Chapter 5: The Blind Girl

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The Blind Girl

Daniel’s legs gave out. He didn’t fall dramatically. He just... sank. His knees buckled, and he dropped onto the sand, sitting there with his arms limp at his sides. His eyes stared forward, but they weren’t focused on anything. They were staring into nothing. Into the empty space of a world that wasn’t his.

One of the guards looked down at him. Then he looked at the other guard.

"You killed him," he said.

The other guard frowned. "What? I just gave him a push."

"Yeah, push my ass," the first guard replied. "Am not blind, you know."

"Shut up, dude. You know the B word is banned."

"Oh, my bad. I forgot." The guard paused, a worried look crossing his face. "I hope I don’t get fired. Unless my girlfriend will dump me."

While the two guards bickered, Mac walked over. He bent down beside Daniel, pressing two fingers against his neck. He held them there for a moment, then pulled back.

"He’s not dead," Mac announced. He looked at Daniel’s blank face, at his empty eyes. "Just... well, looks like someone that lost everything."

Mac waved a hand in front of Daniel’s face. No reaction.

"Hey, kid. Are you alright?"

Daniel blinked. Slowly. Then he spoke, his voice flat and hollow.

"No. Not at all." He paused. "But that punch just brought me back to my senses."

Mac nodded sagely. "Yeah. Punches will do that."

He straightened up and jerked his thumb toward the caravan. "Hey, you. Guard two. Carry him inside."

The guard who had thrown the punch mumbled something under his breath about having a name. But he walked over, bent down, and hoisted Daniel up with surprising ease. Daniel didn’t resist. He just hung there, limp and silent, as the guard carried him toward the caravan.

The guard pulled open the door to one of the wagons and stepped inside. It was a passenger carriage, cramped but clean, with cushioned seats and a small window covered by a thin curtain. The guard set Daniel down on one of the seats and then left without a word.

Daniel sat there, his body still, his mind still reeling. Then he noticed he wasn’t alone.

Across from him, sitting on the opposite seat, was a woman. She looked to be in her early twenties. She had long, dark hair that fell past her shoulders and pale, flawless skin. She wore simple but elegant clothing, a dark blouse and a long skirt. Her face was delicate, with high cheekbones and soft lips. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful person Daniel had ever seen.

And she was wearing a pair of black glasses. In her hand, resting against the seat beside her, was a thin wooden cane.

Daniel stared at her. At the glasses. At the cane. At the way she held herself, perfectly still, her head tilted slightly as if she was listening to something he couldn’t hear.

Then the pieces clicked together. The glasses. The cane. The guard’s banned word.

She was blind.