Blackness

Blackness.


That seemed to be the only thing Kaytie saw as she sprinted down the dark, dank alleyways of San Francisco. He blond hair has long since fell out of it's braid, but the girl didn't dare pause and re-tie it. She knew she was being followed, stalked by an unknown predator. Ever since the earthquakes last night, there had been raids and gangs everywhere, looting and looking for treasures to sell on the black market. Some people, though, took this as an opportunity, what with all the panic and chaos. Who would take any notice of one missing girl in times like this?


There were three of them, all men, brandishing metal baseball bats and crowbars. They were so close that Kaytie could smell the strong smell of alcohol on their breath. The girl desperately willed her legs to move faster, but it was no use. She was running out of energy fast, and would not be able to continue much longer.


And suddenly it stopped.


There were no longer any footsteps at her heels, and all was silent. Well, not completely quiet. There were the sounds of cars rushing down a freeway, not seen be he girl. The sounds of breaking glass and shouts of triumph. And there were always the voices in her head, whispering to her, telling her that she would never find her way home. Kaytie was alone, and hopelessly lost. The thought of that could have been even scarier than when she was being chased.


More voices, though not belonging to those in her head. She deciphered the voices of the men she was fleeing, and also more. There could have been a dozen, or a hundred. Kaytie was too scared to tell. All she knew was that there were more of them, and they were armed and drunk. They hadn't left. They had went to get more to join the fun.


Terrified and panicked, Kaytie bolted. She had lost all reasoning out of fear, and started tearing through the streets like a madwoman. The footsteps again, this time more. Definitely more, and louder this time. Adrenaline shot through her body, and she sped up. There was a light ahead. Another person, a policeman, coming to help her?


Still running. Though she was the fastest of all her friends, they were gaining. Her friends...She would never see them again. As she rounded another corner, she saw where the light was coming from. Four more men, obviously up to no good, were around the corner. Kaytie stopped involuntarily, thinking that they were waiting for her.


The men there were startled, being caught with their hands full of stolen jewelry. They ran, but it was too late for Kaytie. While she was stopped, her perusers had the chance to get closer. One grabbed for the hood of her jacket, another for her hair. She screamed, but it was silenced with a piece of cloth. They were all laughing, jeering at Kaytie's pain. She started pleading, but it was no use. One member of the audience decided to end things. He slowly, deliberately, raised his crowbar. Kaytie became silent, knowing that this was the end, and went limp. The crowbar went swinging down with an intense force-


Blackness.