...............................
Her hand reached
around the blade of grass, so fragile and weak. It was still dotted
with the morning fog that had wrapped around the hills, ensnaring the
cityscape in an almost cryptic allure. She smiled and gently pressed
the green foliage over her fingertips. The rooftop garden was a
beauty, even now having gone years without someone to watch over its
growth.
In the absence of
caretaker it had run rampant, creating a scene that reminded her of a
storybook she'd once found in the remains of a bookstore. Of a
leopard that roamed in a rainforest, the way the huge branches dipped
towards the forest floor. Much like the vines that dripped into the
gravel underneath Mina's feet, curling and unraveling in spindly
threads. She especially liked how the roses in the planter boxes had
broken free from their confines, forming large overgrown bushes that
poked over the side of the building. The blossoms themselves were
like droplets of crimson from the spectator's point of view on the
roadside five stories down.
Mina walked over to
the fountain and watched the reflection of the clouds overhead, their
mighty formations a preclude to the oncoming storm brewing just out
at sea. And as the young lady pushed away a few strands of her ebony
bobcut she could peer onto the distant strikes of bright light
against the contrasting wall of billowing black.
How poetic.
Would it be the
last storm she'd ever see?
Her gaze shifted
downward and she adjusted the pistol in her right hand. The cold
metal tingled against her palm, the aftereffects of firing such a
powerful weapon. Would she have to do so again? So soon? Of course
she would... What sort of question was that? She holstered the piece
in the side of her boot, the adrenaline having fallen away only
minutes before. And now the fear was beginning to seep in. It was a
quiet torment that pressed deep into her soul the moment the rage and
the gunfire had stopped and it was only her left standing. Only her
and her opponent lying quietly against the cool marble of the lobby
below.
His blood had
spilled out from the hole in his neck, painting the ivory surface
scarlet. She'd killed before, but always at a distance. Never having
the opportunity to look her attacker in the eye. This time though she
had no choice, but to walk over and gaze into his deep blue orbs.
They stared back at her just as she would stare up at the sky and see
the same. That beautiful azure. And yet this man and the sky were so
different. One that continuously gave, to provide a place for the
clouds and the stars. The other so consumed with selfishness and
destruction.
It was then that
Mina returned to the present when she heard the distant pounding on
the rooftop door. Two steps away from the fountain and she could view
the metallic jarring of the entryway and see the statue she'd pushed
in front of it slowly shifting forward. It wouldn't be long now
before they broke through. It was time act, to return from her
paradise in the overgrown garden and back into the world that was her
realty. That she was being hunted by these men and that she was her
only source of freedom, her only form of power.
The ebony haired
woman raced across the garden and hopped over the oversized tomato
plants and thick patch of blackberries to the side of the building.
Grimly she realized that the fire escape wasn't on this side and so
back she dashed, madly this time. Rounding about the fountain and
taking one last look at the callow lilies. And as she ran beyond the
doorway she could hear the men calling to her, screaming and
promising her a merciless demise.
Mina had no time
for them, unless she wanted to expend the remainder of her bullets
which were so few already. No, they were not worth the effort and so
she wrapped her hands around the cold rust laden ladder and made her
way down one floor at a time. The first two floors were easy enough,
the third not quite. For it was then that she peered inside the many
windows she'd passed along and saw, staring back on her, one of the
men.
Had he been waiting
for her?! No. She forced herself to look at him and saw he was just
as surprised to see her. But their only difference was his gun was
already drawn. And as he aimed she let her grip on the ladder falter.
The gunfire echoed in her ears, but Mina had gotten off easy. She
plummeted and her boots hit the next metal floor, knocking her off
balance. She rammed her knees into the grating and cried out as the
hard surface pressed into her skin.
Mina was no fool.
There was just no time to complain about flesh wounds. She gripped
onto the railing and brought herself back up as the bullets whisked
through the air around her. Two floors to go, just two more... And
she'd be free of them. Adjusting the thick scarf shielding her bare
shoulders Mina again took to the ladder and made her way down. By now
her attacker had loosed all his bullets and she was free from
everything he could throw at her, save his foul words.
