The air was dry, it whistled as it blew
Amir was on his way home when he heard a crackling sound. His curiosity got the better of him. He went to see what it was. The gray zone was a forbidden place. No one was allowed to go there but no one would want to go there. At least that was what Amir thought. He stood at the edge of the white zone and looked in the direction of the crackling.
He strained his eyes as he looked at the gray zone. As his eyes adjusted he saw a girl covered in calluses. He could tell it happened very recently because the calluses were just hardening.
"Hey somebody, guards, anybody," he looked around but there was no one. He was the only one around and if there was they would not step into the gray zone.
He took a deep breath through his mouth gnashing his teeth. He ran into the gray zone. With every step he took his muscles cramped. With determination, he pushed through until he got to the girl. He carried her and immediately turned in the opposite direction. At this point, his muscles were covered in calluses. This made him move slower than he intended to.
His whole body ached with every step. Halfway to the white zone, he fell to his knees. A thin film formed over his eyes instantly clouding it. He groaned as he got back on his feet. Calluses formed on his feet, at this point the girl's calluses had hardened. He could not see but continued in the same direction. Immediately he stepped into the white zone his eyes cleared. The calluses fell off, and so did the girl's calluses.
Even after her calluses fell off the gir was not waking up. He performed chest compressions and tried to give her CPR. Immediately he placed his lips on hers she woke up.
"What are you doing you perv?" she pushed him off her.
"Gross," she wiped her lips with her wrist.
"I was just trying to help." Amir quickly explained himself. He stepped away from her.
"Did you at least get the light key?" the girl asked but Amir was confused. She got up and dusted herself off.
"Aarh, I see you are still dumb." She turned toward the gray zone. As she took a step into the gray zone but Amir pulled her back.
"I just saved you from the same thing you are now. Do you have a death wish?" Amir said still holding onto her clothes.
"I have to get the light key," she said but Amir was still confused. She pointed at the gray zone and drew a key with her finger in mid-air. When she saw he was not getting it she drew a key in the sand. She shook her head and tried to go into the gray zone again.
He stopped and decided to go in her stead. He looked in the direction she pointed and ran into the gray zone. After a few feet, his muscles cramped like before. His movement got sluggish but he continued.
He got there and looked around. There only thing that looked close to what she drew was a bone.
"She sent me here for a piece of dry bone?" Amir thought but got down and picked it up anyway. He put it inside his pocket. He decided not to give it to her if he made it back in one piece.
"What kind of sick joke is this?" he thought as calluses grew at his back. This time they started to harden.
"If any harden around my joint I would not make it." Amir thought as he walked pushing through the pain. His eyes got cloudy but he continued. This time he was feet away when he lost his sight. After a while, he could not move anymore. He was still conscious, alone in the dark unable to move.
Seconds later the hardened calluses broke off. His cloudy eyes cleared. Immediately he got back his sight she saw her with open palms.
"I was not able to get it," Amir said to her and she pointed at his pocket. He took it out and gave it to her. As she walked away he wondered how she knew it was in his pocket.
Amir went home occasionally thinking about the girl. He could not get her out of his head. This was the first, he did not usually think of someone that much.
"I know she is beautiful but this is just strange. This might be the effect of the gray zone."
Amir thought as he was about to go to bed. That night he stayed up thinking about her he found it difficult to fall asleep.
Amir woke up to the blast of the tower horns. He got ready for work, but as soon as he got out of his house there was a queue. Every morning like clockwork, he joined. He and thousands marched to the tower. In the queue, no one talked. Just the sound of their stomping feet as they matched.
As he walked through the tower gates a girl winked at him. He turned around but there was nobody behind him.
"Do I know her from somewhere?" Amir asked himself. After a while of trying to recall where he knew her from, he gave up. He picked a pickaxe from many that were set aside.
He was part of the tunnelers, he has been tunneling most of his life. He did not know why he was tunneling or where it was supposed to lead. They mined rare minerals but that was not why they dogged.
Amir dogged for hours until the tower blasted again.
"That awful sound again," Amir said and dropped his pickaxe. He walked out of the tunnel to see patch guards. In front of them was a long queue. Amir hissed as he walked slowly toward the line. He tried to cut in but a man would not let him. As he struggled with the man, he felt a sharp pain in his back. It then travels through his whole body. His body suddenly stiffened. He fell to the ground not being able to move.
Two patch guards dragged him to the last end of the queue. He lay there frozen, people walked around him as the line moved. When he was able to move. He got up and followed the queue. After getting his food he took a seat on the ground. He wiped his hand on his shorts and started eating immediately.
As he ate he felt eyes staring at him. He looked and saw the same girl looking at him. A boy quickly dragged her away.
"I think we should help him." the girl said as the boy dragged her away. "He is not a €#%\~<€," the boy said, as they walked away the girl turned to look at him.
Amir was curious about what they wanted to help him with. After he finished eating he walked over to the girl.
"Amir Dhere," Amir said extending his hands to the girl.
"It is of no use he will not understand you." the boy who dragged the lady away said. He was sitting against the tunnel wall. The girl sat on a bucket they used for collecting gems. Even with dirt on her face and hair, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
"I am telling you he can help, he got this." the girl said and took out something from her pocket.
"What is this?" Amir snatched it and looked at it. It was a piece of dry bone. The girl immediately snatched it back.
"See, he is just mindless like the rest." the boy said looking at Amir with rage. The boy made a lasso gesture and Amir felt his neck tighten.
"What are you doing?" the girl asked tried to fight him off but he shoved her aside. He ran back at him to stop him. In the struggle the bone piece touched Amir in the chest.
His eyes started to glow, the world looked brighter. Around his neck was a glowing kusarigama.
"Aria, Oroc" Amir turned to the girl and boy and said respectively.