Enlightened Damnation

Grimacing with every step she took Thelema forced herself to keep walking, every inch of her body protested. She'd been running through most of the night, a fact she found incredibly surprising, but then the body can force itself to extreme levels in times of danger. It was adrenaline that had kept her moving throughout the night, adrenaline and fear and sheer determination to break free of the hell she had been living in the past two years. Every time she had considered stopping she had only had to think of what she was running from and she found a new burst of energy, but now, miles and miles away from him her body was trying to tell her that it physically could not go much further. Not without food, water and sleep.

After struggling through the forest in the darkness her skirt was torn and marked with mud and grass stains, the right sleeve of her top was ripped where it had caught on a branch and she dared not think what the bruising across her face and her lower arms looked like to anyone who saw her. Her hope had been that if she made it to the city someone would help her, someone would give her some shelter, somewhere to rest and sleep until she could find her own way again. But that had not happened.

She noticed how everyone was looking down their nose at her, or worse, ignoring her, crossing the street to be away from her. She'd long since given up on knocking on doors to find somewhere to stay. The local inns had refused her when the realised that she would not be able to pay them, or after just looking at her. With torn clothes, a dirty and tear streaked face and countless bruises and cuts she must look a real state, it was no wonder people were unwilling to help her.

Rubbing the back of her hand across her eyes, wiping away some of the dirt she stopped and looked at some of the people who were walking past her and those on the other side of the road. She knew if she did not find shelter somewhere, find someone who was willing to take her in, then she would simply collapse on the street, and she doubted anyone would care even then.

'Selfish people.' She thought bitterly. 'Are you so devoid of compassion and love that you can not help another one of your kind when she is in distress?'

Across the road she spotted a young woman who instantly stood out from the others, she was walking slower than all the others, almost as if she belonged in another time, a world of her own. She noticed how people avoided her gaze, stepped out of her way, no one smiled at her, very few people greeted her. As she walked past Thelema turned to watch her further, noticing the criss-cross of scars that covered her back, that she had made no real effort to hide, it was as if she did not care what anyone else thought of her. Thelema was tempted to cross the road and follow her, see where she was going, see if she would be willing to help her, but it was too late, she was lost amongst the crowds of people.

So she kept walking, slowly leaving the city centre behind her, making her way towards the outskirts, her body still screaming at her to stop. Her left knee was throbbing and aching, a very bad sign. She could not be sure how much further she would be able to walk before it gave out under her, before it simply could not take anymore. A stupid childhood accident, the memory was still vivid in her mind, a careless mistake while climbing with friends and she was left with a weak knee that forever caused her problems. For while she was able to train the rest of her body to do as she willed, she was always hindered by that knee. It was infuriating to say the least. While she was capable of running a marathon and fighting those twice her size, one blow to the knee, too much pressure on it could cripple her. And it had taken enough stress. The uneven ground of the forest as she had run had taken its toll.

She cried out in pain as she crumpled to the floor, that was it, there was simply no more her body could give, she sprawled to the floor, biting back tears as she landed awkwardly on old bruises. Her strength was gone and all of a sudden the reality of her situation came crashing down around her. Eighteen years old, no home, no money, no friends, no family, nothing. Nothing to her name that she could use to get herself anywhere in this fast pace city.

Slowly she dragged herself into a sitting position and looked around at exactly where she was, facing the fact that she would not be able to move unaided for a while. Just behind her, slightly off the path was a large and slightly run-down warehouse type building. Thelema had no idea what it was used for, but she noticed the lack of people on the streets around her, it was almost as if people were ashamed of this area. As if the city people were too good for such a building, it did not fit in with the modern designs she had seen in the city centre, the neat grass and the perfectly tamed trees.

Perhaps she could just get herself to the front door, perhaps there was someone inside who would be willing to help her. Gritting her teeth in determination she tried to stand, trying to put her weight onto her right leg. But it was futile, as soon as she put any weight at all on her left knee it just crumpled underneath her. Cursing her knee for letting her down Thelema buried her head in her hands and just let herself cry. She was lost, alone, in pain and she could see no way out of the situation.