The Jewels; Mother of Pearl (#ABA2017)

Chapter Three

Lola slowly walked out of the defenceless protection the front yard of her house barely provided. She slowly unlatched the picket gate and stepped out of the front yard, she looked both ways down the street, bare of anything living, and ran for it.

Down the street she went, zipping past the sleepy houses of the neighbourhood, not even stray cats or bush mice dared to wander the streets. As if to make the activity more dramatic, Lola found herself stepping in puddles in the middle of pathways even though it hadn't rained for a few weeks. Lola froze where she was, a few steps ahead of the puddle, and turned back around and stared at it.

"What..." she walked over to it and touched it again with the tip of her shoe as if her already wet feet hadn't felt it the first time.

It was definitely real.

Lola's eyes started to sting slightly, and the air became thick and muggy. Lola found herself sweating, whether it is because of the muggy weather or how close she was to fainting, she wasn't sure.

She started walking again, slowly, for every step she took she imagined herself falling through the floor.

She wiped her forehead on her sleeve and continued slowly walking.

Something crashed behind her, she gasped as she turned, ready to punch something if it ended up being right behind her. Sweat started dripping down her lips as she looked to the corner of the street she was on, although a bit difficult to see she saw some knocked over pots and pans or boxes or something.

She noticed how she was heaving breathing, her heartbeat hammering in her chest as she turned and stood there for a moment to catch her nerves. "You're okay, Lola. You're okay, just... just k-keep walking," she mumbled to herself as she walked forwards, "nothing's going to happen to you."

Her footsteps seemed echo throughout the streets. She suddenly saw a very thin light on the ground, as she walked she looked up and saw someone looking out their window and looking directly at her as she walked, probably thinking she was insane to be out after dark or had a suicide mission.

Lola tried to ignore the 'are you insane' look on the person's face as they closed their curtains so quickly the window went thump. But she felt pretty insane at the moment.

"Just keep walking..." she muttered as her feet continued to echo on the bricks in the ground. There was a loud crash and some laughing in the distance, she went wide eyed as she forced herself not to go into panic overdrive, "Just the wind," she lied to herself, "just the wind... walk a little quicker maybe..."

She did, her steps sped up, she could feel the supposing 'still' air brush against her face as if a wet cloth were being placed on her head, and soon she could barely see what was in front of her.

She licked her lips as she kept the same quick pace. There was another crash.

"Just started jogging," Lola told herself as she sped up so quickly she was indeed jogging.

She nearly ran into a lamp post, she held onto it as if it were trying to hit her. She leaned against it and allowed herself to heave for a moment, "don't throw up..." she demanded from herself as she looked up to the weak light the lamp let off, "don't go into a panic," she told herself as she looked around, "what street are you on anyway, Lola?" she asked herself, she raised an eye brow and groaned, "great you're talking to yourself, Lola. You are officially going insane," she complained to herself.

Lola was tempted to wait near the light until morning, to do anything but walk the dark streets.

Her hands held onto the chilly pole for a moment as she tried to figure out which way to go, but she could barely see beyond a few metres.