Dark and empty was the mind until a crack broke from behind with words for beyond: "Did you miss me?"

  Nuru sprang form her bed with faint memories of an old friend sitting beside her. She turned to her left then to her right, finding no life beside her.

  "Patient 696 has awoken" rang the machine above

  "It happened again...... this time was too long" she muttered to herself with eyes dead and gone yet streaming with tears.

  She looked at her trembling hands and saw nothing but a weak mass flesh, "please no...." She begged her bones yet they continued to quake at the flashing image a girl dangling from a dead tree

  "No....not like her.....I can't!" the mouth of the dead began to move with the sterile wind: "We are same"

  Nuru slammed her ears shut yet the crackling voice broke her defense: "We are same"

  "No no no no!"

  "We are same"

  "No no Noooo!"

  "Shhhhhh, it's ok sweetheart, it's ok now, am here now, no need to cry"

  Nuru felt the warm embrace of a familiar body, her signature mix of perfumes was enough to wake her up. Nuru turned to face Iinka's warming smile, Nuru quickly fell under the sweet words and held her tighter than ever:

  "Iinka I...I.. thought " Nuru tried to form a sentence from her weakened lips only to be caught off by Iinka's gentle hand stroking her head

  "No honey, I told you I won't leave, don't you trust me, am not going anywhere"

  "Ladies can we wrap this up" said the tall doctor with brittle flesh and tired eyes

  "Chill the fuck out dude!" Iinka fired back with murderous intent

  "Our rooms are filled and I need a room, you've woken up so hurry up and pack things up" he stood firm despite his lacking structure

  "Ugh! We heard now give us some privacy" Iinka sighed as the doctor left the room, but before the door could shut itself, Iinka peaked through: "I know where you live"

  The doctor replied with a distasteful phrase: "some women would be nice"

  ----------------------------------Slam!-----------------------------

  "Fucking piece piece of shit, why is everyone such a prick" Iinka vents but the sight of Nuru unmoving on her bed quickly calmed her down:

  "come on sweetie, sorry for bringing you to this shit hole of a hospital" said Iinka

  "Guren was too far, It's not your fault" replied Nuru. "Hey now, let's go home" Iinka added whilst wiping of the excess tears.

  Walking on the crazy streets of sector M, Iinka carried Nuru on her back like a newly birthed child.

  "Hey there baby girl" called out a voice from the alley, "not today" replied Iinka,

  "Customers?" asked Nuru

  "Yeah but don't worry am home tonight" Iinka answered without hesitation

  "What about Stella?"

  "Lucky you, she's right here" answered Iinka, Nuru raised her eyes to be met with Stella's chubby cheeks, a sight that failed to bring joy

  "Oh Nuru, hope your ok. Sorry I couldn't come.....the message arrived late" exclaimed the worried Stella

  Iinka assured Stella on the situation saying "Don't worry, she's doing alright now"

  "You sure, she looks soo tired" Stella asks as she scrambles her bag for an item

  "she just needs to rest" replied Iinka

  Nuru could only hear the madding silence of the stale wind, the words of her friends and the people around were overshadowed by the sound of her heart......

  [1 2 3 4] a steady rhythm of beats that pumped blood all around,

  [1 2 3 4] a sturdy mass the keeps her alive,

  [1 2 3 4] a constant flow that makes her better,

  [! 2 3 4] For a moment she felt it stop, that steady beat had stopped for a second but continued like nothing happened

  "It happened again" Nuru whispered with a shaking voice

  "Huh, Nuru is something wrong" Stella asked

  Nuru continue with a fleeting voice only heard by two: "It happened again..... I felt it....it just stopped.....why does this happen to me...... what did I do to..."

  "You did nothing wrong honey, some hands are just dealt wrong" Iinka assures her

  "maybe.....God forgot me"

  Stella was sure to remind Nuru with a bar of ChromaCakes, "you would have died long ago if that's the case"

  Nuru could not clearly recognize the gift in her hands "what is this?"

  Stella and Iinka were both horrified at her response to the glorious ChromaCakes: "Girl you hold perfection and can't even see it! Noo we are all doomed" Iinka screamed

  Stella could not help but chuckle "I just picked some up at the store"

  Nuru 's face had brightened a little "thanks.....I'm not paying though "

  "That one is on the house, I got a lot more " said Stella

  Nuru examined the pack for a moment, she was about to rip it open until she felt the rhythm stop [1 ! 3 4].

