IF IT HURTS TO BREATHE, OPEN A WINDOW

Another day of work.

 Another day under blinding spotlights and decorations that seem more terrifying every time I see them.

Another day in this city.

 Today is the end of a routine that includes a terrible sleep schedule, as I get up at five in the morning, just to start a long day of rehearsals.

Dancing and singing with other slaves all day long.

A cold and sad room. Only illuminated by a neon light.

I sit on the edge of the bed and look out the window.

At this time of the morning, cities are supposed to be dark and completely silent, but not here.

Not in DEMA.

Through each of the windows the same neon light can be seen and also heard.

 A sound that is almost imperceptible to foreigners, but that has stuck in the minds of the inhabitants as if it were a knife.

The light leaves the whole city in a kind of permanent day.

People tend to be afraid of the dark. I'm more of a light-averse person.

A knock on my door interrupts my thoughts:

  ''Hello? Are you awake?''

Sacarver.

One of the 9 bishops who rule over us all.

Well, all 8.

It's been a while since I last saw Keons.

They say he's on sabbatical or something.

I just think he's gone.

I know he's dead.

I miss him.

  ''Hey! Come on, wake up!'' Sacarver yells at me in an alarming voice.

  ''Alright, alright...'' I sigh, getting out of bed.

 I walk around my room, trying to remember where I put each of my assigned items of clothing for today's show.

It's a simple room: a small bed, a nightstand, and a closet with a mirror.

I always cover that mirror with my sheets.

I don't know why I do it, I just don't like seeing my reflection.

I open the closet door. There aren't many clothes. A few t-shirts here and there.

Always the same color scheme.

Steel gray, ash gray, pearl gray, slate gray. Did I mention I have gray clothes?

I grab the only thing that stands out: blue jeans and a simple purple t-shirt.

My first outfit for the livestream that I've been rehearsing for months.

It doesn't take me long to put it on.

 It's tight in some areas. I'm not the right fit for the kind of sizes everyone expects us artists to wear.

I walk to the door, reach up, wrap my fingers around the knob, and...

I take a moment.

Today is going to be an important day.

Today is going to be a tough day.

I sigh and repeat the same motto in my mind:

 <<You're all you have left. Get up, and show all those who have left you on the floor that you are the best>>

I finally open the door.

  "Thank goodness! I thought you were abducted by an alien or something...''

Here's Sacarver. He is dressed in red, and painted completely blue.

Or she is dressed in red?

The voice sounds like a woman's, but dresses like everyone else.

I don't even know what they are anymore. Sacarver has that monstrous appearance that would scare anyone.

I'm used to it. I've been here all my life.

  ''Let's get you ready. Today is your big day!''

I'm not going to make this too long.

I went to the dressing room, they put makeup on my eyes, my lips, my face in general.

Also my black hands. Litres and litres of makeup to cover them.

I don't know why I have them like this. I just woke up one day and the dark spots appeared.

The day they brought me to this place.

  ''You look very pretty...''

I see a silhouette in the mirror.

A young, blonde woman with very blue eyes. She's wearing a pastel-coloured dress.

  ''Thanks a lot, Sacarver''

  ''You'll call me Jenna from now on, okay?''

I nod, not really wanting to talk.

  ''Come on, we go live in about 10 minutes''

I leave the room and follow her to the set, watching her.

What could have happened to her to end up like this? She was so young. And so pretty.

 Soon I start to feel hot. The spotlights on the set of DEMA's most famous TV show make me want to take off all the layers of clothing I'm wearing.

Good Day Dema. The best and most famous show in town.

Not to mention it is the only one.

Andddd... that we are forced to watch it...

  "Today is your big day," Sacarver tells me, with a smile on her face. "We are going to start now..."

She goes to a beige chair with a huge poster of the program right behind it.

The other host, Lisden, is also there, with a completely different body from the previous one.

Another bishop.

Sacarver sits on the chair and they both leave a space between them.

A space for me to settle my nervous ass.

  "Hello! My name is Marc," he greets me, with an almost vomit-inducing charisma.

I just limit myself to smiling at him as I sit down.

Oh, shit.

There are too many people right in front of me.

 The ones with the microphones, the ones who touch up my makeup and hair. The cameramen... Also the dancers who will accompany me.

God, how scary.

One of them gives me the in-ears and another one gives me a microphone.

Okay, there's no turning back. You're here.

Months and months of rehearsals end today.

I'm going to do a show. A kind of concert but without anyone watching me.

I just entertain from home.

Although I'll never be like him...

  ''We start in 3... 2... 1...''

Wait, what? Already?

Shit, shit, shit. I'm not okay, I'm not okay. I'm starting to sweat, I'm starting to shake.

The bishops are starting to talk.

Months and months of rehearsal for nothing.

I've forgotten everything. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, DAMN IT.

  ''We are not alone, dear inhabitants! Here is your favorite singer''

  ''She is going to give a great, wonderful concert today! Isn't she?''

I don't answer. I smile at the camera but tears are running down my cheeks.

I literally begin to hyperventilate. I look like a fan that can't take it anymore.

God, I'm sure I look awfully pitiful.

They're going to kill me, they're going to kill me.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  ''I'm...sor...''

Suddenly, everything is flying through the air.

I start to hear screams. Painful, agonizing screams.

My ears are ringing. I can barely see anything through all the smoke.

I try to get up, but my legs are weak.

  "HELP!" I scream, hoping someone will come.

Nothing.

My forehead is wet. I touch it.

It's not sweat. It's a red liquid.

Shit.

I crawl through the remains.

The screams continue to be heard, along with the footsteps of people fleeing the place.

I continue and continue crawling through the darkness.

Finally I see something. A light.

The exit.

I finally manage to get up and with a lot of strength from within, I start to run.

I run, run, and run towards the light.

The first time in my life that I don't try to escape from it.

It's the door to the set. Surprisingly intact.

I go out through it and...

When my ears regain their function, all I hear are explosions.

There are a lot of people running for their lives. Many others lying on the ground.

Shit. I better run if I don't want to end up like them.

I try to find the stairs of the tower so I can get out.

I keep running. Dodging people, living and dead.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I can't find any stairs.

For a moment I think about the windows.

There aren't many, but there are some.

Will I be able to jump through them? Do I really care if I don't survive the fall?

  ''Where is she? We can't lose her''

Shit. It 's Lisden.

They're looking for me.

I run out of that room as fast as I can and I go into a dark hallway.

I don't really know where I'm going. I've never been in this part of the tower.

There are many doors on each side of this.

I try to open them all. I know I'm wasting time, but they're the only ones I have left.

None of them open.

I curse a thousand times in my mind.

I think of several alternatives as I open them.

Should I force the lock? No, I don't know anything about that.

Should I break it? I don't have the strength, I'd break one of my arms for sure.

Should I let them catch me and let Nico do whatever he wants? No, no way.

I keep trying with the last doors.

Until I see the end of the hallway.

One last door.

One last chance.

I walk over to her and with all the speed in the world I grab the knob and turn it.

It's open.

IT'S OPEN, HAAA!!

 Without thinking, I burst in, slamming the door shut behind me. My heart is pounding so hard I fear it will give me away. I lean my back against the door, panting. I take a second, trying to calm the shaking in my hands.

But then I notice something. I'm not alone.

I look up, and I see him. At first, I can barely make out a silhouette in the dim light, but soon my eyes adjust.

A boy with black hair and slanted eyes wearing bloody clothes wrapped in yellow tape.

He's crying his eyes out as he hugs a lifeless body.

Wait. I know that body.

  "Clancy?"

HIIII. Here I am. What do you think about the first chapter?