Dark Angel

1 | Lost Identity

Busy people styled in thick furry coats and hats. Alluring ambience of the street café which promises warmth and comfort. Tall houses and buildings, luxury cars everywhere. All these things and these people have no idea how it feels to wake from a void and remember nothing. Nor they care as I stood covered in thin clothes, a white-strapped dress that barely gives protection on my shivering body. Nobody dared look at me as they walked past me at this intersection. Everyone was busy running back to their homes and filling their bellies with warm soup and tumble in their blankets.

While I don't know where to go.

It was only some time ago when I woke up in a small room surrounded by huge machines and men clad in lab gowns. My body was aching while they plunged needles on my skin. Despite my cries of protests, nobody heeds my suffering.

Strangely, I wasn't scared. The only emotion I felt was rage. I couldn't stand the pain and their ignorance so I decided to do whatever I could to leave that place. An immeasurable strength within me made it possible to struggle out of their grasps and fight back. I didn't know how I was able to leave that seclusion. My feet moved on their own, my mind and my arms were doing things I could not fathom. I have deadly skills which helped me successfully gain freedom. I left with blood-soaked bodies lying on the floor.

And now I am here, on a dark street of wintry. It has been a while since I ran away. I've already gotten far but the cold and hunger could not be pushed back anymore.

A couple is talking beside a bakery. I trudged the snow on bare feet towards them.

"Please..." I grabbed the woman's arm. "I'm hungry..."

They were both startled and backed away. "No! We have nothing for you!"

She's a liar! I can smell the faint scent of newly baked bread from the paper bag she's holding.

"Just a little bit...please-"

"We said no!"

The man pushed me on two shoulders. I felt my body sway but out of reflex, I grabbed the man's arm and used my falling weight to pull him parabolicly in the air. We both fell on the ground, the man groaning. My teeth are gnashed with the snow sticking on me.

The woman screamed which caught the attention of the passersby.

"Help me, this woman is crazy!"

I stood up immediately and before anyone could chew me out, I ran away as fast as I could. I passed through the people blurring on my sight. The lights blared from the street lamps and cars.

Where should I go? Who should I ask for help? No one seemed to care about me. I can't stay longer out in the cold looking like this. This freedom must not end here! A single tear escaped from my eye as I continued to search for something that I can use.

As the sky became darker, I reached the slums. Many people who looked miserable like me gathered there, wandering around with their ragged clothes. Some snuck on the corner of worn-out buildings, snuggling on dirty sheets but even that was a temptation for me.

I mimic the others. I found a torn shirt and a skirt from a trash bin. I wore it tight to my body. I searched for more in whatever cans I see without realizing that it led me to a dark alleyway. I straightened when I discovered a bunch of cans on the farthest end. I was convinced I'll find something of use there. I dashed and turned the cans upside down.

My eyes widened when bundles of canned foods fell from one of them. They clattered on the ground, looking new and appetizing. I grabbed one and opened it in haste. My fingers trembled at the metal. I smelled the aroma of beef and sauce inside and dug my fingers in.