10 At the Ration Center, Ardum District

3rd of December

Too much light. Too blinding. I can't easily spot the place I'm whereunto. But then there are some footsteps lingering around. From different angles. I can't determine the right position.

I decided to find those despite the light hindering my sight. Still, the footsteps remain. Suddenly, added by slow claps. The same thing happened. They're from different places. I can't distinguish where they came from.

Until an eerie sound changes those creepy ones. They are an earache. That caused me to cover my ears to restrain the noise. It's like I'm being driven to my deathbed. What is happening?

All of a sudden, the light disappeared. Darkness again invades. I can't hear a thing now. Quiet. Chilling feeling. An abrupt appearance of a spotlight emerged in front of me. And a man in his discarded and bloody clothes can also be seen. Blood dripping from his fingertips as both wrists are wounded and sliced up. These hands were familiar to me.

Moments after, his palm rolled ready to throw someone a punch. His veins are visible saying that he's in rage.

My eyes got widened as I saw his face. Sliced eyebrow, bleeding lips, and bruised cheeks. But what got me feared up is that his neck gradually splits blood as wounds can be observed encircling his neck. He also vomited blood. What a disgusting!

My knees trembled as he steps closer. I have the instinct to run and get away from him, hence I can't leave my place. I'm just running without moving. Cold sweats started to build and my air got lesser seconds by seconds.

I faced the man's side and got shocked when his only inches away from me. Suddenly, he got me on my neck and got choked by his bloody hands. The metallic smell of blood passes by my nose. Effortlessly, he stumbled me on the floor and continued strangling me to death. But as I can still restrain him, I'm thankful enough to breathe.

“Be part of our legacy!”

***

“You want me to be part of your organization?” asked a woman in her blue blouse and shorts to the man in pants and a white tee.

“Yes. You’re fit to this,” assured to her by the man. The woman did not drift with the man’s word. She left the man with regret on his face. Is that how the woman’s importance in their nonsense organization?

I saw a man in his long straight hair, black jacket and greyish pants with boots stand nearby a tree affront a shoe shop racing his placard high as possible and shouted.

“NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN, MEN! TO TELL YOU! TIME WILL COME, YOUR CLOSEST FRIEND WILL BETRAY YOU UNEXPECTEDLY!”

Such words of morality can’t help people be pleasured of someone else’s. as the society here in New Cica been unmoved by soothing and remarkable words of wisdom. They're too focused on being successful and earning money for their own purposes.

Walking on the street of Ardum District never made me reminisce a scene from the past. All throughout my years, nothing has been remarkable other than those malicious, greedy, jealous, sympathetic, silly, wise, kind and at some point, kind personalities of a person. I’ve already seen a lot and I’m proud to say that I, myself can be fooled by someone.

The queue for the rations slip here at the Ration Center, five blocks away from my apartment is long making me asleep while waiting for my turn to be marked. Every week this scenario happens. Even if you’re just alone at your house or such apartment, the government would take responsibility or give you your week-long necessities. Just you, yourself is staying in a house or such apartment with complete equipment and registered to the capitol.

No one can fool the Capitol regarding the matter.

The institution I’m in announced last week the service training we have to undergo at the Zale District. The district of Zale is known for its disciplinary measures when it comes to security, defense, and morals.

It’s not that all the civil guards came from Zale but the governors who manage the district are well-mannered to the point that they established their own rules that mandated by the capitol having no doubt.

To make the long story short, we have to be there hoping our disciplinary level and morale be straightened and touched.

Upon receiving and been checked and marked again for the third time, one must pass an alley where people should be scanned from some hilarious things, they’ve done to their own souls out of capitol’s watch.

I know this seems a possessive approach a normal capitol doing but seriously speaking, it’s for monitoring one’s health environment (to be away from sickness or having symptoms of some), the consensus of the capitol’s people (knowing that there are people doing suicides, just to know the headcount), and have your information recorded (all sort of things you’ve done, encountered and experienced for that week).

For what reason? I’ve been searching for answers but nothing’s important.

After passing the alley and been scanned, I decided to bring my things straight ahead to my apartment. But then, a civil guard shouted my surname.

“Seclin!”