It is the unsaid wonder and judgment in their eyes as they watched her fly by. A fully grown woman running down the street as if all hell had broken loose, with a bag full of whatever women buy at stores in one hand and her shoes in the other hand, instead of now sore feet from running barefoot on concrete. It wasn't entirely her fault even as bystanders looked at her as if she had grown another head. She pushed herself to her limit as she rounded the corner, she ran as fast as she could. Her footsteps echoed loudly across the street. Her heart beat erratically against her rib cage with the sudden activity. She panted loudly with every agonizing step she took. Her legs pushed her to run harder but her chest said otherwise as it burned painfully.
"Lord? Why do I always have a hot mouth?" she wondered.
'If I had kept my mouth shut, I probably wouldn't be running like a mad woman with my heavy bag full of shopping I had gone to pick from the store.' she thought rounding another corner.
'I just had to open my big mouth and speak back to that rusty annoying, uncivilized group of bullies who didn't know how to respect people and their moods.' She was in a pretty bad mood and they just had to provoke her and well they deserved me calling them looser who didn't get mothers love.
'Bad move July Mira, she thought to herself.
Mira's chest heaved and burned terribly. She was almost tempted to regret it. But her mood wouldn't allow me to regret it. She was too engrossed in her thoughts as she looked back from time to time to see her pursuers and forgot to watch where she was heading. Suddenly she bumped into a wall, she flew back and sat with a thud on the hard pavement from the impact with an oomph breath rushing out of her lungs.
Just what I needed at that moment! To fall on my ass while my life was in danger. It's not like anyone could save her if she got the beating of a lifetime in the streets. That is how bad the state of the riot city was. Its name is not really a Riot city but the situation of the city has made it earn its name. Violence was the only language North bridge city spoke. Once darkness fell over the sky the gangs came down to run the streets. Especially down in the poor parts of town where I lived.
she scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could. There was no time to sit and leak her wounds. She ran into a dark street and hid behind a bin. The rats that were busy feasting got startled and gave her odd looks before they went back to search for dinner. That is how bad the situation in Riot city was. Even the rats were hardened to not care. If the little beast could, she was sure they could have called her names.
Mira's phone vibrated in her pocket and she knew who it was before she could even pick it. She pulled it quickly out of her pocket, pressed the mute button and pushed it back into her pocket. Natalia hadn't stopped calling her since she told her that she lost her job. Natalia, her elder sister, was too worried for her and wouldn't hesitate to help her, but she knew better. Natalia had big enough problems and Mira didn't need to add another burden on her.
She had been there for her since the death of their mother six years ago when she was fourteen and Natalia eighteen and she considered her as her mom. She didn't feel like picking it up so she let it ring, even more so now that she needed to stay silent like her life depended on it because it probably did. She heard footsteps pass by the street and she pushed her back more into the filthy wall. If the gang caught her, she would be lucky if he didn't make me minced meat. would be
Today was terrible for her and she wondered whether it had to do with the fact that she lost her job. she could still remember secretary viola as she strutted towards her desk. Her curvy body almost spilling off of her tight clothes.
Mira is a music teacher at a small junior school. or was, until this morning.
"Boss is calling you." Viola said, looking her up and down as if she was looking at filth. Mira was the substitute guitar teacher and vocal coach. It is not like she was the best out there and she had never been the best at studying but she had managed to score a good grade to get her to college. Natalia herself was struggling to make ends meet with her kid, whose father had abandoned both of them before she was even born. Mira did not want to trouble her so she just went from job to job to make ends meet. She had been lucky to even get the job of being a substitute music teacher for kids. It paid barely enough but it was enough to pay her rent to her small apartment and put food on the table. That was all a girl with no one to depend on could hope for in a city like North bridge.
Her life was great.
Well that is what she thought until she caught the eye of her very creepy boss. At first she thought he was being nice to her because he was a nice person. Since Mira never had a father figure in her life anyway because her father died even earlier in her life she naively thought finally her father was smiling down at her and granted her a father. All that delusion changed a week ago when he confessed his undying love for her and asked her to be his. His side chick of course because the man is married. She had laughed thinking he was joking but he had then started saying he only employed her because she was pretty and not because of her skills.
she couldn't get angry because she needed the job badly so Mira just turned him down softly to avoid any drama but he did not take the rejection properly which is the sore reason viola his favorite girlfriend called her into his office.
"You are fired." is all he said, not even giving her a glance.
"But boss…" she tried but he ignored her.
"Unless you rectify your mistake you can take your things and go home."
Rectify?
