CHAPTER FIVE: DOORS CLOSED
732 Words
Morning came too quickly.
Zara barely slept.
The thin mattress did nothing for her aching body, and the cold air that slipped through the broken window made the night feel even longer.
Her eyes opened slowly, heavy and tired.
For a moment, she forgot where she was.
Then reality hit.
The small room.
The cracked walls.
The silence.
Zara sat up slowly, pressing a hand against her head as dizziness washed over her.
“Get up…” she muttered to herself. “You can’t stay here.”
Her stomach growled again, louder this time.
She swallowed hard.
“I know,” she whispered weakly.
There was no food.
No money left to waste.
And no one to help her.
Zara stood up, her legs slightly unsteady, and reached for her bag. She took a quick look at herself in the small mirror hanging on the wall.
Her hair was messy.
Her eyes were dull.
Her face… pale.
She didn’t look like someone anyone would want to hire.
But she had no choice.
“I just need one chance,” she said softly.
---
The sun was already high when Zara stepped out into the busy street.
People rushed past her, dressed neatly, heading to work, living their lives.
Zara tightened her grip on her bag.
*That used to be me…*
She pushed the thought away quickly.
No time for that.
She walked into the first shop she saw—a small café.
The smell of food hit her immediately, making her stomach twist painfully.
Stay focused.
She approached the counter.
“Good morning,” she said politely. “I wanted to ask if you’re hiring?”
The woman behind the counter barely looked at her.
“We’re full.”
Zara nodded quickly.
“Okay… thank you.”
She stepped out.
One down.
Many more to go.
---
The second place was a clothing store.
This time, the manager looked at her properly before speaking.
“We need someone presentable,” he said bluntly.
Zara froze.
“I can clean up, I just—”
“Next,” he cut her off, already turning away.
The words stung.
But she swallowed them.
Kept moving.
---
Third place.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Each one worse than the last.
“No vacancies.”
“Come back next month.”
“We’re not hiring.”
“We need experience.”
Zara’s steps grew slower with each rejection.
Her energy drained.
Her hope… slipping.
By the time she reached the sixth place, her vision was slightly blurred.
Still, she walked in.
“I’m looking for a job,” she said, her voice quieter now.
The man behind the desk looked her up and down.
Then laughed.
“You?” he scoffed. “You look like you can barely stand.”
Zara’s fingers curled tightly at her sides.
“I can work,” she insisted softly.
“Go home,” he said dismissively. “You’re wasting my time.”
Something inside her cracked.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just… quietly.
Zara nodded slowly.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured.
Then she turned and walked out.
---
The sun was beginning to set when she finally stopped.
Her legs couldn’t carry her anymore.
She sat down on a small bench by the roadside, her bag slipping from her shoulder.
Silence surrounded her.
But inside…
Everything was loud.
Too loud.
“I tried…” she whispered, staring at the ground. “I really tried…”
Her vision blurred again, but this time, she didn’t fight the tears.
They fell freely.
Hot.
Heavy.
“I don’t know what else to do…” her voice broke.
Her hand moved to her stomach, pressing lightly.
“I’m failing already…” she cried softly. “I can’t even take care of us…”
A wave of dizziness hit her suddenly.
Stronger than before.
Zara swayed slightly where she sat.
Her breathing became uneven.
“No… not now…” she whispered.
But her body gave in.
The world around her spun.
Voices blurred.
And then—
Darkness.
“Hey! Miss!”
A distant voice.
Faint.
Panicked.
“Someone call for help!”
Everything felt far away.
Heavy.
Cold.
Zara couldn’t move.
Couldn’t respond.
Her last thought before everything went completely black was simple.
*I can’t give up… not yet…*
And somewhere in that fading darkness…
Her story was just beginning to take a turn she never saw coming.
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