https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-9-1.mp4 “DaMarko, hey,” LaMesha leaned against the door. “My first real fight and I’m more exhausted than fulfilled. I can’t—” “Oh no. No, no, don’t start with your negativity again,” DaMarko said. He grinned from the top bunk bed. The dorm was small, leaving room for a bunk bed and some drawers; what the space …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-8-1.mp4 Goal setting kept LaMesha sane—she counted in her head. “Just a few more steps.” As she thought about the stairs. “Just a few more weeks,” as she thought about the Tenebris epidemic. And then she thought of her career path, “Just a few more years.” She strode on with conviction and stopped the drag. …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-7.mp4 There was no reason to speak to them. They don’t take this job seriously, not even during a crisis. They laughed and goofed off like there was something to laugh or goof off about. Being an Agent was serious work: she couldn’t bother associating with such an unsophisticated crew. But deep down, the ostracization …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-6-3.mov LaMesha’s eyes avoided contact. But from her peripheral, one Agent with brunette hair spoke loudly with a story; her arms moved enthusiastically. She stood up and smiled as three others laughed around her. Her storytelling continued, but she stopped talking as LaMesha walked by. And for some reason, LaMesha felt a chill. But she …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-5.mp4 LaMesha’s cure for boredom lost its thrill fast, and it’d only been a day. She enjoyed attacking the Tenebris because it was dutiful, but the novelty soon wore off. She pushed the revolving doors and entered the lobby to the dormitory. The apartments were specifically for Agents. It was clean and spacious. Many of …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/The-Luxurious-Life_-LaMesha.mov back next
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-4.mov Jioni’s confidence rose with a pocket full of crystals and the wooden plank in hand. The wall tower was now within view but still a journey ahead—it was long, grey, and sturdy—thirty feet tall, separating City Two from the wasteland outside. Jioni squinted her eyes to see if she could see Derrin. He was …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-3.mp4 After some time, she found something suitable—a deteriorated wooden plank with dents. It was long and thin enough to grip by the palm; it lay hidden in a bush. She eagerly picked it up, flipped it around, and bounced it in her hands. She mimicked a batter’s swing, tested it, and swayed it around. …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-2.mp4 Jioni’s breath labored. She feared she was too loud and attempted to control it. Her eyes scanned the area. Anything was a weapon except for anything on this street: there were no weapons. And the potential “weapons” she saw were either too heavy, such as downed poles, or ineffective, such as littered paper. What …
https://rosemadi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/6-1-1.mp4 Good ideas manifest after it’s too late. Jioni left a weapon trader’s van without a single weapon. She walked vulnerable. Cold and silent. The streets seemed just as broken as always but more battered than usual—missing road signs, trash on the floor, and shredded vegetation as far as her eyes could see. The commotion …
