LOVE ME

Amidst shadows

Alicia's POV

Hilton's street felt empty as I strode its path. The woman sweeping the streets caught my attention and I stood to watch her sweep. The dry leaves and rusty cans she swept made uncanny sounds.

I watched as a man approached her and scolded her. I sighed and continued walking. “What was the world turning into? That woman was old enough to be a mother and was receiving such demeaning treatment” I thought.

I passed a large building, its roof with a cross-like bricklayer structure. “That must be a church” I thought. I had not gone far when the bell chimed confirming my thoughts.

A man alighted from a Rolls Royce and his suit made me release bouts of laughter.

He looked like a professor from the 90s. That contradicted the car he alighted from.

I watched as he crossed to the other side of the car and opened the door. A young woman alighted and smiled at him. Her make up was a little too much.

They clung together like sardines and walked to the nearest hall.

I read the inscription on top of the hall “THE EVENT OF TIME” .

I repeated the inscription in my head a countable number of times and decided to find out what was happening there.

I was very hungry, I had neglected the rumblings in my stomach, but as I approached the hall, the smell of red wine and ginseng flavor made me even hungrier.

I needed to check the time, but I wasn't with any device to know the time.

I looked around and saw young girls moving in and out of the hall.

They all looked alike with very long legs and heels that looked like natural extensions of their legs.

Their long sleeve gold colour shirts were tucked neatly into a skirt.

I frowned seeing how short all the skirts were, exposing very slim thighs.

Anyways, dressing wasn't my problem. I cleared my throat and walked hastily to one of them.

She looked at me and smiled, “your passcode?”

I looked at her face. She was beautiful, her fair skin was so smooth, I was tempted to feel them.

“ Ma?” She asked again, this time sounding very very unfriendly .

“ Uhm, yeah, sorry, I I I … actually I don't have one” I stammered.

She sighed and made to go, I urgently held her back and that action of mine tore her buttons.

Why would an expensive looking cloth be as weak as that, I wondered.

“ What!” She looked so furious. I didn't even know how to start my apology. I just stared at her, mouth agape. Before I knew it, I was dragged into a dark room.

I kept fighting for my freedom, but that was a futile effort as I was being held by people almost ten times my weight. As I entered the room, they loosened me and I fell scrambling to gain my posture.

From the voices I heard, there were four men in the room. “What have I gotten myself into?” I wailed in agony.

A slap went across my face and I gritted my teeth holding back the piercing pain. One of the men dragged me up by my collar and flung me to the wall.

All I felt was pain racking down my ribs, the room seemed even darker. I felt I was going somewhere far away. To a place where there was no pain.

Was I dying? I hoped not, as I was being dragged up again, I said my last prayer to God. I was flung again on the wall and the last thing I heard was someone screaming my name.