Screaming. Loud screaming. The sudden deafening noise of gunshots and flashes of light.
Yes, she just got back from school and she remembers walking with her only friend Tiffany from school. They were chatting about the day and school, occasionally indulging themselves in window shopping, admiring the latest fashion clothes and imagining themselves in them. Hailing from a low income family meant she couldn't afford the clothes most of her peers buy and wear. She could only find comfort in gazing outside through the shop windows and imagine herself being like one of those fancy rich white girls from her school.
To her, this was just another normal mundane day spent with her friend. Of course something had to disrupt her normal routine as they both heard the sound of gunshots from the store they were hovering at. There was a brief moment of stunned silence, then the inevitable sound of screaming and shouting began and other cluster of noise converging together forming a chaotic symphony of noise as people rush to get out of the store. It was a daylight robbery, nothing unusual in South Africa but she never thought she would be a real life witness to it. Of course most people never imagine themselves being witness to a crime until it happens. She stood there, momentary stunned by the unexpected disruption of her day, staring wide eyed like an idiot at the chaos unfolding. Thankfully tiffany forcefully grabbed her wrist before she could be shoved out the way by the rushing horde of people, a mass of bodies trying to exit out of the single exit door. Everything happened so fast, to their dismay they found themselves to late in their reaction as they were both engulfed by the throng of people on the street clashing with those who were coming in the opposite direction, separating her and tiffany. Then she felt something or.. someone? heavily collide on her from behind. She fell front face on the ground, her head hitting the stone pavement, knocking her unconscious.
When her vision slowly returned as the darkness from her eyes slowly receded from view. She doesn't know how long she's been out. It could be minutes, hours even days maybe even weeks but her body felt well rested and her mind strangely calm despite having witness a robbery. 'Argh!, Why it's so cold though ' she thought, shivering bemoaning her lack of foresight in bringing her warm hoodie with her. Her school backpack was still with her but it only contained her school textbooks. ' Fuck! Fuck!, what happened to Tiffany? and why do I feel calm but my thoughts are a whirlwind of panic and worry?' she gazed around dispassionately at the strange new place she found herself in. It was barren, the place was maybe a hamlet? Battered huts with thatched roofs were empty, maybe about four of them and what looked like a tavern? She wasn't sure and all the houses...hovels is a better word were wooden, although the woods look like they were about to rot. The whole aesthetic look mediaeval and east asian although not as picturesque as the ones she saw scrolling through Instagram. It was silent and cold although the sky was clear blue with the sun shining happily, the slow breeze of wind was the coldest one she ever felt.' The sun is shining and the sky is blue but the wind dampens everything ' she looked around folding her arms closer to her for heat. She was only wearing her school white school shirt today with pleated green skirt and school shoes ' I better find a warm place to stay and think of a way to get out of here. There's no way I'm sleeping in this shitty place!' she thought, her. eyes taking in the place, looking for any signs of life but found none. Just empty hovels among flat plains with dull green grass. She couldn't see anything beyond. ' I hope this is not like that Will Smith movie ' she thought, worriedly looking for any signs of corpses or zombies ' Fuck!, I hope my parents and Tiffany are okay and looking for me. I have no idea what to do or where I am '. Her braided hair swaying with the wind sometimes hitting on her face, obscuring her vision. She really needed to find a place to think and plan. Although she would have liked to get away from the place, she recognised that she had no choice but to sleep in one of these hovels tonight as the sun is already setting and she has spent too much time loitering about. Now which house looked slightly better than the rest and less decaying.
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' I guess this will do ' she thought, as she found a much better looking house, not by much as the house was smaller than the others,it was square shaped like the others, it had no door, Inside was spacious with only two rooms but it was well intact, with small empty furniture, no sleeping beds though in either of the rooms.
It was getting dark, she noticed and the temperature was getting colder too. She was not that brave enough to go explore in the dark especially in an unknown place.' Tomorrow it is' she thought, laying on the cold wooden floor shivering, folding herself as if she magically disappear from this strange place. It took a while for her to fell asleep, her emotions numb but her thoughts racing a mile with plans and the future.
TO BE CONTINUED