The burning which made me roll around and whine, now dropped significantly. I rested my head on the floor as I ate the air like a starving child.
After a second, my memories of the living 'painting' came back, then the marigold field and red sky and then the upside hung woman who dripped blood.I shut my eyes tightly like I could forget about it all if I did that.
'This is the second time today…. what's happening to me?" I heard the thumping of my heart beat against my chest.
I took a breath to calm my nerves as I lay in the pool of my blood. My nose was swollen, blood dripped from the corner of my mouth and it felt heavy to open my eyes. But I could still breath, hear, and think.
"...and that's enough." I told myself. I pushed myself off the floor trying to rise to my feet when something slammed into my back.
I heard something snapping at the contact, wooden splinters rolled to my side as I hit the ground again, "Didn't you hear him!" A thug asked.
'Oh they're still here…' The thugs slipped my mind as the vision and pain lingered a lot in my head more than some identical bald heads.
I opened my eyes, darting my gaze around and I saw the four thugs. Two, including Nackir, were sitting in front of me with his half cooked arm. The other two, one right beside me and the other still at the door side.
But what made my eyes widen wasn't the look of suspicion on their eyes or the evilness in their actions but something that has to do with me. I could see an additional colour…it was present all over me. Sometimes it was red, other times orange. And they swayed like flames in the air.
'What the hell…is this?'
These colours allowed me to see much more clearly, every corner and myself. But before I could see more, the blinking of orange and red colours quickened on my left.
I quickly turned my head back and saw one of the thugs swinging a half broken chair down at me. My arms pushed the ground allowing me to roll and avoid the hit.
The chair broke into splinters again at the powerful force of the swing. I once again rolled to my right, away from all the thugs.
I slowly rose to my feet. The thugs of scarlet-thew glanced between them–confused. I limped a step back, my back touching the dirty and dusty wall behind me.
Then I once again saw the colours blinking fastly where the thug who was holding the splinters. Suddenly he charged at me, like a bull which saw a cow. Before I could even move out of the way, he was already only a handful away from me.
He swung his right arm at me, scratching my cheek with the splinter in his hand. I jerked back, hitting the wall again.
Without even giving me a chance he spun on his leg and kicked my legs away, I fell again harder. Almost immediately he climbed on top of me as he started punching my face.
My face stirred at his first punch as my nerves sent warnings to my brain, "kill that rat!" Nackir said.
"Yeah, kill!" The other one shouted.
Their shouts for my death reverberated in my ears as I saw a few spheres of red and orange gathering up beside my palms. I shut my eyes tight as I saw the thug showing his fist onto my face. But I still saw the round shiny lights trying to soothe my arms.
'Kill..' I heard a voice. A familiar voice. My own voice.
'Kill.' This time I heard an unfamiliar voice of a woman.
The amount of colours around my arms increased and expanded. More and more red and orange flew to gather around me. Before I could look to see what's happening, a heavy, almost wooden club-like-fist slammed down heavily.
'Kill!' A chorus of voices echoed in my mind as my face shook from that hit. Darkness suddenly consumed my vision but I quickly regained my vision.
I couldn't see. All where my eyes saw was a blurred vision. I shook my head a few times before rubbing my eyes. Then everything became clear. The dim lit room, the bloodpool and the horrified look in the thug's faces.
'wait…why are they looking so horrified?' That's when I noticed, I wasn't laying down on the floor anymore..there wasn't a thug on top of me, beating the shit out. And I was standing.
'What the hell?' The wrinkles on my forehead showed themselves as I frowned.
"N'klo…" Nackir gasped, he held his burned arm in one hand. His face contorted as he kept his eyes on the floor beneath me.
The thugs beside him also had their mouths opened as a gasp escaped them, but unlike Nackir they were looking at me.
I followed Nackir's eyes down the floor until I saw what was on the floor beside me. My eyes widened as my stomach squeezed, letting out the water I had drunk through my mouth. I forced my eyes to take another glance at it– lying there on the floor was a thug. But half of his face melted away.
It was then I noticed a coldness in the palms of my hands. My hands trembled as I turned them to see. My hands were covered in blood. And in the palms something was stick to it like glue.
The smell of burned flesh slipped into my nose. I quickly turned my head away and looked at thugs. They were looking at me. Fear and hatred etched into their faces. The monsters who wore human skin looked at me with their hands trembling, eyes widened in shock and fear.
'...did I do it? But how?...I don't remember. Even if I did, how can I, so cruelly, so hideously…'
"Wh-what are you!?" Nackir stammered. Gone was his arrogance and bloodlust, now filled with fear he crawled back.
Suddenly the door to the room kicked open and a man entered, "What's with the bloody noise!?" He asked in a grumbling voice. The man wore only unbuttoned pants as he scratched his pork belly. He looked at me with his half closed eyes and ran his fingers through his receding hairline.
"Jugör!" A thug called
"The Hell's going on?" Jugör asked.
"H-he isn't normal…."
"Hmm?" Jugör raised his eyebrows as glanced at me before laughing out loud, "Of course he isn't…look at him, he is just skin and bones."
Before the thugs could stop him, Jugör walked towards me. As soon as he got close, he swung his hand at my face. But I already knew it as the colours around him gave away.
I moved to my side. I didn't know how I knew what to expect and do, but at that moment, when the colours dimmed and brightened my body just moved on its own.
Jugör stumbled as he missed me. Suddenly my left hand grabbed the back of his hair and pulled back hard, making the fat man grumble in pain.
"Let go, rat!" Jugör cursed.
I tried to let go but my hand wouldn't. My hand tightened its grip and pulled again.
'What ... .is happening?' I couldn't believe what was happening. My own hand denying my command? How is that even possible….
It was then I saw it. On the back of my left arm there was a dark blood colour mark. It was merely visible. My thoughts ran wild in my head as I remembered that stain that dissolved into my left hand.
'Is it because of that I am able to see these colours and this sudden strength? That burning ... .and the upside hanging woman…and that war picture ... ..was it all because of this!?'
As thoughts ran, I suddenly remembered why I'm here– to find Lali's mother. The magician!
'Thinking back, she ran on air. Did I somehow become like her…?' I glanced at the colours surrounding me quickly. I didn't know what it was. I didn't even know what I am right now. But if anyone knows, it'd be her- magician Laura.
"Wh-wh.." I stammered. Clearing my throat I asked, "Where is the magician girl you took?"
"Huh!!? I'm not telling!" Jugör shouted.
'Not telling, huh?' That means he at least knows where she is held.
I pulled his hair again, with greater force. He swung his arms around like a cat caught by its scuff, "You lot! Kill this rat!" He shouted.
I turned my head back, but what I saw was an opened room and lots of blood. But no trace of Nackir and thugs.
"...they left?" I muttered before pulling at Jugör's hair again, "where is she?" I asked again.
Jugör met my eyes and swallowed his breath before opening his mouth, "At the naval base."
'Naval base!? Even the navy is involved in this?' now I realize the risk in this matter, the government is also taking part in this abduction. Does this mean she also stole bread from the navy?
I looked at the man who was sweating profusely and whimpering silently about letting him go. My lips stretched into a smirk as I folded my right hand into fist and punched him in the face. Making Jugör stumble and fall on his back.
"You're coming with me." I simply said as I grabbed him by his hair and stepped out of the damned room. Leaving only the half melted corpse behind.