The Arrival

A silent storm of dead leaves and debris engulfed an alley during a rainstorm in the dead of night. Bags of trash and boxes of junk were thrown into the air as a girl skidded on the concrete, crashing through as she collided with a wall at the end of the alley, knocking the air out of her.The storm dissipated and dust settled as she lied on the ground, coughing roughly, her short black hair singed at the tips. The alley was left intact, no sign of disturbance nor debris from the storm, only a spilled trash from the bags and boxes.

She shrieked in pain as she rolled onto her stomach, bracing herself as she tried to steady her breath as it quivered. She gasped as she slowly composed herself. She attempted to pick herself up before tripping and crashing onto the ground once more, injuring her head as it hit the concrete.

“Fuck…” Her voice cracked as she slowly opened her left eye. Her eye widened as she raised her arm, severed from the elbow, over her face. She rolled on her side and held her arm close to her chest, clenching her teeth. Her mind ran amok as she attempted to string together what little she could from her memory.

“Wha—what happened?” She said with a quiver in her voice. “What did you do…?” She clicked her tongue in frustration as she closed her eye. She used what little strength she had left to slowly pick herself up off the ground. The light from a lamp post on the street shone onto her face. The lower half of her face was disfigured as blood covered her closed eye. She stumbled, nearly losing consciousness, catching herself on the wall as she coughed viciously. She coughed up a clear, viscous liquid that strung down from her mouth. The lamp post on the street shattered, followed by the cascading sound of glass shattering all around the area, leaving the dimly lit alley in complete darkness.

She stood up off the wall, spitting whatever liquid was left in her mouth on the ground. She held her severed arm close to her chest as the incident left the wound cauterized. She winced as her vibrant green eye illuminated in the dark. Her mind filled with questions as she looked up at the now visible night sky. She quivered as she took a deep breath, steeling herself, before limping forward into the night.