The Alley

  A cold wind swept along the alley, rustling up old beer cans and newspapers. She ran, her tears flying in the wind; catching her free-flowing hair. Nothing mattered anymore. She slipped and landed on rocky pavement, causing deep scrapes along her elbow and arm. Her tears increased, and she dusted herself off before going into a full run.

  "Why," She said outloud to herself, "why me? Why now?"

  Everything that meant something to her was gone. After a few more moments, it began to rain, and she was out of breath and could no longer run. She stopped against a cement wall. Her knees slowly gave in as she slid down the wall onto the grime-filled pavement. Curled up and shivering, she fell asleep. All the energy she had was wasted over the events that started happening several days prior.  It finally cought up to her and her body could no longer function.

  Morning aproached. A large truck driving down a nearby street woke her up from her slumber. She rose from the ground, sheilding the sun from her eyes with her left hand and feeling her still damp clothes with the right. The memories of her last few days slowly rose back and came into focus. Tears started to well in her eyes.

  Not this time, she thought, You've got to be strong. She rubbed her eyes, willing the tears to stop. You know what you have to do now. She only has one chance, or it's all over. After a moment's pause, she collected herself and began to travel to the last place she ever thought she'd go back to.