To have such a heavy, harrowing memory that one can’t process naturally would drive a person mad. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t remember it properly, as if this happened so early in her life or her mind protected her from such a traumatizing ordeal. Nor did she receive… Much brain damage that day. Nothing abnormal compared to the so-called new normal.
Everyone there, everyone that witnessed what happened that day… The victims witnessed every single detail that transpired because their brains were forced to. And yet, said brains struggled to retrieve this memory due to the content being too volatile, because they were forced to.
And for this young woman, this event eventually made her realize that this was merely a simple microcosm of her future life… She kept forcing herself to remember every day since to fully grasp it.
Because someone had to.
It all happened in a place called Steppe Avenue. The young woman felt disgusted by addressing it that way, because it was simply an entertainment district. Some place that one would just simply go to their favorite fast-food chain and leave without a second thought. All people could remember it now, was something akin to Chernobyl.
The young woman was above-average, in her height. And yet, her vision was covered with silhouettes of completely packed, fellow man. She was forced to look forward, because the people blocking the edges of her vision were forced to look forward as well.
A man in armored uniform, a man who was supposed to be principled and disciplined, the guiding light that to be bared… And he was screaming sanctimoniously that he and his mindless drones, were the only ones who knew what was going on. She couldn’t remember the words, but she can still hear his voice nearly going out, the rasp that turned his haphazard rhetoric. The young woman remembered looking around as much as she could, trying to decode the expressions of the half-faces this “Kilgore” type was leading. Something, anything that wasn’t a caricature in a moment that needed seriousness,
But once the young woman saw a build up a dust, floating within the still air… Everyone there knew it was all over.
Entire buildings not only caved into themselves but became pillars of dust. Carrying the seeds of destruction to plant into the nearest structure. Such a sight caused the person she never thought would give her the time of day again, to wrap her hand around the young woman’s immediately. Making the pit in her throat to pummeled into her stomach.
And by this point, the memory began to sear her mind. Not into, but her mind began to feel like it was on fire.
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She shook her head in the present, barely aware of her surroundings as is. No. She had to fight this. She had to stay in this moment…
But her fight was too great. It wasn’t about trying to remember the memory, but trying to cool her mind down. She felt her present body clutch at her head, but her sense of touch was failing her. She couldn’t hear the ringing in her ears anymore. It was nothing but iridescent light… And even then, she was beginning to stop understanding what that meant.
***
Jackie slammed right down into the untreated asphalt. Despite her rage and disappointment, she was really. Really glad that the pain shot up her back and she felt that.
The young woman raked her hands along the streets, placing her palms against the ground to get a steady hold. She heard her sweat jacket—the sleeves—scrap across the asphalt, a high swishing sound. Again, that was good.
She breathed out in relief. Only to clutch at her chest as she started to cough harshly, her already wincing eyes shut tight in response. Shuddering out the little breath she gained, trying to gather the strength to open her eyes.
Slowly but surely, Jackie could reprieve blinding light. Thankfully, it wasn’t “only”.
Shuddering for a breath, coughing out in the interim, Jackie groaned as she expressed joy at seeing strands of her blonde hair that fell out of her ponytail.
Her vision settled as the color slowly returned, pouring into sight. It was sad that she was relieved at a sight that caused her so much pain in the first place.
White-grayscale buildings that weren’t just ruined, but twisted in structure due to the force that changed them. Only in her sight because most of said buildings were forced to lean forward, buckling impossibly, unable to fall.
Jackie blinked the tears out of her brilliant blue eyes. Unsure if she was crying from emotion, or due to the mental abuse she just put herself in.
“That… Far, huh…?” Jackie’s voice was mature, low for her age. Yet still possessed the cadence of a 17-year-old. “As much… I love a challenge…”
She tries not to be… Too boastful. But she always was proud of her strength. The work put in, the journey to get there, and of course the results of her training. So in terms of physical activity, getting the young woman to struggle would have to be something rather tough.
As Jackie tried to hoist herself back up in vain, she realized that there was way more to this nightmare she faced head-on.
She grunted and yelled out quickly in short bursts—just to give her the psychological boost. But her arms didn’t just buckle, they trembled, they twitched. They lost energy, almost.
It was like… Jackie’s brain was sending signals and her arms, her legs… The signal didn’t just divert, but bounced around amidst her limbs. Not just cutting out, but causing her limbs to return to rest. Powerlessness.
“C’mon, c’mon…!” Jackie struggled to spout out the words, let alone regain control of her body. “If I… Can’t handle this…!”
Suddenly, it was as if the moisture evaporated from her tongue. The roof of her mouth became enflamed with pulsating heat.
Jackie wish that she could express her deep, unbridled terror.
And as the surroundings started to morph into a fluttering mess, her own eye spiraling within her own sockets in inhuman directions, she knew that lost her mind again.
Jackie was right. The influence was starting to expand further and further,