The Claim

Prologue

Just a regular day, with regular problems, and the regular bustle of human life. I checked my petite figure in the mirror trying to cover up all the acne bumps and blemishes in haste. My alarm hadn't gone off, so I was left with two choices; not showering or becoming jobless. I managed to hastily make it out the door and to the bus stop in record time. I walked through the lobby of the hotel. No one payed attention to me as I snuck behind the reception desk and turned on my computer. The other receptionist didn't take her attention off the phone as she spoke to a guest who was clearly not happy with their room based on the volume and clarity of their voice through the handheld. I grabbed my thick and unruly brown hair and attempted to tame it into a messy bun. No doubt do I look as unclean as I feel. The long tendrils felt greasy and unbrushed. My face felt coated with foundation leaving me with a gross feeling.

My day was long and unsociable as per usual. Being an introvert and a receptionist is hard but the whole point of working this job was to help with my lack of want for social activity. I had graduated college with a major in film and a desire to work in music video production, but there was no one who thought I was special enough to work in the field.

I am not a model, or super intelligent, nor do I "fit in" according to the people who interviewed me. I was just a city girl, with a small family, no wealth, and a small studio apartment that's about the size of a living room.

I sat on the bus stop bench looking at my reflection in my compact. I poked and prodded my horrible skin and grimaced at my big hips and thighs. I had finally hit the height of my insecurity. It was dark but the lights on the busy streets were lit up along with the lights shining through the surrounding buildings' windows. I rode the empty bus home. I walked past the usual creepy alleyways and the poverty-stricken buildings now laying vacant.

With a chill in the air I couldn't help feeling like something was about to happen to me. I could feel eyes raking over my body, sending goosebumps in the areas in which the hidden eyes impeded. I kept my eyes trained forward and picked up my pace, convincing whoever was following me that I was unaware of them. There was a park nearby that was filled with trees. If I can just reach that location fast enough I can zig zag through the trees to shake them off my trail, like that one scene I had watched in that cop show.

Unfortunately, I barely made it past the next building before I was hit with a heavy dizzy spell and could feel gravity pull me to the concrete. My vision blurred till all I could see was the fuzzy, dark, silhouettes looming towards me with talons outstretched.