The quiet one

She sat down quietly and placed her bag under the table. It was a humid day and the air conditioner had broken. Taking a deep breath in she soaked in the atmosphere. Kids were running around playing while their mums indulged in gossip over coffee. There were men dressed in suits with laptops on the table and looked to be in serious discussions. Mia turned a little further to see a couple that looked to be in their late teens, sharing a sundae, whispering and giggling with one another.

Mia tuned back to face the wall. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. The waitress approached her which made her jump. She looked up to see a young girl smiling at her with perfectly white teeth. Her hair shone and her skin glowed. ‘An ice coffee please’ She asked meekly unable to make eye contact.

As she sat waiting for her coffee, her mind began to race. Anxiety took over her mind and the flashbacks settled in. The black vans, the gun shots, the blood on the wall. Her mum crying begging to be free, her husband yelling. Her children sobbing in the corner. The pain in their eyes would haunt her forever.

She jumped as the waitress approached her again. ‘One ice coffee’ She announced with a little too much enthusiasm. She picked up the glass and took a sip enjoy the cold milk. It was refreshing on such a hot day. As she finished of her drink, her stomach dropped, and heart began to race. ‘This is it, no more time to stall.’ She got up and pushed her chair in leaving her handbag under the table.

‘Don’t look back.’ She thought to herself. She calmly crossed the road and reached for her car keys in her pocket. She fiddled for the button, only it was not the one for her car. She pressed it and the explosion erupted. She got into her car and quietly drove off.

As she drove down the street, she could hear the screams. She turned up the radio, but this could not stop her from looking in her rear-view mirror and seeing the horror she had created. The burning building, the sky filling with thick smoke, car alarms going off, police sirens, glass smashing. She turned her focus back to the road ahead and suddenly she slammed her foot on the brake as a woman ran across the road. For a split second they made eye contact. She could see the shear terror in the woman’s eyes. She stared blankly back at her, feeling the sweat form on her forehead.

Twenty minutes later she arrived at the hotel. She reached for her phone in her pocket as she sat on the leather couch in the lobby. Mia looked around the room. It smelled of rich perfume and was filled with roses and mirrors that reached the marble floors. Towards the far end of the room there was glass doors which revealed a beautiful garden outside. Meditation music softly played in the background and the receptionist had white blonde hair and skin so perfect she almost looked like a doll.

`I`m here’ she wrote and sent the text. Moments later her phone beeped, making her jump a little. ‘Come to the 5th floor.’ Mia walked over to the elevator. It felt like an eternity waiting for those doors to open. But as she was about to step in her stomach dropped, she didn’t know why but she couldn’t get into that elevator. A man pushed past her.’ Excuse me.’ he mumbled sounding slightly annoyed. Mia stood there frozen as she watched the doors close. As she turns around to go and find the stairs she hears a deafening noise. Her eyes widened as she turns back around. She instantly knows what it was. The elevator had crashed. ‘was that meant for me’ She thought to herself as her heart started to race. She turned back and ran so fast for the exit as if she was running for her life.