Midnight Survivor

Chapter 1: The Big City

I'd never visited New York, I'd only ever saw it in my dreams. The flashing lights of buildings and cars, people constantly on the go, never pausing to look away from their daily lives or to think of what may be outside the walls of the busy city. For me, I was always the country girl, the one who was always in the mud and never really knew much of what a mall was like or heard much about the awesome fast food joints just down the road. I was just Alannah. Typical old me. 

Once Christmas had rolled around, my mother gave me a small gift, inside it held a two way ticket to New York City. She told me that it was step one on my adventure around the world and that maybe experiencing the big city would make me realize how much I didn't belong there. My mother supported my wishes to travel the world, but she always told me after visiting these big shot cities, I would return home to the safety of the country. 

I wasn't nervous about my trip until I realized that our plane had landed in the city. And right around then is where my world got flipped upside down.

                                                                                                  ***

"Please fasten your seat belts as we are about to land at the New York airport, thank you for flying High Air, have a safe trip."

Yup, there it goes, the butterflies I felt before I got on the plane. Was I really ready to get off this plane and venture out into this big city all by myself? I should've brought my mom, or even Donovan from next door, he would have loved to experience the city. No. Stop it. I can do this. I'm 21 years old for Christ's sake, I need to get out of the comfort of my mothers arms eventually.

As I felt the plane hit the ground I grabbed a hold of the arm of the chair with such force I thought I might break my nails. As we skidded to a halt I finally let out my breath. Thank god, safely on ground again. 

I didn't even have two seconds to look up before people were pushing to get their bags and shoving to get off the plane. Does no one in the big city have patience? 

I stood up and started trying to grab one of my small bags from the carrier above my head when someone shouldered me roughly in the side of the head. I stumbled a little bit, falling into the person behind me and almost knocking him over. I could hear mumbles of frustration as I straightened myself, rubbing my head I looked up to see a middle aged man looking down at me, holding out my bag, "Sorry, it's always a rush to get off of here, didn't realize you were right beside me."

I nodded and took my bag gently from him and threw it over my shoulder, "You're on here often then?"

The man looked at me slightly confused until he realized what I was talking about, "Yeah, a lot of travel from work."

I gave a small smile and nudged my way past him, "Well thanks for my bag." 

I made my way down the stretch to the airport and into the crowd of bustling people with their faces glued to their phones. I had to put my elbows up to make my way across the crowd and over to the luggage carrier. Once I was finally over I dropped my bag at my feet and put my hands on my knees. It was a work out just to get through a crowd of people, I couldn't even imagine going out into the streets or what it would be like to go through a crosswalk. 

I waited patiently for my luggage to come around and after almost 20 minutes of waiting I noticed my luggage wasn't coming through. I turned in every direction, trying to find someone to give me a hand but through the crowds of people I couldn't seem to find anyone in some uniform of authority. 

I reached to my feet to grab my bag and felt nothing, when I looked down I saw the same result. My bag, which contained my wallet full of spending money, my cellphone and every other useful thing in my life was gone. And I hadn't even notice someone come next to me the whole time I was waiting. Great.