Home *OHSHC* (Complete)

Run

                          The girl yawns and stretches as the sun begins to rise and sits up. The warmth surrounding her confuses her until she glances down to find a fluffy green blanket on her lap. It's damp but still useable, so she gets to her feet and drapes it across the tree branches to let it dry. As she reaches up, she notices the bandages encircling her wrists and raises an eyebrow but finishes putting the blanket out. When she turns back around, she spots a backpack and a small pillow. She sits back down and digs through the bag out of curiosity. When she finds a pair of shoes, she glances down at her bare feet before returning to the investigation. There are seven bottles of water and a grocery bag full of nonperishable foods, a pair of jeans, a black t-shirt, undergarments and socks, and a light green cardigan. She gathers the clothing and climbs up into the foliage of the tree to hide from view and quickly changes into the clean, dry clothing. She feels something in the sweater pocket and pulls out a small disposable cellphone. Once she returns to the ground, she checks the pockets of her old clothing to make sure she doesn't need anything. Her razor blade is gone but a piece of paper has replaced it.
"For next time you want to hurt yourself, remember that you are beautiful and there is hope. I hope these items help you. If you need anything, please call this number."
A phone number is scrawled along the bottom and is signed with a letter T. She scoffs at the word 'hope', but it's oddly comforting. She returns the paper and phone to the pocket of her cardigan and put her old clothing into the bag. After drinking a bottle of water and eating a rice cake, she puts the blanket away and puts the backpack on.
                        Traffic starts to pick up for the morning commute as she joins the other pedestrians. Her destination is unknown to her, but her mind was focused on finding a new place to stay when night falls. She passes a closed grocery store and thinks back on the note in her pocket. With a sigh she pulls out the phone and note, dialing the numbers. It rings three times before someone answers.
"Hello?" It's a male voice.
"I-uh, I just wanted to say thank you for everything..." She mutters, unsure of what to say.
"Oh! You're the girl from the park! It's no problem at all. Do you need somewhere to stay?"
"N-No thank you Sir. I'll be fine."
"You don't need to be living on the streets. It's dangerous. I insist." He presses.
"I can't Sir, I'm sorry. I just- thank you."
"But-" She panics and hangs up the phone, ignoring the flash of guilt.
                       She starts to walk again and rounds a corner, bumping into a person. She looks up into the face of one of the gang members that run the underground part of this area. He grins down at her after seeing the backpack behind her.
"Hey Nozomi. What's in the bag?"
"N-Nothing, Shinji." She stutters out, backing up half a step.
"I'm sure." He retorts, not believing her. "Hand it over, Doll."
She shakes her head fervently, backing up a few more steps as he matches them easily.
"I won't hurt you, just give me the bag."
Nozomi spins around and takes off in the direction she'd come from. His voice rings out behind her, the anger evident, before his footsteps follow behind her. She apologizes repeatedly as she pushes her way past the people against the flow of the foot traffic, her tangled hair flying around behind her. Against her better judgement, she turns her head to find him close behind but still out of reach. She turns back and narrowly squeezes between a set of twins.
"Get back here Nozomi!" He yells and she squeaks out of fear.
A loud thud draws her attention and she turns to investigate. The twins had apparently stopped after she went by and stretched their arms out to knock him down. They turn to her and smile, holding their thumbs up. She bows deeply in thanks before heading off down the alley. Shinji's voice returns as he yells at the twins and their voices cockily reply back. She smirks at the twins' antics but it quickly disappears as she realizes that she'd gone down the wrong alley and got stuck with a large brick wall in front of her.
                            Nozomi turns to leave the alley and freezes as she notices Shinji's friends Haku and Yori leaning against the entrance. They slowly walk toward her, their movements predatory and sending a shiver down her spine. She stares at them wide eyed as she backs away from them, her mind working out possible escape attempts.
"Hey there Nozzi-"
"What's in the bag?" They croon.
She scowls as they draw closer. "You boys are all about the dramatics, aren't you?"
"No, of course not-"
"-We just like playing with our toys." They wear identical smirks as they stare her down hungrily.
Her back hits the wall and she curses under her breath. They stop in front of her and Haku reaches out a hand and cups her cheek. She flinches away from his touch and he chuckles lowly.
"Now, Now Nozzi-"
"-Play nice. We won't hurt you-"
"-Much."
They close the distance further, leaving only an inch or two between them, and she does the only thing she can do: she screams. Yori slaps his hand roughly over her mouth as Haku pulls a knife from his pocket.
"Hush. If you scream-"
"-We have to hurt you. Got it?"
She nods and he removes his hand, giving her a chance to take a deep breath and let out another high pitched scream. Loud footsteps echo behind them and Yori punches her in the face. Her hands cup her eye and watches as the twins from before grab onto the gang members and toss them to the ground. Once they hit the ground, the twins swiftly kick them in the head, knocking them out.
"Call Boss." One of them orders the other. The one on the left pulls out a cellphone and walks toward the mouth of the alley while the other asks if I'm alright. She nods, still shaking visibly. He frowns and reaches out before pulling her into a hug.