Ghosted Memory 《Matt Murdock》

Chapter 1 - A Really Very Terrible Day

Cold New York rain fell upon the head and shoulders of Mina Murphy as she stood outside a dingy bar. Droplets running down her nose before falling onto the wet pavement below.

She was cold, shivering, and alone.

There was a numbness to her character, not just physically but emotionally. Head tipped down with a blank stare at the street, the pattering of rain fading into the background as she let herself be consumed by her thoughts, as she realised that she was stood up again. Not that it was any surprise to her at this point. But she had hope. That maybe one day, she could have a normal life, with a normal husband who had a normal job, and she would have a normal everyday life; that she could be, normal.

Standing in the rain for the past 20 minutes, her shoes had soaked up a several cupsworth of water, and she was well aware she would have to walk 30 minutes to get home with her waterlogged shoes. Coming to terms with her disappointing reality she swallowed heavily, a slight hesitation in her steps before she began her trek home.

Blurred headlights reflected on the ground beneath her rippling steps. Pulling her coat a little closer and her scarf a little tighter, tears slowly seeping into her eyes. Her steady steps, a keen distraction for her, preventing her from devolving into a hysterical mess and letting the anxiety induced thoughts consume her. Just hope. You can only hope for a better tomorrow. At this point in her life, she was often met with disappointment, she told herself not to let these menial inconveniences get to her. It was one date. But at heart she knew she was a sensitive soul, no matter how much she tried to hide that.
Salty tears mixed with the rain, sniffling a little as she further tucked her head down into her grey scarf seeking comfort. What she needed now was some comfort and a soft bed.

Coming to a sudden stop as she peered at the dim neon sign of the convenience store next to her, she decided to treat herself and hopefully slightly remedy this shitty day with a cheap bottle of wine. A soft bleep sounded above the door as she entered, making her way over to the wine corner in this tiny shop. Picking out the cheapest bottle she could see on the bottom shelf, crouching down and reaching for the back where the last 3 bottles of cheapest red wine stood. Turning the bottle in her hands to inspect the brand and bottle itself, another soft bleep rung out. Between her and the door, two small aisles of what seemed like magazines and offbrand sweets stood blocking her view of the door. What sounded like heavy footsteps thudded on the floor, though this was no cause for concern. However, the hairs on the back of her neck told ber otherwise, and rose out of instinct, she held her breath listening out for any danger this stranger could possess. Clutching the bottle of wine in her right hand she slowly peeked out from the aisle.
And there stood a 6ft tall, robust man with a black balaclava over his head, and a gun pointed at the cashier, Mr Ghosh; specifically his head.

Shit. Mina had never experienced a situation like this, and now more than ever wished she truly could be exempt from reality. What the hell am I supposed to do?! She was panicking, she knew that. Was she really going to die like this, pushing through a hellish, stressful, unfulfilled life to simply be rewarded with death?

Was breathing always this difficult? She struggled to control her breathing from gaining unwanted attention, trying to stave off any oncoming panic attack. She turned away sinking to the floor, trying to focus on her breathing, and calling for help. Using her scarf to muffle herself whilst trying to regulate her breathing, she slowly reached for her inner coat pocket where her phone sat.

Her coat was zipped.

There was about a 6 metre distance between herself and the gunman. No way in hell was she gonna be able to unzip her coat unnoticed. Even moving around made noise with the material of her coat rubbing against herself. Her eyes felt sore and warm, vision blurred as more tears emerged.
Just this once, maybe I can do some good.
Taking a slow, deep breath in, she closed her eyes and listened out for the "conversation" of the robber and cashier. Even with a gun pointed to his head, the Mr G, still stood his ground. Her past minutes of panicking distracted her from the apparent arguing that had been going on between them. With each threat thrown, Mr Ghosh stood firmly, not giving in to the scares and threats of a masked man with a gun. With her breathing calmed she turned her attention towards the two, watching from behind the aisle.