  It was gone for only a moment, enough to make her reconsider her snack:

  "I can't eat this.....too much sugar".

  Yet another reply that left them frozen, Iinka had nothing to say, Stella tried to find encouraging words to no avail.

  It felt like they were outside the flow of time itself with the crowd around walking to a standstill, it was like the world had forgotten or ignored their position

  "Well would you look at the time!" said Iinka "...we better get moving or we'll miss the train"

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  "Yeah it's already getting dark, the day is basically over" Stella added

  "Iinka you can drop me, I think I'm strong enough" said Nuru

  "You sure? You know you ain't heavy" asked Iinka

  "It's alright am fine now " Nuru assured.

  She slipped from the Iinka's warm back to the cold ground humanity walked on, she stretched her legs to confirm their integrity. Without any warning, Nuru dashed off leaving Iinka and Stella in the dust!

  "WTF!"

  "Nuru you shouldn't be running" cried Stella

  Their word meant nothing until she reached a turn: "you coming or you wanna miss the train"

  "Goddammit, this fucking girl"

  Another row upon rows of obstacles laid before Nuru, a challenge she has always welcomed.

  Through the couple! over the bench! down the rails and unto the station. She paused for a moment before vaulting over the small ticket gate.

  "Glad that worked" she said to seeing no guard chasing her.

  She basked in the warmth of the racing hearth and the glory of it all:

  "I still got it" she said to herself.

  Before she could take another step, the hands of fate came and stopped the beat

  [1 2 ! 4]

  Her senses went blank and she found herself on the floor, she quickly came back to life grasping for air in the thick subway

  "Why! I can't even....dammit"

  She fought alone to pull herself up from the dance with death, eyes clamoring for stability and bones rattling: "Is this how I die"

  She said to herself, not a single soul around looked in her direction, she turned to see them all running like sheep to a single light. "What's going on?" : She asked in confusion, looking around for an explanation only to find none.

  She called a stranger running past in the heat of the moment: "Excuse me, what's going on?"

  "They said the No.1 is here!" running of with no further explanation

  Nuru instantly got her answer, for within the walls and across all sectors, there is only one who is No. 1: "no fucking way, ain't no way he is here"

  "Nuru wait up!" Stella's voice rang from the distance as they came after her

  "Oh, you guys made it"

  "Of course we did dumbass!" replied the angry Iinka,

  "please Nuru, don't do that again" Stella said as she her lungs fight for air

  "Ha! guess am faster" said Nuru,

  "You didn't even give us a warning, it's no fair" replied Iinka,

  Stella had dropped to the floor huffing and puffing for a quick rest "God am gonna die"

  "What's going on over there?" Iinka inquired about the crazy crowd.

  "Oh they said the No. 1 is over there" Nuru replied

  Stella leapt to her feet "you aren't kidding are you?"

  "No way, why would he be in a dank subway" added Iinka.

  "I don't know, I haven't checked" she answered whilst taking a rest on a nearby bench

  Stella's blood had began to boil with phone in hand ready to take photos "I got to know......it keeps might be true...... just hold on a minute!" She ran to the crowd without hesitation.

  Iinka was about to move but she held herself back "Nuru ain't you coming? It's the **No. 1 Conqueror**!"

  "Nha, I'll just take a rest.... don't worry you can go on without me" Nuru replied with a smile.

  "Ok, don't accept stuff from strangers" Iinka says as she runs of to Stella

  "hehe, your not my mom" a light joke that painted joy all around, unfortunately that joy quickly fade with the noise, here she sat on a bench all alone. She looked to the crowd and wondered why no one turned to her when she fell.... even her friends had gone to see greatness.

  "Why not me"

  She asked herself and yet she knew the answer, an answer that need no explanation.

  "I'm nobody....if I die, no one would even care..... would a burial even be an option"

  She looked upon the crowd and saw how they long for him, he is the greatest Conqueror, the undisputed champion of humanity against the Fears, he sat on a bench surrounded by no guard yet no one could touch him.

  He wears his signature black jacket, black boots and a blackened hair with a fair skin to rival gold, blackened eyes that sparkle under light. He had it all, no army could threaten him, no company could buy him, all males wanted to be him and all females wanted him.

  The bitter taste foamed in Nuru's mouth causing and a word to ring in her ears:

  "We are Same!"

  "No", she whispered as her heart began to race, her face damp with sweat, her eyes filled with haze.

