The streets I wandered through felt like a nightmare I couldn't wake from
Trash piled high in cracked alleys, rats scurrying through broken bottles and discarded needles. Broken streetlights flickered, casting long shadows that twisted like sinister fingers reaching for me. Every corner I turned, I caught glimpses of desperate faces, men shouting at ghosts only they could see, women slumped against walls clutching empty bottles and some begging.
At one point I nearly tripped over a collapsed man who smelled like stale beer and regret, I swallowed hard, forcing myself to keep moving, even though my heart hammered like I was running a race I didn't want to win.
If I kept going like this, I'd collapse. But sleep felt like a trap. What if I closed my eyes and they found me? Sent me back to that nightmare worse than this, to the place where women like me were just packages waiting to be sold?
Lost in those thoughts, I nearly bumped into a man in uniform.
"Miss, you can't sleep here," Officer… I then read his name tag. Officer Cal said, flashing me a look that was half 'I'm doing my job' and half 'this is awkward for both of us' I glanced down at my clothes – or lack thereof and gave him a pointed look.
"Well no kidding, Officer. You don't think I'm going to curl up here in these – what do you call them? – 'nighttime pajamas'?"
He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Point taken. So where are you planning to crash then?"
"Anywhere but here," I said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Any suggestions." He looked me up and down then smiled.
"You're lucky. There's a shelter not far from here. But first..." He paused dramatically.
"Could you tell me which country we're in?" I blinked, caught off guard. He probably thinks i've been doing some heavy drugs.
"Uh ... I'm pretty sure it's not Narnia." he laughed.
"No seriously. we're in California." I burst out laughing, the absurdity of it catching me off guard.
"California, huh? I thought I was lost in a zombie apocalypse."
"Welcome to Cali," he said with a smirk.
"Home of sunshine, tacos, and apparently, lost girls looking for shelter." I shook my head, amused despite myself.
"Thanks, Officer Cal. For your guidance and your questionable jokes." He tipped an imaginary hat.
"Anytime, ma'am. Now, follow me before you decide to nap on the sidewalk and become one of the city's new decorations."
He led me to the homeless shelter, which surprised me with how clean and well-kept it looked. The people inside didn't look homeless either, just tired and wary.
I found an empty bed and finally let myself breathe, feeling a small flicker of hope in the chaos.
---
The thunder rumbled like it was tearing the sky in half. Every crash felt like it was aimed at me, matching the chaos twisting in my chest. I tossed and turned beneath the thin shelter sheets, but sleep refused to come.
Maybe… maybe I should have kept walking last night.
I slipped out of bed and padded to the bathroom, splashing water on my face until the reflection staring back at me looked a little less haunted. I ran my fingers through my hair, then pulled on the clothes the kind woman at the shelter door had given me. They smelled faintly of soap and someone else's life.
I lingered by the window, the rain hammering the glass, wondering if I should leave. It didn't matter where I went—eventually, someone would find me.
The storm gave me no rest, so I sat with an old newspaper I'd found in the lounge. My name wasn't in it. Not that I expected it to be. My landlord had probably already rented my apartment to someone else without a second thought. I'd been gone too long for anyone to care.
The thunder didn't stop until morning, and by then, my eyes burned from staying awake. I'd waited out the storm, but the storm inside me? That was still raging.