The Comforting Darkness
Where was she…the girl looked around her searching for some hint of her whereabouts. Her head ached terribly. She put a hand to her forehead to try and ease the pounding.
Suddenly visions began to swirl through her mind. Blood…screaming…crying…death. She could smell it…death. The answer came like a shot out of the dark…murder. She had done murder.
She was in cage of sorts, a cell, she supposed you could call it. It was cold and dark and she was alone, locked away like an animal. The girl searched her mind for other thoughts, other memories, but none would come.
The darkness surrounded her, called out to her, comforted her in her despair. She was alone in the dark and no one seemed to be able to hear her.
Who was she? What had she done? Who had she hurt?
A noise sounded above her. Someone was descending the steps to her cage. Gathering her thoughts and wiping tear stains from her face she turned toward the door.
The boy had brown hair shaped into a sort of mohawk and blue and orange markings on his face. "Here's your dinner," he said as a put a plate down just inside the door of her cage. He looked at her strangely, as if she was a sideshow attraction. He seemed to know her, but she didn't know him. As she gazed at his face an image flashed before her…Wild blond dreadlocks, a face streaked with red paint, eyes that shone with power and chaos.
A strangled gasp escaped her throat and a name flashed through her mind…Zoot.
No…she willed herself to be calm…Zoot was dead. But how did she know this, she did not even know her own name…could not even say who exactly Zoot was.
"Are…are you ok?" the boy asked her softly, bending down to look at her more closely.
"Ok…Am I ok?" She said disbelievingly. "No, I don't think I'm ok. I don't think I'll ever be ok again."
"You've been crying haven't you?" he asked stepping closer.
"What else is there to do in here?" she replied with a hint of bitterness.
"Oh, I don't know…I suppose it would be a bit boring down here. I could see if I could get you some books or magazines. Amber didn't say I couldn't bring those to you. I'll bring some tomorrow morning," the boy said helpfully.
"Amber?" the girl said the name slowly, questioningly. It sounded familiar.
"Yes, she and Jay are the ones who told me to put you down here. They thought it would be best after…well, you know," he said vaguely, clearly uncomfortable with the subject matter.
"After what?" she probed carefully.
The boy looked at her even more strangely, his eyes probed hers, searching for a hint of who she had been; a hint of memory.
"Hey now, you don't remember, do you?" he asked her at last.
"Remember what?" she asked a bit louder than before, growing a bit tired of this whole scene.
"Him…we found him…he was," his voice broke on the words and he paused to gather himself, "there was so much blood," he finished at last looking down at the girl's hands.
She looked down as well and saw for herself the horrible bloodstains that still marked her as guilty.
"I killed him…" she said softly, in a barely audible whisper, but it was a statement of fact. But who…who did she kill…and who was she, what was she?
"We buried him this morning," he began as he knelt beside her on the hard ground of the cage. "Next to the others, Java and Siva."
Her eyes grew wide and her gaze shot up to meet his at the mention of those names. Java and Siva…images of them swam before her, holding Siva in her arms as she died…sisters. Her sisters.
"Ruby hasn't left her room," he continued without realizing the revelation that had occurred. "She's been crying and crying. Trudy and Salene have been tending to her, trying to calm her down, but nothing seems to help. They're all worried about the baby, they're afraid she might lose it if she gets too upset."
Another image formed in her mind…Ruby, the blond from Liberty, laying helpless in the road after she had pushed her…in front of a truck. The baby…his baby.
"Darryl…Darryl!" A voice called from the door above, followed by footsteps descending the stairs. "Is everything alright down here Darryl?" the blond girl with zulu knots asked in an authoritative manner…This was Amber…she knew without a doubt. Amber, her enemy…the good one…the one who always got her way, always got her man.
Darryl scrambled to his feet and headed quickly towards the entrance to the cage, without sparing his captive a backward glance. "Yes, Amber. Everything's fine, I was just making sure that Ebony was comfortable."
"Comfortable," Amber scoffed, "I don't give a damn if she's comfortable or not." Amber turned to face her old enemy as Ebony rose to her feet and approached the bars. "What you did to Slade was brutal, barbaric. He was your friend, your lover, and you murdered him like an animal. If I had my way you'd rot down here. But the other mallrats think we should have a trial."
"A trial…And just who is going to be the judge and jury? You…the other mallrats…that'll be some fair trial," Ebony replied, her voice laced with bitterness.
"You don't deserve a fair trial," Amber said with a sad shake of her head.
"Darryl, get her something to wash that blood off her hands." Turning back to Ebony, Amber wore a look of utter contempt, "After all, we wouldn't want you facing your judge and jury red-handed now would we."
Ebony lunged at the cage bars but Amber ignored her and turned calmly away ascending the stairs to the mall. Darryl flung her a look of pity over his shoulder before following her.
As he shut the door she was once again left her alone in the darkness. Slade…he was there in her mind, laughing with her, talking with her, kissing her.
What had she done? Miserably she sank to the floor hugging her knees to her chest she began to rock back and forth as silent sobs began to shake her body. Slade was gone.