Annihilation

Chapter 5

There were so many things

That I with you wanted to share

But when I turned around and looked for you

You were no longer there

-AUVIYA

Years ago

The young girl takes a cautious step forward , too young to stop herself from being caught in the sway of adrenaline that was currently rushing through her veins yet too precocious to allow herself to be fooled with what to her fears seemed too good to be true. Those eyes had seen a lot and at the age of seven were well aware that everything comes for a price. A hefty vicious price. But alas, she was but a small girl, one who hadn't had the luxury to go to a playground and play on the swings unlike other children her age.

Her excited eyes take in the abandoned playground with a hunger that can only be born from deprivation. The foster care system had given her a roof to live under yet the liberty of having a childhood was something the girl hadn't known. Her hands twitched and her legs shook from the effort of restrain. It seemed that resisting the playground for even a second more was causing her physical pain. So, with another look around ,she launched herself towards the swings with a heedless abandon. She ran towards the monkey bars ,for that was the first thing that caught her attention. The squeal of elation she let out was meant for her ears only, yet unbeknownst to her it was heard by yet another.

Martha, the girl's new foster mother, looked out of the window watching her frolicking around for a moment then returned inside. She was more concerned about the paycheck that came in every month in return for ensuring the child's safety than the child itself. She takes another drag from her half burnt cigarette and then goes on to snort the four lines of white powder that had cost her the entirety of her last paycheck. She hadn't contributed a dime of it towards the girl, but then that was to be expected. The past week since Martha had taken her in she hadn't allowed her out of the house, she hadn't given her much to eat either , but now finally confident that she won't run away, she let her be. This was the girl's third foster home, it would be safe to say that she had learnt how to sleep with an empty stomach at night. The neighbourhood, if that's what you call it , wasn't much but a few trailers spread across a forsaken landscape. It would have been the worst the girl had to live in, if not for the few dust covered swings that adorned the abandoned playground.

The girl climbed up the monkey bars with a new-found excitement, her frail limbs showing stealth that surprised even her. At seven, she hadn't had many toys to play with or even clothes to wear for that matter. The playground was akin to a gold mine in her naïve eyes. It wasn't long before she reached the top . She looked around, feeling the breeze kiss her face and for the briefest of moments, she smiled a rare smile. Not the fake one that adorned her plump little face when she sat in front of her case worker and told her that she was infact well fed and kept all the while lying through her teeth just as her foster parents had cautioned her to do. No. This was a real smile. She lost herself for a moment giving in to the spiral of uncaring abandon that called to her. So much so, that she didn't feel herself slipping to the edge of the bars.

"Hey!" A voice boomed from behind her bringing her out of the abyss that she had lost herself to. She flinched loosing her grip on the bars and screamed as she fell down. She tried to catch hold of one of the bars but it was pointless and a little too late. She closed her eyes momentarily, readying herself for the excruciating pain that she knew would follow. But after a minute or so of nothing, She scrunched open one eye and looked around. The initial shock of surviving the fall without even a scratch , rendered her completely speechless and motionless. She was brought out of her immobilized state by a grunt. It was only then she realised that she currently was sprawled upon something, or rather someone.