seriously, the council meeting is in a few days but we must make sure to be there before then so we can be more prepared. he says we should also make sure we tell them everything and make sure to not deviate from what each other says, as they could dismiss it as a long tale if they feel we are lying. I personally can't wait to see all the new and wonderful things the capital holds.