The silver limousine started to move past the frozen monstrosity. The eyes of the monster were frozen and fixated on the vehicle, unable to look away. The entity that was once a creature to be feared was now helpless to the gaze of the public.
Ivory watched as citizens started to point toward the frozen creature and scream in terror. The public had developed a tolerance for the supernatural but not yet for the grotesque.
In the early days of the readjustment period, the faceless were treated the same way. Now no one even batted an eye towards them. This event would definitely be on the news and cause a headache for the council.
The car drove steadily past the scene and in several minutes the limo had moved through a residential area containing rows of broken houses that were indistinguishable from each other.
In the back of Ivory's mind, she knew the conversation that awaited her.
A conversation that was filled with dread and inevitability. A conversation that would be with someone very close to her.
Ivory had to explain everything from the very beginning to Abigail. The only problem was that she didn't even know where to start. The distance between them was small physically but emotionally it felt as though countries were between them.
The car they were both in currently, not too long ago was clung onto by a flesh monster. The vehicle was heavily shaken by the entity, causing both of them to hold onto each other out of fear.
However, there were no immediate threats now. The two had no reason to be friendly with each other. Ivory had put Abigail's life in danger and didn't even explain what was going on. Did she even really deserve her as a friend? Would Abigail be better off without her?
Ivory felt the effects of her ability wear off. She could feel all of her emotions once again. The sadness, the weakness, the fear, and the hopelessness. These feelings weren't new as they had resonated with her, most of her life.
The young woman at the age of fourteen was sent to a school that emphasized that humanity could accomplish nothing. That no human could change the world. The world at this time was made to be a place where humanity couldn't create or destroy.
This new part of the education system that was formed during the readjustment period had shattered children's dreams of wanting to be someone more than who they were instructed to be.
Almost all of her life this hopelessness existed but recently upon discovering the underground city. Her life was slowly starting to be filled with a sense of wonder again and a small drive to figure out the mysteries of her world.
Maybe this hopelessness in this period of her life wouldn't last forever. Maybe instead of believing everything wouldn't be okay. She could take one step forward in her life and try to explain everything to Abigail. Her friend might even then decide to stay with her.
Ivory turned toward Abigail and as she was about to explain everything. The car comes to a complete stop and Faye motions the two of them to step outside.
Ivory opens the passenger side door from her left as Abigail gets out through her right.
The endless daylight outside was bright and unavoidable. The wind contrasting the bright light was refreshing as it blew against the young woman's face. The creatures of the day sang their joyful songs but something felt off.
Ivory wiped her eyes adjusting to the endless daylight and found herself looking straight ahead at a black van parked across the street. She noticed how both of their cars were parked in the middle of nowhere. No single human or house was seen around them.
Faye's words slowed down as they reached Ivory's ears, "Abigail… you… don't… need… to… stay… with… her. She… will… cause…the… council… to… look… for… you…too."
Faye coughs and the speed of her words returned to normal as Ivory finally understood what was going on.
Faye says, "I wanted to give you a choice, Abigail. You can get in that black van across the street and no one will ever know you were here. You could go back to that coffee shop you worked at and forget about all of this."
Abigail quickly turns toward Faye, "How can I trust you? I don't even know who you're."
Faye shrugs and yawns, "You'll just have to."
Ivory could feel the tension rising in her body. The fear of losing someone who has always treated her with kindness and care. She couldn't lose her. She just couldn't.
Abigail turns toward Ivory without blinking, "Ivory. Tell me what's going on. No lies. No tricks. The moment I think you're lying. I will turn and walk toward that sketchy van across the street. After that, I promise you will never hear me again."
Ivory met Abigail's gaze and hurriedly started saying her tale, "The story all started when I was hospitalized for having a sunburn. I was cuffed to a hospital bed by a faceless, who asked me questions regarding my condition. The more questions I answered regarding my sunburn, the more aggressive they got. I ended up playing dumb by the end of the ordeal and miraculously my sunburn disappeared."
Abigail's voice trembled slightly, "If the sunburn hadn't disappeared. They would have killed you, wouldn't they?"
Ivory shakes her head as she contradicts herself, "Yes but it wasn't your fault. You just saw I was ill and wanted to help. You couldn't have known what they would have tried to do. I don't blame you at all, Abigail."
Ivory waits for Abigail to compose herself as she wipes tears from her eyes. The young woman must have felt guilt for essentially handing her friend to a slaughter house.
Abigail says softly, "Please continue."
Ivory nods, "The following day, the sunburn would randomly reappear on my skin and small pieces of ice would come out of my hands. I couldn't believe what I saw but in the world we lived in, we couldn't ignore paranormal events that happened right in front of our eyes."
Abigail puts a hand on her face scrunching her eyebrows, "How does any of this make any sense?"
Ivory smiles faintly, "You're not walking away so you believe me so far. That's good. That's great."
Ivory says, "This situation made me question why we as a society were mandated to buy and put on the sun screen advertised by the council? Why were people with the sunburn hunted by the faceless? Was it because of the abilities we possessed after having the sunburn? Was it for another reason?"
Ivory felt a spark light up in her eyes as she saw the world with wonder once again. The world seemed to be brighter and had more vibrant colors. The scene was all just so beautiful.
Ivory smiles brightly, "I don't have a concrete answer just yet for any of that but I want to have one. I want to find out the mysteries of our world with you, Abigail. I can explain the rest as we reach our destination. I believe some people, things, and locations are best to be met and greeted with your presence rather than just discussed about."
Abigail looks toward the black van across the street and takes two steps toward it. Ivory's heart sank but not for long as Abigail quickly turns running back and pulls her friend in a tight hug.
Abigail smiles faintly, "I think we should discover the secrets of this world together but no more secrets between us. Alright?"
Ivory smiles with tears glistening in her eyes, "Of course."
The two young women sob and hold onto each other tightly.
Faye watches the scene the two are creating and rolls her eyes. She uses her pointer finger to draw a circle in the air and the driver of the black van takes off immediately.
Ivory finally pulls away from Abigail and asks Faye, "Where are we right now, Faye?"
Faye lets the question sit in the air as she takes out a brown mechanical cigar and presses a red button on the device to cut the cap and light it. The tip of the cigar goes from a shade of grey to a bright orange hue.
She takes a long drag to savor the taste and gently blows the smoke out of her mouth.
Faye says calmly, "We're on the outskirts of Sinners' street. Not too far away from our final destination."