Chapter Three

The gates of the park squealed in protest as they were clanged shut and locked tightly and firmly by the gate keeper, with a large silver chain that stood out against the flaking and chipped black paint of the metal bars. Shira continued to stare at the gates from across the road, watching as the gate keeper finished his task and melted into the black of the night.

 

Those gates could do with a lick of paint.

 

Shira had been one of the last few people to evacuate themselves from the park before it had fallen to the darkness. Although Shira had thought of perhaps hiding in a bush inside the park, she'd eventually decided against it in case gangs broke in. Who knew what a gang would do if they came across a vulnerable and young girl like Shira?

 

I'm not vulnerable!

 

Shira gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly enough so that her nails dug into the soft flesh of her palms, sending small jolts up pain racing up her arms. She continued to stare helplessly at the gate from across the road, the once small bubble of fear and tension building up with each passing second.

 

I have to get out of here.

 

Although it was a warm summer's evening, Shira shivered in the lukewarm air underneath the harsh orange light of a lamppost. The stars of the night sky had already unearthed themselves from underneath the bright blanket of day. The roads were silent, devoid of life save for the occasional car that passed by with its headlights on full blinding mode and the mice that skittered across the pavements and into the bushes once more.

 

Glancing around at her darkened surroundings, Shira's heart began to thud in her chest. She could feel her throat drying and her chest tightening with fear and apprehension. Tears burned at her eyes but she quickly rubbed them away with the back of her hands before they could gather and fall. Now was not the time to cry; she had to find somewhere to find help and to seek refuge for the night.

 

There were two roads that she could take, Shira had observed. To her left, the road lead into tall and silhouetted buildings, huge shadows against the brightly lit night sky. Upon seeing the tall buildings, Shira felt a chill run down her spine and a growing sense of fear. Directly in front of her was another road perhaps sixty or seventy metres long, cut off by another road that ran horizontally through it. Shira could see the faint lights of shops and restaurants twinkling in the distance, offering shelter and safety.

 

Food.

 

Shira’s stomach growled, impatiently reminding her of the hunger that had been gnawing away at her for the past two hours or so.

 

I’m so hungry.

 

Before she knew it, she’d taken a few steps forward without realising with only the thought of food in her mind. She faltered in her tracks, her eyes widening and her mouth watering. Shira glanced to her right. Here, the road only led to nothing more than a dead end, bathed in darkness. The darkness was almost inviting, coaxing. Come here, Shira it almost seemed to say as if it had a soul, a soul that enchanted anyone in the vicinity and led them into a trap…

 

Fear and adrenaline pulsed through Shira’s veins, sending her into a panic. Her breath hissed through her teeth as she sprinted towards the many shops and restaurants, her only aim to free herself from the calling of the darkness. Tears spilled from her eyes, sliding down her cheeks and distorting her vision. A sob burst from Shira’s lips, lost in the wind that whistled past her ears.

 

With each bone juddering leap that Shira took, the terror weakened and the panic lessened. The lights grew in size, enticing and inviting, lifting Shira’s hopes. Her chest tightened and her throat burned, as if an iron hand had gripped her windpipe and was slowly crushing it.

 

Shira doubled over, her wheezing breath shuddering through her body as she sucked in the night air. She squeezed her eyes shut, placing her hands onto her knees as the violent coughs shook her violently. Terror raced through her mind, clouding over her thoughts as she gasped for air.

 

I have asthma?

 

“Open your mouth, Shira!” An unfamiliar voice of a man rang in Shira’s ears, nevertheless comforting against the rising panic within her.

 

Wheezing. Gasping. The only noises Shira could hear above her own racking coughs. Shira opened her mouth, fighting against the coughs that threatened to bring her down. A cold and hard plastic object was pressed against her lips and Shira clamped her teeth down upon its opening as if her life depended upon it.

 

“Breathe in.” The same voice ordered Shira.

 

With all her willpower and strength, Shira breathed in. She heard a spraying sound then a foul and bitter sensation as the medicine spread across her tongue and flew down her airways, the only seeming cure to it all…

 

It continued: a battle that raged on between her lungs and air. Tears streamed down Shira’s face and blackness tinged the edges of her vision as she fought to suck in the oxygen she desperately needed. She collapsed to her knees, the coughs sapping at her strength as she wrapped her arms around herself. Her cap fell from her head, landing upon the pavement where it lay as Shira continued to fight the battle.

 

I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die…

 

Shira thought that it would never end, until the coughs began to gradually lessen and the iron hand on her windpipe slowly released its grip. Sweat trickled down Shira’s cheeks, icy cold against her skin. Shira slowly opened her eyes, feeling the relief pour through her body as the attack was brought to a halt. Sighing with a mixture of annoyance and frustration, Shira stood up. Small jolts of pain stabbed in her chest, the remnants of the ordeal. She wiped away the sweat with the back of her hand and arm before grabbing her flat cap from the ground and placing it onto her head once more.

 

Note to self: don’t try sprinting again.

 

Her legs felt weak and unstable, as if her bones had turned into water as she continued to walk towards the busy road. Shira closed her eyes and almost immediately, a face dissolved into her mind. The face of the woman from one of her only two memories. Shira’s eyebrows knitted together. She had many unanswered questions, questions that frustrated her and taunted her, reminding her of her lost memories.

 

Who was that woman? Was she my mum? Was she a sister? A cousin? An aunt?

 

As for the voice; who had that man been? Was he a relative too?

 

Pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers, Shira mumbled incoherently under her breath. She had to find out who those two people from her memories were. But how?

 

Shira imagined herself approaching strangers on the street in broad daylight, tugging their sleeves to grab their attention and yelling, “Hey, hey, Mister! Are you my dad?” or “Hey, hey, Miss! Are you my mum?”

 

The thought of their surprised faces and the sheer ridiculousness somehow lifted one of the corners of her mouth slightly �" a ghost of a smile. Shira continued to walk towards the shops. For now, she would have to worry about finding a safe place to stay, perhaps contacting the police if she could.

 

The sudden weight of a hand upon her shoulder halted Shira in her tracks and shattering her dreams. Her eyes widened with fear as her heart began to race and her breath came in short ragged gasps once more. Shira spun around, pivoting on the heels of her trainers. Her instincts screamed at her to run, to sprint as fast as she could to the nearest open place and to safety.

 

In front of Shira stood a girl.