(ARC 2 PH:2 : Questioner)
The rain did not fall heavily that day.
Instead,it spread a cold dampness
across the entire city.When Anie woke up that morning,the heaviness in her head was worse than the day before.
The first thought that crossed her mind
as she opened her eyes,
"Did she really sleep last night?"
She sat on the bed in silence for a while.Outside the window the city.
Buildings,Clouds,
Everything looked normal.But inside her,nothing felt normal.
[The Next Day]
The sound of tea boiling in the kitchen.
Her mother had the radio turned on.
"Security has been increased
across the city,"
a news voice said.
"These are isolated incidents,"
another official voice followed.
Anie held the tea cup in her hands.
Her attention was stuck on the radio.
"Another attack
reported last night," the news continued.
"The suspects have not yet been identified."
Her mother turned the radio off.
"These days everything feels scary,"
she said.
"Don't come back late from college."
"I won't," she replied.
It didn't sound like a promise.More like
a request.
""Seeing the City Up Close""!!!!
While walking towards the bus stop,
Anie noticed small details along the road.Shops half-open. A police vehicle
parked at a corner.Two people arguing
with phones in hand.On a wall,a graffiti:
"THE CITY KNOWS."
Anie stopped,her heartbeat
missed a beat.
"What is this…?" she wondered.
When the bus arrived,she looked back.
The graffiti was still there.
{at the collage}
The college gate,More security than usual today.ID checks,Cameras,Investigation officers
inside and outside,Students stood
in small groups,talking.
"Is this a college
or a police station?" someone joked.
The laughter hid fear.
As Anie walked into the campus,she felt it,The place was watching her.
(Interval:,)
Mira stood near the library.
"Did you hear?" she asked.
"Someone went missing at the metro station last night."
"Missing?"Anie repeated.
"Yes. Nothing on the cameras,"
Mira lowered her voice.
"Everything blank."
Anie swallowed her words.
"They're saying it's Hunters,"
Mira suddenly said
Anie looked at her.
"Hunters?"
"Yes.Everyone's talking about it
on online forums."
"What are they?" Anie asked.
Mira glanced around.
"I don't know.But they say they hunt
certain people."
Anie held her breath.
"Why?"she asked
Mira shrugged,
"Some say those people have abilities."
Anie said nothing.Inside her,one question,
exploded:"Then…
why are they hunting me?"
The air-conditioner was running.But she felt no coolness.The teacher's voice reached her ears with delay.
The words didn't settle in her mind.
She wrote...in her notebook:
Hunters,,,,,
Why?,,,,
Me?,,,
She closed the notebook quickly.
"Not here,"she told herself.
After lunch,Anie went to the library.
Mira,was at the canteen with others.
Anie was alone.She sat in front of a computer terminal.
Search bar:"Hunters City incidents
The results were chaotic.News sites,
said nothing.
But forums…
"They don't kill randomly."
"If you're marked, you're already late."
"The city chooses."
Anie leaned back from the screen.
A headache.The words moved
before her eyes.She closed her eyes.
"I didn't choose this," she thought.
"I don't want this."
[Evening]
Anie didn't go straight home from college.She went to the metro station.
People,Noise,Long announcements.
But in one corner,yellow tape.
Restricted Area.
Two investigation officers were talking.
"Camera data?"
"Corrupted."
"Again."
Anie watched them.For a moment
one of them looked at her.Very briefly,
Inside her,fear and awareness rose together.
Do they know?
She turned away and walked off.
[Night]
Darkness at home.The rain started again.she stood on the balcony.
The city was drowned in lights.A siren
somewhere far away.She opened her phone.A new post, was trending.
"Hunters aren't myths.They're cleaners."
Comments followed.
"Then who are they hunting?"
"People like you."
she put the phone down.Her eyes
fixed on the city.
"I didn't ask for anything,"she whispered.
"Then why this?"
The rain grew louder.The city gave no answer.But one thing was clear to her,
The Hunters coming for her,was not random.She was a mistake,In the city's calculation.She still didn't know what she truly was.But the city knew.
..