5 Chapter 5
His chilly breaths were visible at night. The boy ran with all his might as if it was for his life. Panting heavily, sweating profusely, and still aching tremendously.
It would've taken so much for a boy to even move with his pained limbs and feverish temperature. When he passed by a closed and quiet wet market, he went through its damped pavements and tried to search a way from there.
As soon as he got out of the maze-like place, there were lamp posts at the sidewalks of a long crossroad. It felt frightening to walk through it.
He didn't know what was beyond it but darkness from his sight right now.
His hesitations were put to an end when he heard footsteps from behind.
The patrolling policemen's vigilant eyes met with his sudden, fearful gaze. His heart pounded and adrenaline punched throughout his innards. His feet acted up before he could even feel it.
He was running endlessly at the road, fearing to cross as he was chased by some grown-ups that he'd never feel assurance at. The white, chilly breaths just vanish somewhere in the air at his speed, swallowed with anxiety and mindless pursuit of nothingness.
It didn't even cross his mind whatever he might do if he could escape from that place forever.
What lies ahead wasn't clear and the future was such a big question mark.
Soon, his body gave up as expected. He collapsed at the middle of the road, ensnared with the misty darkness that seemed undefeatable no matter how strong his hope or strength grows.
As he was catching his breath, he slowly looked behind and saw no one following or chasing him.
Everything felt like an illusion, but a certain urge was positive for him. He started crawling back from where he ran away from while questioning what in the world he's even trying to do. While in the midst of his attempt to return, he had finally calmed himself down and thought things logically.
After stealing some money from the old woman's cozy house, he ran away with it and the recoil of guilt finally struck him. It's in the middle of the night.
He thought that he could just go back to that warm place, take things easy until he recovered his lost memories, and make things right.
His conflicted self even agreed to that.
Just pretend that nothing happened.
"She's probably still asleep, anyway," He convinced himself further. "I'll just act like I never got up from that couch. I can amuse myself with the puppy and take my time healing myself. Right, that's the proper thing to do."
Later on, his feet had finally brought him to the beginning of the road where the lamp posts were still illuminating the path.
He glanced at the nearby wet market from earlier and felt his nerves raked with chills when he saw the old woman talking to the policemen from earlier.
"Have you seen a boy somewhere?" She asked with her shaky voice. "He might've passed this way."
She's wearing some thick sweater and fabric mittens to warm her wrinkled hands.
She seemed really cold and weak against the dusk.
"I'm sorry, madam," The policemen apologized. "I don't think we saw anyone roaming around. Are you sure he wouldn't have gotten far away from here?"
"It hasn't been long since he was gone. I figured he must be just nearby and you might've seen him."
"There's really not a single soul around here but those that are patrolling. We're sure of it, madam. You can just file for a missing person report tomorrow."
The old woman looked sullen after reluctantly accepting the policemen's words.
The boy swallowed a lump in anger and guilt. He tried blaming the policemen, telling them in his mind that they're a bunch of liars and that they supposedly saw him.
They even chased him.
But even that truth became seemingly fragile. What if it was an illusion all along?
One that was built with his worries and fear or one that was fabricated with the darkness itself.
What if it was something that was made out of his incessant fear right from the very beginning of his realization about his existence. Living without memories felt frightening and tolling.
His limbs are still aching and he's still got his fever.
What if it's all because of him?
After pushing away a little of those thoughts, he decided to return to the house.
