44

11:04

Martha stood by the window looking at the horizon. She was woken up by a strange attack of anxiety. She didn't know if the note she had left on the table was of any significance but she logged on the system and saw the transmission of Jacob's final confession. Martha had known about drugs since she started working in the office, but as a loyal employee, she didn't dare to reveal the content of her work. And one day she decided to leave something which might help trace the information Gemma was looking for so long. This way she would be loyal to her profession and she would help her friend. Martha didn't know if it had made any difference. But in her conscience, she felt that she had done enough to help.

During the years Gemma was a queen, Martha had very few brief relationships, none of which ended in marriage or the conception of a child. She changed her flat twice: one time for a bigger one, the second - for a more convenient district. She was dissatisfied with her job and started to think that sex was overrated. She had never fallen in love. Apart from the feeling of excitement which she felt while helping Gemma with posting and providing letters, she felt nothing.

Now she was looking at the rising sun, feeling sure that she heard some atypical thud or a noise she couldn't identify. She opened the window. The noise was getting louder. She went back to her study and from the drawer, she took opera glasses to be able to see better.

Then it was her who made an uneasy noise. She saw a crowd of people marching towards N., slowly but firmly. She has never seen so many people in her entire life and now she was sure the whole population of K. was walking towards N. neither respecting its borders nor knocking on N.'s door. For the first time in her life, Martha felt something new. She felt fear.