  [! 2 3 4]

  "please no"

  "We are same"

  "No no no no no"

  "Hey Nuru, you with us?" said Stella with the energy of a star "...look 46 clean pics...well except for this one... but look look! This one is just perfect!"

  She drew it close to her chest in a euphoric daze "I'll never delete this.....heck am gonna get a tattoo of this one"

  Nuru could not help but crack a smile "then why did you stop"

  Stella leaned in with her starry eyes: "he just vanished"

  "cool right, he must have got a mission, that's the only reason someone like him would come here" added Iinka

  "Train to Sector *F* will be leaving in 3 minutes"

  "That's our queue"

  Shortly after, they boarded the train in a haste, they chatted and fantasized about their little obsessions but Nuru just indulged, they arrived and departed the train for a short walk home. It was the same path as usual they crossed the junction together, said hi to Mr. Loomasii,

  Nuru waited outside to look at the billboards advertising Conqueror-sponsored shoe brand while the others went into JVC mart for supplies, they continued down the stairs, past the baggers and arrived at their 30 floor apartment.

  The lived at room 28 and the elevator is long broken:

  "Stella you go on without us, am taking Nuru to Guren" said Iinka

  "No probs, don't stay out too long" Stella replied

  Nuru and Iinka took a quick car to the Soondane Market, past all the busy men haggling prices and arrived at a crappy-looking store patched with wood and glue:

  "Sup ladies what can I get you" said a young fair-skinned boy with blackened hands sharpening his blades and roasting pork

  Nuru was drawn to the scent of sizzling meat but the thought of it stopping her heart was too much of a risk to indulge, Iinka stepped forward: "is Guren free"

  "mmmm.. let me just..." he checked his phone for a short moment and said "yeah he's free, go on back"

  As they walked on to the back, the boy said "Nuru I'll be 18 in three days... what you say?"

  Nuru: "you should get a better girl"

  Iinka: "boy she's 27, get something your size"

  "Come on, ain't it just a number!" he claimed as they walked to the back.

  They swung the door open and went down a short and cramp stairwell to meet Doctor Guren performing surgery on patient

  "Sup Doc, thought you were free?" asked Iinka as she took a seat, Nuru just stood at the door gazing upon the dozens of blades dangling from the ceiling.

  The Doc is a huge man with a voice that shakes buildings "idiot thought he could scam me, so am taking my money"

  Nuru replied with a light gesture "How did he scam you"

  Guren tossed the lungs onto the tray with hands armed with blades and needles "He didn't pay, I've been hunting him for two years. Nuru, how you doing today"

  Nuru took a seat at the stairs responded "the usual dance"

  "Hey doc, it's getting worse..... isn't there anything.." Iinka said with a melancholic voice

  "I told you girls it's hereditary, I'm m no god that can cure shit" Guren stood up with quacking steps, he moves to his counter.

  No sound could break the silence except the slam of a container unto the table.

  "The usual mix..... but we got a problem" said the Doc

  "What's the matter, did the price go up" asked Iinka

  "It tripled"

  Iinka almost lost her senses but the only mass of words that escaped was: "What? no fucking! Shit! What happened?"

  A drowning wave erupted from Nuru, a wave that only manifested as shattered words: "Hahahaha! dear God, you always crack me up" after her rant, she added "Iinka don't bother, am out" she walked off into the unknown

  "Nuru wait, let's just....." She tried to catch up but could not move

  "Doc wtf!"

  "Didn't you hear that Sector O is on lockdown issued by the D.T.F, I don't know any other supplier so this is the last mix I can make" Guren replied like this was common knowledge

  "What you talking about, why didn't I hear it on the news, Doc this ain't time for jokes" Iinka said with an air of annoyance

  Guren sighed and pulled out a list of exotic items " It means the D.T.F censored it..... this is what I need to make it, try getting it if you can"

  Iinka tried to read the list with no medical understanding which lead to the swigely words look like ancient incantations: "Doc I think you've lost it, what the fuck do you want me to do with this! If it's the money I promise I can pay"

  Guren almost smirked but he quickly turned away saying: "there are only 94 recorded cases of I.C.S.S in the history of these Walls! You ain't buying this in any pharmacy, I was only lucky enough to patch this together"

  The thought of burying a friend shook Iinka's core but nothing could be done, only a miracle could save Nuru, Iinka could only force trembling words out her lips

  "How much is this one"

  "That one is free"