The man stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself. He wore a black suit and glasses. He had a long face and dark hair, a mysterious aura around him. But she was sure of one thing. He was creepy. Definitely creepy.
Audrey stepped back, feeling herself touch the edge of counter. "Looking for your mommy, kid?" The man sneered. As he took another step, Audrey could feel her heart leap out of her chest. " I can bring you too her," He said.
He crouched down to the girls height, a creepy grin across his face. "But, you gotta do something for me," He explained. "So, Audrey, you wanna make a spark for me?" He asked.
He suddenly reached out to grab her, locking his hands around the girls shoulders. Audrey's eye's were wide, and she went speechless, frozen with fear.
It broke as he lifted her and carried her threw the living room, and she started squirming, failing her legs. "No! No!" She screeched. It was high pitched and sharp, the sound on terror. "No! No! No!" She screamed.
The man struggled to hold the little girl, getting kicked several times. "Enough!" He yelled, pulling her face to his. "No.." Audrey whimpered. "What...?" The man asked, not catching her word. "NO!" Shouted Audrey, getting angry. "I SAID NO!" She screeched.
Suddenly her body entrapped in fire, burning the man, who then dropped her. "NO!" She screamed, her body covered in flame.
The man took a step back, trying to reach the door. As soon as the flame unwrapped her, it disappeared, as if it had a been just a quick surge of power.
Audrey knelt on the ground with her hands and knees, looking up on the man. The fire around her may have been gone, but it's aftermath remained. The carpet and chairs had been set on fire, which quickly spread. The whole apartment living room was on fire, which was spreading quickly.
Audrey didn't move, frozen with the terror that was her own creation. The man pulled on the door, struggling to open the front door.
Audrey looked at his face, reminded why she had gotten so enraged. She ran, running under the table to the hallway. "Get back here!" The man yelled.
He stood by the door, afraid to move away. She ran to the back door. Try as she might, the back door wouldn't open. She gasped in fear, before turning to the bedroom on the other side. She ran into her mother's bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
She looked around, before noticing the window. she jumped to the bed, looking back. The door would only hold the flames for so long. She pulled at the window, which was tightly shut. Smoke was beginning to fill the room.
Audrey waved her hand to move the smoke, to no avail. She had no control over the fire she created. She panicked. She couldn't die! Not yet! She had to find her mother. She grabbed the bedside lamp, banging the window as hard she could. The window had cracked. She aimed her lamp, giving it a powerful swing at the window.
As it shattered, she could feel shards of glass dig into her hands. She ignored it, far to concentrated into getting out of the window. She pulled herself up, before falling out. Thank goodness it was a low, first story room, as she hit the ground, landing on her arm.
Not broken, but it was enough to make her cringe in pain. She sat up after a moment, tears in her eye, clutching her arm in pain. She backed away, eyes wide as fire spurt from the window.
She could feel her heart pound as she heard the sirens, loud and close. A fire truck had approached, men in yellow suits pouring out, extinguishers.
She watched in horror as she saw a man turn the corner, running from the scene.
The man in the black suit. He must've gotten the door opened. He was smokey and battered looking, but alive.
Audrey looked around, legs not moving. What did she do? Which way should she good? She could here footsteps get closer. She cried, unable to get up. "Move, please, please move!"
She cried. She finally got up, her legs wobbly, stumbling clumsily as she ran. She ran behind the building next to hers, running threw the backyards behind the close-knit houses.
She finally stopped, turning into and ally way. She leaned against the wall, her hands holding onto it, as if for dear life.
Look what she had done, what she created. Mom? What about mom?! Where was she?!
Would that man really lead her to her mother. She slid down the wall, tears down her face. She hadn't noticed she had been crying.
The pain she had ignored soon came back to her. Her cut hands, her injured shoulders. She pulled back her bleeding hands in her hugging them against her sides, too afraid to look at them. She finally pulled them out after calming down.
nothing too bad, just a few bleeding cuts. she looked at her hands. her fingers and tips of her sleeves were stained with blood. She clutched her arm, sniffling. Everything was just to much to handle, and she could feel herself getting sleepy.
She didn't want to fall asleep in the open, afraid the man may find her again. She got up, walking around slowly, looking for something to find in.
She spotted a few boxes by the dumpsters. she stacked two, before places herself inside them, the wall, the dumpster and the two boxes surrounded her like a nest.
She grabbed the biggest box, placing it over, hoping to blend in with the pile of trash. She leaned against the wall, resting.
Not asleep, though. She was far to scared to sleep. Any child would be afraid to sleep out alone on the street. She merely leaned against the wall and shivered pitifully, the boxes weren't very insulating.
She could feel self drowsing off to sleep, exhausted. She was finally falling to the fear that was sleeping. She still leaned against the wall, curling up. She pulled her smoke covered jacket over her legs.
Her hair was raggedy, and one of her ribbons were gone. She pulled the other out, tying it around a large cut on the back of her hand.
She held it tight, the pressure felt good on her cut up hand. She looked worn and pale, but none of it mattered. She shivered, before finally falling into slumber.
Audrey woke with a start, her head jerking forward. Pain rushed into her arm, and she found herself clutching her shoulder.
She pushed the box gently off her, making sure to be as quiet as she could. She scanned at the ally-way, confused, before remembering what had happened. Fire, right.
Audrey looked down at her hands. The were covered in dark scars, from fingertips to wrists, they were everywhere. But, they stopped bleeding. That as good.
As long as they stopped bleeding, that was fine. Audrey studied her surroundings. Cold, dark, rats scurried across the ground when it was safe. She took a breath, calming herself.