Sleeping with a man fit to be her father is what rectifying meant. Mira almost laughed at how far she had come only to be pushed into a corner again. She couldn't even help her sister who raised her, let alone help myself. It is indeed a cruel word where you have to eat or get eaten and she lacked the fangs and will to be the one who ate before getting eaten. so she just turned around and left.
Mira only decided to go shopping with all I had saved up. Spend it all and just wait for the worst to happen when it runs out. Luck wasn't on my side yet again and she managed to run her mouth.
The commotion of running feet finally calmed down after a few minutes and she slithered from behind the dustbin. The streets were clear and she sighed with relief. She returned back on the street leading home and sped up. She looked up and down with every step but she didn't get far before getting caught.
"I knew you must have been hiding." A voice said from another street. "There is no way a girl with such a hot mouth could suddenly disappear. The leader of the group laughed. His dyed red hair reflected light from the dim street lamp. Mira yelped in fear and broke into a run with her bag full of shopping clutched in her hands. Losing it meant dying of hunger. She couldn't just throw it away no matter how much it slowed her down. She broke into a run but she didn't get many steps in before a leg shot out blocking her path. She yelped as tripped and went flying. The contents of her shopping bag went flying and scattered along the street. Her knees scarped on the pavement and her hands bled from the impact.
"Now it's time to teach you who runs the Riot streets." Red hair spoke again with a sick grin. Mira wanted to ask him if he was this way because mommy did not love him again but she decided against it and resorted to begging.
"Please let me…" She tried to say but a punch was rammed into the side of her face sending her back to the pavement. A tooth jumped out of her mouth and she spat a mouthful of blood. Stars filled her vision and she saw black for a moment. For someone scrawny, he really packed a punch. The other followed his lead immediately, kicks and blows landed on her like rain, not even giving her a chance to breathe. Mira tried to cover her head with her hands but then the kicks landed on my rips. she could hear them break loudly and she cried out in pain. She couldn't even beg anymore. She was no match for a pack of men unleashing violence. When she could no longer move they finally stopped but made sure to spit on her.
"That oughta teach you when to talk." Red hair said before walking away. Did just one insult deserve beating me half to death? the question hung on her lips.
Mira must have passed out again because when she felt herself again the streets were dead silent. She pushed herself to her feet with much difficulty and yelped in pain when she put weight on her bones. Every part of her body hurt like hell with every step she took. She could not see properly where she was walking because her eyes were swollen. She coughed a mouthful of blood and forced herself to walk.
What a joke. My life must be a big fat joke.
After many minutes of struggling she finally got herself back on a familiar street leading back home. Her shopping was gone and her phone was gone too. Someone must have picked it out from her pocket while she was passed out. Just then Mira realized even her coat was gone. Red hair only cared about beating her and didn't care about taking her belongings. He was just a sadist who wanted to cause pain. The one after him was even worse. Robbing the belongings of a dying woman. Mira coughed another mouthful of blood and got onto the main street. She staggered on the now blurring street, her eyes were getting more and more swollen and she did not know how long she could keep them open. She needed to hurry home but that was physically impossible. Staggering was the fastest she could go.
she staggered again not seeing properly following only my intention. she must have missed the blaring lights coming straight to the sidewalk or perhaps she had stumbled onto the road. She must have blacked out for a second because she only saw the two blaring lights when they were two feet away from her. They looked like a light at the end of her dark tunnel. Perhaps she was delirious or she had a concussion.
Mira stretched both her hands in front of her as if she was trying to hug the light. Not even a moment passed before the moving light that she now recognized as an old, wrecked car made an impact with her body. Mira was airborne for a moment from the impact before she landed on the front window. She must have made eye contact with the driver at some point and he had a couple of dead eyes like he didn't care that he had run into her. He did not even wait for me to land before he hit me again and sped off. He was worse than red hair, the one who robbed her phone and even her perverted boss.
That was the beauty of riot city. Nobody cared about anyone.
Mira landed softly on the road or perhaps she had lost the ability to feel. her almost shut eyes stared at the moon above her and it looked right at her. It must have been her real light at the end of the tunnel. She had never died before nor knew how it felt to die, but at that moment she knew she was dying and it was not as scary as she had always feared. It was the most peaceful she had felt ever since her mom died. And she welcomed it. The moon moved closer and closer to her and she welcomed it. Natalia could finally have one less thing to worry about. It was a selfish thought but it was freeing. She smiled a small smile and stretched her broken twisted fingers towards the moon that was moving rapidly towards me. And then it went black.