Her boots stepped into a large puddle in the darkness as the sun was getting overshadowed by the moon, the dirty muddy droplets clinging to her skirt as she hurried home from a long day of work.
The streetlights had only turned on a second ago, dimly lighting the cobblestone streets. Shadows crawled along the walls, moving with her body and dancing for her. Yawning, Charlotte ran a hand down her dark hair flattening down the strands that the furious wind was carrying along.
Her bag flapped along her side, and she picked up her pace since she was leaving quite late. Voices echoed from the streets near the main roads, but she avoided the large streets since she didn't want to get stopped by forthcoming men who wanted nothing more than a sweet body underneath them.
They caged her in once and never again. She got out by blatantly lying about changing her work clothing and meeting them later, but they were so drunk they didn't even notice that she ran away and didn't look back.
Her back ached from sitting in a chair for hours, and she ran a hand down to massage the pained area. Doing insurance work straight out of college was never her dream, but it paid the bills. She didn't have any plans or dreams either way, so she couldn't complain since she got a reliable job and was getting paid well.
Her parents were living somewhat more comfortably thanks to the wiggle room that she was able to afford them. Her parents went through a lot to support her through university, and Charlotte wanted to repay them despite knowing they would never ask anything of her.
Her thin jacket was nothing to ward off the cold, and she shivered underneath the train tracks. She didn't live far, so she thought it better to save money by walking and breathing in the great air or rather the smog-ridden air characterized by the large city.
The bullet train whizzed past at incredible speed, making the bridge rattle under the pressure, and Charlotte covered her ears slightly for the booming sound. Technological advancement was exploding at the moment, and the city was getting transformed for the better... or for worse.
The new water systems ensured the food supply would never die and created new vehicles that are not yet to the level of hovercars but emitted less gas into the environment. Instead, it was a give or take since the factories took care of that title instead.
Large industrial factories pumped immense energy to keep the city brightly lit day in and day out. The Shining City was the nickname for the city that never died. It kept on living and thriving down in the heart of the city, the Millennial Center. On the outskirts of the city, however, not so much.
She hurried past into the next neighborhoods, and the deserted shops around the area were eerily dark and silent. These people disappeared at will, barely holding onto their lives. The trash bins tipped over, and Charlotte jumped only to see young children pushing one another as they fought for a toy found in the bin.
The children had pink eyes and tawny colored hair being siblings. She smiled at them catching their attention, and Charlotte remembered that she had some leftover taffy in her bag. She motioned with her hand for them to get closer passing them the neon-colored candies.
They were a gift from her grandmother who was trying to push her to marry soon since she kept on mentioning that she was on death bed. Charlotte mentally laughed at the thought of her thick-boned grandmother kicking the can. She would fight to the death.
Candy was a luck-based gift. Especially if they came from Millennial Center. The neon characteristic of the bright lights made the children gasp in shock.
"Thank you, ma'am," the small children whispered.
"Of course. I hope you two live a lucky life," Charlotte said as she patted them on the head.
If they lived in an area like this, she hoped they would live a lucky life and not get started down the wrong path. She glanced at her watch and made leave after sharing a funny story at work. The children laughed, and she waved goodbye to them.
Charlotte rounded the corner of the building continuing her trek back to her house. The shortcut was somewhat dangerous, but it was fine. She had gone this way multiple times already, and she could hold her own, but the uncomfortable feeling was settling in her gut.
Grabbing the little pocket knife she kept as a box cutter and self-defense weapon in her purse, she palmed it. She twisted the rectangle-shaped item around in her hand and kicked a rock near her right foot out of boredom. The rock skidded on the overgrown cobblestone pathing and suddenly stopped.
She glanced up and screamed when she saw why.