Jade brings herself to her feet, eyes focusing better. In fact, much better. Her sight was probably never sharper; a far cry from the blurriness when she was near death. She clutches the wall to prevent from falling over. All things considered she felt better but she was completely drained.
Stopping in front of city hall, the giant digital clock bathes the block in a warm glow. The time read: 4:59. It filled Jade with panic but she couldn't put her finger on why. The vanishing chill in the air becomes apparent. Jade cannot understand this feeling she has. One thing was familiar, though: she was hungry.
Jade staggers to a food truck that is being prepared for the early morning business. She stares at the silver box with its awning still shut. She pounds on it.
"Fuck off, not open yet!" can be heard coming from the inside.
Jade grimaces at the dismissal. She certainly wasn't in the mood right now as if there was a time when she would otherwise let that slide.
BAM! BAM!
"What the hell is wrong with you? Go to the 7-11."
BAAAANNNNGGGGG BAAAAANNNNNNGGGGGGGG!
That time Jade made a noticeable dent in the broad side of the sandwich truck. She was quite surprised herself and backs away. Suddenly the proprietor emerges from the inside and looks at the large mark and then to Jade. His face was bemused to say the least.
"Did you…did you just do that?"
Jade doesn't answer but she doesn't have to. The man looks around and sees nobody for yards around. It couldn't have been anywhere else. He runs back into the truck, thinking she might be on something. They only come out when it gets dark.
Jade wanders the streets thinking about everything that's happened in the last few hours.
She was walking home from her job, shortly after midnight. The boss stuck her with checking the inventory. Jade took the route that led to Levinson Ave. It was the best lit almost the whole way to the bus stop. Not tonight.
Several street lamps were out due to underground work on the neighboring city grid. Jade traversed this path so many times, she wasn't worried. At first.
An unease permeated in the air; like that feeling you know you're being watched. Jade was confident that someone was following her but she was afraid to stop and look fearing that it would initiate the pending assault or robbery. Instead, she tried to utilize her peripheral vision to check the walls of the various shops for shadows. Nothing. But that bad feeling remained.
Without thinking, Jade ducks into an alley. It was dark except for a lone bulb hanging outside an Italian restaurant. It flickered like a building that old would. They always had faulty wiring.
She backs behind as dumpster and fixates on the entrance to the alley. Him or they had to appear. What Jade wasn't aware of was that whatever was following her somehow got the advantage from above.
It was a struggle with various fragments. When all was said and done, all Jade could remember was a mess of hair and blood. It didn't take long for Jade to end up flat on her back with the attacker on top of her, pawing away like a rabid dog. The most painful and surreal moment of this attack was when the stranger sinks his teeth into her flesh.
Jade has read stories before of women getting beaten and raped while walking at night. Never heard of anybody being bitten like they were a steak. She expected this brute to take a chunk out of her neck. She wouldn't put it past him. He seemed crazy enough.
An intense lightheadedness overcame her. She didn't realize she had lost that much blood. Jade's thoughts were of her baby sister Mira. Ever since mom left and eventually dad dying, Jade had become caretaker of her practically overnight. She still doesn't completely know how to take care of herself so being in charge of a preteen's welfare is as smooth a transition as, well, death. But what other choice did she have? There was no family. And Jade didn't trust putting her into the system; not only because of the slim chances of seeing her ever again but also that Bernardo would have enough influence to claim her somehow.
Jade refused to allow that. Nobody is going to ever claim her but her own sister. She loved Mira and she may not always know what's best for her but she definitely knew what wasn't.
Eventually, Jade's mind began to blank and she focused more on her injuries. The fatal wound behind her neck was by far the most painful. However, being tossed around like a rag doll on the concrete practically killed her back and right arm. Immobile, she cried for help but nobody came. This part of town at this hour, it didn't seem likely.
Still, not one person? Just one? If one person was there to help…
Maybe…
Maybe…
Jade clutches her chest on concern when the clock from a bank alerts her that its almost six. Time has gotten away from her.
The sun should be coming up right about now.
Why the fuck does that terrify me?
Nothing from any memory could serve an explanation. There was something base about it; an animalistic instinct. Kind of like our hesitation in dark places. But in this case, it was daybreak that frightened Jade to her foundation.
She saw the street map indicating a subway station. Immediately she gripped the railing and leapt down the stairs. Jade was now underground but there was plenty of where the sun can reach for her. To harm her. So she retreated deeper and deeper, past the platform and into the catacombs. There was a wooden border so she wasn't concerned about a train hurtling through the tunnel she was walking in.
There was a few yellow construction lights shining brightly. These artificial lights didn't perturb Jade, despite how powerful they were. Once she got even further into the abandoned tunnel until those lights began to fade, did she stop to rest.
Jade sits down, leaning against the tunnel wall. Even though she was in total darkness, she could somehow see. But it was kind of like a night vision sort of thing. Probably how cats must see when it's night.
Speak of the devil. A tabby jumps into Jade's line of sight. It didn't look very good. Must have been down here for quite a while and it had no collar. Rabies being the least of her worries, Jade picks up the feline and stares intently at it.
Well, I still haven't eaten yet.
But those green eyes tore up Jade's insides and even though it looked worse for the wear, she let it go. She couldn't bring herself to kill something like that, even if it was for food.
Jade rises and proceeds down the tunnel some more. There must be something to eat here. The thought still creeped her out. She never in her life ever looked at a housecat and thought "lunch."
But I'm not alive anymore, am I?