Her feet hurt.
Of course they hurt. She was barefoot, running down a cracked city sidewalk.
Running for her life. As fast as she fucking could.
Pam Hart thought her legs were going to fall off. They hadn’t been used in over a year, but somehow they propelled her forward.
She passed through crowds of people as she reached the noisy part of the city. She darted and weaved through the concrete jungle, exhilarated by actually being able to feel the world around her.
Even the horrible smelling alleyways.
People looked at her strangely, seeing a scared teenager running from… something. Barefoot and afraid.
But of course she was barefoot. There’s not much time to put your shoes on when there’s a monster chasing you.
If she could just get to the train station, she’d be okay. She had to get there before it found her.
The Monster.
Ever since they locked her mind up in that cage, it’d been there. First it lurked on the outskirts of the darkness she was drowning in.
But it grew ever closer.
No matter how far she ran, it inched closer day by day.
Just an hour ago, it finally touched her, reaching a hand out to burn its mark into her flesh.
And the world came alive as Pam Hart finally woke up. She had to escape the monster. The fire engulfing her home wouldn’t stop it, but it’d give her time to get as far away as possible.
Hopefully her parents made it out okay.
As she turned the corner to the train station, Pam’s mouth dropped. She was too late. The last train had departed. The station was empty, there was nowhere to run.
The next train wouldn’t be here for twenty minutes.
That was too long.
“Fuck!” she yelled in exasperation. Her voice was raw, her vocal chords having not been used in so long. But she felt power in having a voice again.
This monster had been coming for her for all this time, and she’d had no power to run.
Now she did, but there was nowhere to go.
Hope lost, Pam turns around slowly. A lump forms in her throat as she sees a form standing before her.
The monster. It’d found her, beaten her to the train station.
“Very clever,” a familiar voice sang to her. “But I’m still here.”
She’d never heard the monster speak, until now. It looked the same as always. A dark shadow, clad in crimson, with fire for eyes. It had always creeped her out how much it managed to look so familiar yet very inhuman at the same time.
Something about its face, perhaps.
“Ma’am?” A voice called out, distracting Pam from this battle. She saw the concerned patron step up beside her yet she couldn’t take her eyes off the monster.
“Ma’am, the train is about to leave.” He said, stepping away from her with a cautious gait.
Her crimson skirt swirling, Pam turns to walk toward the train.
Leaving the mirror she’d been staring into behind.