Beyond Time

Chapter II - Holo

Life had once been safe, secured and worth living. It had a future which she thought wasn’t as envious if thought about—but it was there nevertheless.

Once wasn’t exactly what she thought of as she stared up the metal ‘apparent’ ceiling, worn out of its colour too far gone to even be recognised.

It was just rushed metal, a few patches surrounding the room. Not much really but it had to do, it was all she had anyway.

The edge cutting emotions she had welled herself into the past few days since her apparent ‘rescue’—that happened to be on time before she ran out of oxygen, thankfully—had not in the slightest toned down.

Imagining a world—well an existence—without the set of people she had basically spent her entire life around, grew up with and learnt what she knew now. Was more than heartbreaking—it was soul crushing.

She wouldn’t lie at all at the moment if a person asked why she was even still breathing.

The only reason for her apparent existence was revenge and nothing more. She did plan to kill off those ruthless worthless assholes—tremendously gruesome, painfully slow or quick which ever worked but definitely not painless, that was the goal nevertheless.

To inflict pure pain and torture.

The kind yearning that had swelled up in herself, battling at every opportunity to pull her deeper into the abyss.

It hadn’t at all been kind, it could not to be honest, yet here she was another sleepless day or night—she hadn’t know any of that, which day was which or what time it could be.

She was lost and as much as she did not want to admit it, she needed help—a lot of it.

Snapping at every living soul that as much as touched her, it wasn’t at all physical even their breath—she would loose it and attack or shout at the person.

Her pain turned into raging anger.

Many couldn’t blame her though. People around here had a tendancy of talking into someone’s face, annoying it certainly was but horrid when their breath either dripped of cheap alcohol or a bad breath due to it being treated.

And the very unstable availablity of water helped no soul in that situation.

Marketing wasn’t as bad as she would put it, after all they needed the silver to stay well—alive—not that they would even last that long but still, apparently life was important. But she drew the line when they persisted trying to act like they knew what was best for her, like they knew her at all.

And most times it were thieves trying to distract a person in order for their partner to take whatever.

They tried it once on her and well yeah, it left a man yelping in pain with a pencil protruding his thigh.

The thing was it was barely a pencil to begin with, split through the middle meaning it wasn’t sharped—the part she used. Yet it managed to penetrate the fresh with ease that amazed the crowd.

At an instant his partners threw everything they had stolen to the floor not at all wanting to meet the same fate.

All she took the locket they tried to snatch and walked away without sparing them a second glance.

From that day people usually avoided her when she walked by. Most times they would whisper among themselves and she had heard what they say.

They call her the grim reaper, overdramatic for a one time occurrence but it stuck—the fact she wore her black attire helped nothing at all.

Deni forced her body to jolt up from the bed, a really uncomfortable one at that.

This oasis the two men generously found after hold a gun to one’s head and shooting the other, wasn’t exactly how it was on the ship she grew up on but at least she had some privacy.

Making her way to the doorless frame separating the ‘room’ and ‘bathroom’ she effortlessly turn on the faucet.

It did ‘effortlessly’ turn—well popped off its body to her palm, would be a clear statement. And like any other day just a tiny drop or two came out before a grumbling sounded.

That was just great.

Tossing aside the piece of the faucet she walked out the bathroom, there wasn’t much to do there.

§

People crawled away, making enough room for her, some quiet down as Deni walked pass the neighboring stores.

Everytime she passed by it was as though time stopped, for most it did as they always stopped what they were doing and stared at the woman walking by.

Most did in hopes to see a gruesome bloodshed, placing their bets and s**t—it was entertainment after all, the one they rarely got.

But to their boring life nothing happened, no one wanted to end up hurt or dead—they held no courage for that.

Walking through the beaded stripes by the door Deni found herself in a purple illuminating room.

It had a bunch of crap hanging on a few shelves or the ceiling that people happened to buy, she saw no use of these old rushed and mostly non functional devices but her opinion didn’t matter. Dave made that super clear.

“Just my luck.”

That familiar male voice rang behind Deni, she knew who it was and that they were of course being sarcastic.

Turning to face the man with a walking stick beside him she shrugged, altering no word.

That dead foot and the limping was a result of her bullet. He had lost quite a lot of blood and having no medical specialists to treat it, it had died hence the limping man.

Funny thing was he had cursed her out on the table as Damon removed the bullet. Throwing accusations that he could no longer steal as running away would be a problem.

Totally forgetting he drove a space track to collect space junk, that definitely needed a foot to work brakes—but oh well.

“Damon your b***h is here!” Dave shouted about to turn his back on the girl.

Yet the sound of a gun stopped his movement and from the corner of her eyes she could she a lady rush out—good no innocent victims, just a asshole she wished to shot again.

“A second chance is better luck.” she spoke aiming the gun to his other foot.

Before she could even pull the trigger or before Dave could run (he could try) Damon rushed in standing between the two.

He could never let this two be alone, one would end up dead most probably.

“Come on let’s be reasonable.”

Even as she placed her gun away she hard in still glared at the man behind Damon, who happened to be giving her the same glare.

“When is the Boti ship coming?” she asked placing her attention on the man is tolerated.

His lips pursed as he thought of a way to break out the news and knowing this short tempered girl—she would tick.

“Like in 70 days.”

“I don’t have that long.” she hissed turning her gaze at him into a glare.

What would she do in that time and why would she wait so long to exact revenge. She wasn’t thrilled to live on this s**t show of a ship more less be alive or let them enjoy the apparent success of killing off her people.

She wouldn’t let them wallow in pride building up their confidence—ego.

“Are you dying?” Dave made a snoozy remark that might as well made him the one dying with the type of glare Deni threw at him.

“Dave shut up!” hissing he took his attention back to Deni. “It’s just two months and a couple of days. You could have everything ready and planned out.”

“How will I keep up with time?”

“I’ve got just the thing!” he excitedly commented before disappearing behind a door.

He didn’t take long to return because the two people in the store with him weren’t the best of friends.

An old folded piece of paper and a still functioning wrist watch were what the man handed over to Deni.

Unfolding the paper she glanced up to Damon from the calendar that precisely showed the time he just announced, marking when 70 days would be over.

Thoughtful.

Folding back the paper she tucked it away in her pocket and the wrist watch to her left arm. “Do you have maps?”

“Of what?”

“Their ship and the course this ship is taking and possibly a map of the galaxy.” she stated blankly staring at the man.

Damon shook his head. “No but we can find them.”

“By when?”

“A week from now.” her glare hadn’t meant ‘Yeah of course’ but a ‘Hurry it up’ and that he did. “I mean four days.” he gulped.

“Good..” she gave him a nod then stopped by the beads. With a sigh she forced the words out her mouth. “And thanks.”