The wind had
already begun to grow in power, pressing through the alleyway she
dropped into and tousling the remains of ancient garbage in half rust
eaten cans. Mina only took one glance ahead of her and one toward the
back of the alley before she made her decision on which route to
take. The girl sucked in her chapped lips and looked up the fire
escape. Only now had the men gotten beyond her makeshift barricade.
She smiled inwardly
and let her limber legs take her to the back of the brick building
she'd successfully descended from and out onto the next street behind
it. Here she took a moment to breathe, her brown eyes peering over
the abandoned scraps of cars and trucks. A bus that she could have
sworn she'd taken before all this had begun. This new world filled
with anarchy and decay. Kneeling down she dug into her boot and
retrieved the pistol that had been busy rubbing her skin raw She
needed to find a new pair socks, perhaps a jacket.
Checking to see if
her gun was as full as it could be, Mina hurried down the sidewalk
and minded the overgrown weeds creeping up from the gutter and
manhole covers. Amazing, how Mother Nature always had a way of taking
back what was hers. If only she'd taken care of the remaining bits of
street scum perusing Mina. They wouldn't stop their chase, not until
she was miles away from this place. That man she'd taken out would
surely spark some sort of humanity in their souls, the part seeking
revenge for a fallen friend. Even one who was better off dead.
Again Mina took
another alleyway route, diving into its darken depths in the hopes of
keeping herself from being found. This one had so little to offer her
by means of a hiding place, not that she would hide here, no. It was
still far too close to those men... So she continued, onto the next
street and through a little mini mart on the next corner.
Her eyes scanned
over the counter and the aisles, but like a carcass the store had
been picked clean. There was nothing for her here, nothing, but a
reminder of a life she'd long ago left behind. In this savage
wasteland. The young woman hit the employees only door and pressed
out through the back of the building, finding that her travels were
leading her closer and closer to the hills. Then, she felt it. That
first little splash of water across her cheek.
Mina's chocolate
irises peered upward and over the sprawling heavens above. The cloud
line she'd watched only twenty minutes before had finally rolled in
and was hell bent on dropping its cargo. No. No, she couldn't seek
out cover, not yet. She had to continue lest those men found her.
They'd show her no mercy... She needed to make her way for just a
little while longer.
As the droplets
began to tumble forth from overhead Mina kept her eyes peeled and her
gun cocked. Ever vigilant was she, constantly roving over the cracked
streets and broken pavement. Peering up at the empty buildings, once
so filled with life and purpose. Now they only posed a problem for
her, a place for someone to watch her and track her. Her skin tingled
at the thought and she shook back her fear with a shrug of her
shoulders. No, the city was no place for her.
Ten more minutes of
darting along the darkest corridors and beyond the buildings and Mina
was beginning to see that nature in the older suburbs was winning
over humanity's machinations. Entire houses were covered in vines and
weeds, spilling into broken windows and open doors. Much like the
lushes rooftop garden she'd escaped to when she'd been scouting. With
nowhere to go, but up when the men had cornered her. And now she was
returning to her sanctuary, her place of solace and safety.
A long, heavy sigh
escaped her and Mina did what she knew she should never do. The lady
dropped her guard and stretched, relinquishing the tense ache that
had built up and into her shoulders. She unwrapped the soaked scarf
and let the rain clean her tired, dusted frame. Her tank top hung
close to her body, sucked in from the water and clinging to her half
starved self. Her bones protruded around and about her chest, her
jeans that had once fit so well now two sizes too big.
It was only when
the rain started coming down in a torrential fit that she ducked into
the nearest house that still looked halfway decent. Dripping from
head to toe she wandered into the bedrooms, hoping to find a change
of clothes. Nothing. Much like the rest of the city, much like her...
The house was a skeleton of its former self. Mina made her way back
to the livingroom and looked out the broken front door. It would be
dark soon, she'd dare not travel then.
And so the lass moved through
the darkened hallway and back into the master bedroom, pulling the
remains of what was a moth eaten comforter and a chair cushion
underneath the bed and curling up for the night. If she was lucky
she'd get a few hours rest.
If she was lucky.
