Fade Into Darkness

Escape.

There's a pounding on my door that jolts me from the peaceful darkness of my sleep.

I run to the peep hole and stare through it to see a policeman on the outside.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

I rush around the room, throwing everything I have left out into my backpack and my new canvas shopping bag in less than a minute.

The knocking sounds again and I calculate my plan quickly. I can't go out of the door, I'll be caught. I also can't go out of the lobby as I'll be found there and I can bet there are more officers down there.

The window.

I stare down. It's a fairly large drop from the second floor but there are some shrubs and bushes. They'll have to help. I kick open the window quickly, as the knocking sounds in the background persist, and throw my bags into a bush below. With a deep breath and my eyes closed, I jump and land in the bushes. Most of the impact is absorbed by my ass which isn't too painful. I have no time to think as I jump out of the sharp greenery, scratching my skin in natures attempt to keep me trapped inside. I finally get out, grabbing my backpack and canvas bag and begin to run.

I'm not as fast as I could be. I'm still tired and lethargic from sleep and battered and torn up from the bushes but adrenaline powers me along and I speed down the roads, no looking back.
I keep speeding, fear is my only fuel. I run run run as fast as I can with no clue what's behind me and hardly any vision to see in front. I'm dizzy. I can't even think back to remember the day before or my last meal. I don't care. I run for what feels like over an hour until I no longer know where I am. I see a train station and dash inside without knowing where it is. I buy an all day ticket from the machine and use it to get onto the district line where I finally sit down and breathe.

I pull out a compact mirror and see myself. My face is pale as a sheet and my eyes look bloodshot. My hair is messy and my makeup is smudged and tear stained. I pull out my hair brush and makeup bag and get to work removing the knots in my fresh dyed hair and the ruined makeup, replacing it with simple, fresh layers. My skin is powdered back to pale life and my purply blue lips are covered with black lipstick. I do my eyeliner too and notice that the train car I'm in is empty which gives me a minute to hide under my largest hoodie and change into some black ripped jeans, a new random band tshirt and a fresh plain black hoodie. The jeans are meant to be a size 4 but are loose. I don't know where I'll be able to get any smaller than those. Oh well. I tug the strings out of my hoodie and tie them around me as a belt to keep the jeans up for now. The hoodie is a large anyway so it is huge but comfy. I'm still cold though.

I sit on the train in silence and as people get on and off again, my head stays in my arms which wrap around my bag.

What the fuck do I do now?

When I hear West Ham, I get off and move to the Jubilee line which takes me to Stratford.

I get off there and walk into the large shopping centre outside the station. I need a drink and as soon as I reach the nearest shop, a Starbucks, I get an ice water and rest my aching body in one of their seats, sipping it slowly.

I pull out the phone that I bought yesterday and begin setting it up with the pay as you go sim I bought with it. I put it in and turn the phone back on. I'll have to top it up in another shop when I leave here.

For now, I log onto the wifi and go onto my messenger. It's blowing up with messages from Mum, Dad, Matt, Danielle and some other kids from school. I scroll through to see worried messages off of my parents, begging me to come home. I can't let myself reply so I just click onto Matt's messages. He's freaking out and I feel awful. I send him a short reply.

I'm sorry, don't worry. I'll be fine. I'm safe. Don't find me. Please. I love you

I send the same to Danielle and my parents and then I look at the messages from other people at school. Some of them are worried people, some of them are people thinking I'm dead and some are people telling me to snap out of my shit. A few are people telling me they hope I'm dead, to never return alive and other hate.

"Hey there sweetie... are you alright?" I look up through teary eyes to see one of the Starbucks staff looking down at me worriedly.

"I'm sorry, I'm fine!" I brush the tears away and send a weary smile up to the man who seems to be in his late teens or early twenties. Conceal it.

"Is there anything I can do to help you? Anyone I can call?" I panic and shake my head hard.

"No! I mean, no thank you! I'm sorry, I'm fine, I'm just gonna go now!" I hurry out my reply, throwing my phone into my hoodie pocket, heaving my backpack onto my shoulders and picking up my other bag and drink in a rush.

"Wait, I-" I don't hear his reply as I speed walk out of the shop and begin to walk further into the shopping centre however my legs buckle and my vision fades. I force myself up, walking away as quick as I can.

"Hey! Aren't you the girl on the news?" I freeze at the sound of his voice behind me.

"I'm sorry, you've got the wrong person," My voice is quiet and my words are slow. I somehow find the energy to keep my legs moving as gravity battles to floor me.

"No, you're her aren't you! Wait, let me talk to you!" He tries to put his hand on my shoulder but I flinch away, my eyes darkening.

"No, I'm not! Leave me alone!" I shout at him and speed into a run to get away however it's only a few seconds until my vision blacks out and my legs slide apart from under me. The last thing I hear is my head cracking against the floor and I'm unconcious.

Fuck.

{EDITED}