Everything that had happened was blurry, like a dream you could never fully remember in the morning. She pulled herself up, using the wall for support.
Walking out of the ally, she squinted as city lights hit her eyes. It was bright and busy. She had never seen anything like it. It must've been hours after her bed time.
She scurried out of the ally, quietly walking by, avoiding making a presence in the streets. People didn't seem to care, though.
Shoes clapped heavily on the pavement as people hurried by, trying to get home after a long nights work. There were so many lights.
Audrey never knew Metropolis to be so dark. In the day, people were always dressed nicely, and the sun was bright, and the green on trees was vivid.
But, night swept away the golden exterior, revealing a much paler, sicker city. Women in fish-net stockings, yelling, beeping horns, neon signs and loud music from buildings over.
Audrey hurried, trying to find a place to hide. She felt watched, as if everyone had an eye on her. Strangers had always made her feel uncomfortable.
She quickened her pace, walking even faster. She quickened her pace faster and faster, until she was running. Running anywhere, running nowhere. It was cold, she was hungry, and it was if all eyes were on her.
She a lurching feeling in her stomach, almost nervous. She didn't realize she wasn't paying attention, it just seemed to come as a straight path. Until she bumped into someone.
She took a stumble back, not falling, landing on her feet at the nick of time. She looked up, into the face of the man she had bumped into.
He was tall, buff, with a head of black hair and round glasses that framed his long, sculpted face.
"I'm sorry..." She she mumbled. She wanted to speak louder, apologize properly, but she just couldn't find the volume. "It's alright," The man reassured.
He knealed, reaching the girls level. "What's a girl like you doing out here?" He asked. The girl looked down, trying not to look him in the eye. "I...I was running an errand for my mother..." She mumbled.
The thought of her mother wanted to make her tear up, but she clenched her hands. The scars hurt, but it took her mind off of her missing mother. "She's not feeling well, so I went to get some soup," She lied.
The man looked her up, looking for a shopping bag. "Soup? Where is it? "He asked. Audrey scuffed her feet. "It got stolen. I don't have money for more," She added, continuing her lie.
The man merely smiled, as if he had come to a conclusion of his own. "That's a very nice thing to do. Listen up. How about I buy some soup for you?" He asked.
Aubrey looked back up at the man. "Really?" She asked. Her hopes soared at the idea of eating something tonight. "Sure," Smiled the man.
He walked beside her to the nearest dollar store. Their conversation there had consisted of weather and politics, in which Aubrey had no real clue as to what politics really were, just to nodding her head, and saying "mmm-hmm".
Finally reaching the convenience store, the man took her inside. He picked out a soup, and a candy bar for her. After paying, they walked outside, and he sat her on a bench, squatter down to her height.
"Listen. I know a lot about kids. And I know a lot about lies too," He explained. "So I know when a child's lying. But, I can help you. If your family is going threw a hard time, or your all alone, I can help make the situation better," He said.
Audrey huffed, trying to leave the bench. She didn't need help. She just needed to find her mother.
As she tried to leave, the man grabbed her arm, trying to stop her. She winced in pain, causing the man to let go. "Are you alright?" He asked, reaching out to her, gently grabbing her shoulders. "It's fine. My mother is taking to the doctor tomorrow," She lied.
She was starting to feel, uncomfortable, guilty. The man stared for a moment, finally letting her go. "Alright. But, call me if you need me," He said. He reached from his pocket, handing her a card. He got up quickly, waving to her as he left. She looked down at the card, studying it. It was a cream color, with shiny gold and red lettering.
"Metropolis Social Services Program" It read. Below, it read a name. "Clack Kent, Volunteer social worker,". She looked back up, but the man was gone. "Clack Kent..." She whispered. She placed it inside her shirt, having no pocket to place it in. She left the bench, hoping to find a place to stay for the night.
She had to have been walking for about an hour or so, as her arms slumped and her feet dragged off the pavement of the sidewalk.
She was wearing and old, faded purple jacket she had found on the sidewalk. A hole had been stitched by a separate piece of green cloth, and the zipper only went up to mid-chest, but it was still warm.
She looked around, hoping to find a place to stay for the night. Or at least rest a few hours. She kept walking, never turning around. It was getting later into the night. Perhaps 1:00, maybe later. She could feel her eyes heavy. She stopped, looking up. A building was lit up, women in fish-net stocking and tight clothes sat against the steps outside, smoking a cigarette.
One of the women looked at Audrey, raising her brow. "What are you looking at, kid?" The women asked. She smoked her cigarette, blowing some smoke. Audrey studied the place. Many rooms, almost like an apartment. Lots of people, lots of noise.
"Is this a hotel?" Audrey asked. The woman looked at her, surprised. "Don't you know where are kid?" She asked.
She got off the steps, walking over. Her heels were loud, grabbing Audrey's attention. She stared at the shoes as the woman stood in front of her.
"Kid," The woman said, Audrey's attention snapping back up to her. "Yes?" Audrey asked, spooked. "Kid, where's your parents?" The woman asked. Audrey scuffed her feet, looking down at the ground.
" I see," Said the women, taking the hint. The woman walked away, taking another smoke. She turned back to Audrey, who was watching her. "You can stay here tonight, kid," She finally said. Audrey blinked, before hurrying to catch up. The woman flipped her hair with her arm.
"Stay out of rooms with signs, and don't talk to any of the men. There's an old room in the back no one uses," The woman said. audrey didn't understand, but didn't need to. She simply nodded, following the woman inside.