Innova

CHAPTER ONE

The street lights flicker over my head as I walk down the street to my Block. I've never taken this route before, and now I can see why. It isn't well kept and it's quite dingy. I walk swiftly, hurrying to get out of there.

I cant help but feel as though I'm being watched. Suddenly the stark white street lights flicker, once, twice, then go out.

The scampering of feet surround me.

I can sense something coming towards me from behind. I whirl around to face it just in time to get shoved roughly to the ground. The back of my head hits the pavement, hard.

I black out for, what, maybe ten seconds? A burning, ripping, sensation fills my side and I scream. I feel a tug and can hear my skin tear apart. I scream louder, but it's almost as if it's not me screaming. It's so otherworldly this feeling, and when I scream again I can hear my voice full of pain and terror. But it's not me screaming, it's just my body reacting to pain.

Then just as quickly as it came the ripping and tearing sensation disappears in a flash. The pain is still there but it's slowly subsiding. I close my eyes.

I wake up in someone's arm's as their feet swiftly pound into the ground below. I move one arm and touch my throbbing side. It's wet. Pulses of pain shoot through me every time the strangers feet hit the pavement.

My eyes are cloudy and I can't see anything, just blurriness. I have a vague awareness of someone shouting behind me. I groan and try to move away from whoever is holding me but they just grip me tighter. All I want is to close my eyes and go to sleep but something keeps stopping me. Finally the person carrying me has stopped running, thank goodness. Now I can sleep.

"Where do you live?" a quiet voice whispers in my ear. I move away from them, or try to at least, and fall to the ground. A cry escapes my lips and I wake up for a split second, then close my eyes, weariness overtaking me.

"Hey, no, stop that, you can't fall asleep." I grumble and roll over, ignoring the pain in my side and close my eyes. The person turns me over again and starts shaking me whispering words to try and wake me up. I ignore them and keep my eyes closed.

Almost there...

A sharp stinging sensation on my cheek brings me out of my peaceful slumber and my eyes jolt open in indignation. Did this person just slap me? I feel hands on either side of my face and the angry whisper, "I need to now where you live, right now."

I want to sleep. I close my eyes and the stranger slaps me again. I whimper softly. Why cant they just let me sleep? My eyes still closed, they slap me again. I yell my address at them but it comes out as a whisper instead, "Street NL 453."

Once again they pick me up and start running. I groan in pain and they run faster. I try to fall asleep but it's nearly impossible with the throbbing in my side. I want to scream, but when I try to I discover I'm to weak.

The stranger slows to a stop and repositions me over their shoulder. I let out a sharp cry full of pain. I push against their back but that hurts my stomach. A strangled sound escapes my throat. I fall back against their back but that just causes another wave of indescribable pain to shoot through me. I can't help the whimper that escapes my mouth. I hear a door open, then click shut. The stranger starts walking and their shoulder grinds into my stomach.

Somehow, somewhere, I find the strength to scream.

I get a feeling of weightlessness before my back slams into something soft. I'm on my back on a coach or a bed, I cant tell which. My eyes drift shut and just as I'm about to drift of into peaceful slumber, I feel a dull sting in my left arm. Almost immediately the pain in my stomach floats away.

I sigh and let everything go, falling asleep.