Why does it feel like night today?
Something in here's not right today.
Why am I so uptight today?
Paranoia's all I got left

--

Dark alleyway.

It's always the dark alleyway. When it's the only way to get you somewhere, why wouldn't people care to make sure it can be seen properly?

Probably because people aren't so afraid of the dark anymore.

Well, I am.

Well, not the dark per se. I'm afraid of what the dark entails. What it could do to a human, the unknown, is terrifying.

I am standing still but something is urging me to go forward. I don't know what. Probably just that something that makes human want to move and not just be still.

Stupid something.

But I go forward nonetheless. The darkness brings cold to my bare arms. Probably bare, I can't see my arms, but it's so cold, like the cold has arms and they're caressing me.

Wait. The arms are real.

It's getting tighter and tighter on my upper arms and now I can't go forward.

It spread through my arms to my chest and in no time it reach my neck.

I want to scream but will it go inside my mouth?

But I want to. I have to.

Scream my fear off.

--

"Ouch".

Nara clutches her head, hurting because the sudden movement she made.

She never is a sit up type of girl. Well, she is not an any kind of sport type of girl. So, the sudden sit up from a relaxed slumber is surprising her body.

Oh, well, at least this time she is still on the bed. And not kissing the floor.

She presses her eyes with the heels of her palm. Pressures the sleepiness off.

Nara looks at the clock just beside her small bed and sighs aloud.

Now she need to find something to do at 3.48 am, since she will not go to sleep again.

She swings her legs to put on her fluff sandals. Nothing more surprising than a cold floor right after you wake up.

Well, her dream was more surprising but in real world? Yeah, cold floor.

Her kitchen is no exception. The cold makes her already small apartment feels more suffocating.

And lonely.

Nara wanders around. Making tea. Arranging her DVD collection. Even sweeping the floor and cleaning her windows.

Then she sighs again. It is 4.33 am. And now she is kinda tired.

Nara bites her lower lip, contemplating whether she wants to sleep again. But then she risks not waking up on time to work.

Maybe she just need to lie down on the sofa first. So she does that.

--

She should not do that. Because she wakes up with a start. She frantically looks around. Suddenly forgetting where her clock is.

When she does find it though, it ain't pretty.

"Ooow ," she spit a curse and running to her bathroom.

It is 7.17 am and she will miss the bus that will take her on time to office in about....8 minutes.

Nara attacks her face with water and face wash. Then sticks her toothbrush inside while running to her bedroom.

She brushes her teeths in the midst of throwing her clothes off and putting on whatever that is on top of her clothes stacks in the wardrobe.

A quick run to the bathroom again to gargle and a fast swipe of her bag and she is out from her apartment.

She keep running while spraying a lot of body freshener she keeps on her bag all the time. She then covers her bare face in a face mask, also stocked in her large brown bag.

Fast jog down the stairs while putting her hair in a messy ponytail is also her skill.

All in all, she can only be thankful that the bus stop is right in front of her apartment.

Well, not right in front. She has to swerve along little alleyways. But she knows the fastest way to get through it by practice.

Run straight then lean left to avoid the garbage cans then keep running while hopping here and there to pass the pipes and concrete block.

Nara keeps running because her bus is already starting to move. Her breath becomes labored when she jumped onto the bus right before the doors closed.

The driver shakes his head at Nara. He has become accustomed to Nara's antics, even when Nara only moved in for 4 months now.

Nara bows a little to the driver after swiping her bus card. She already sweating bullets in this cold autumn but she cannot find it in herself to care. What matters now is her supervisor won't have something to be brought up during monthly evaluation. She could only hope that her probation time will end smoothly.

Just 2 months left. 2 months.

And she can have a secure and steady job. A livelihood she can depends on.

Nara dabs her tissue to her forehead that is sweating profusely. She takes off her mask because it suffocates her even more with her still laboured breath. But then she curses inwardly when she reaches into her bag and realize that she's forgetting her phone.

Now she has to put makeup in her office bathroom since no camera to be her mirror. Great.

"Oh wow are you okay? You looked like just waking up from bed" she predicted that her supervisor would comment on her bare and weary face. And that is exactly what happen.

"Yeah, I'm okay Mrs. Kim. Just need to touch up a little," she puts out a plain smile and bows a little before walking to the bathroom.

When she arrives in front of a mirror, she can see clearly how messy she is. Hair unkempt, face moists with perspiration, and her eyebags. Ugh, her inevitable eyebags.

Nara clucked her tongue while starting to tidy up. She doesn't know why she has to care so much for her appearance since her job never requires her to meet clients or stuff.

The only thing that she has to face during her job is her computer. And load of pages of drafts she has to proofread.

Not that she hates it a lot. Putting make up doesn't hurt anyone and if it makes her fit better in the sleek wood and glass designed office, she would not mind.

She puts on some foundation, swipe a light eyeliner, and put a thin touch of lip tint. With an exhale she examines her look at the mirror. At least now she look presentable, she hopes the makeup will last well until night.

She has a lot to do today. And she will probably stay longer than she supposes to. Having something to do clears her mind. And a clear mind is all she wants.

--

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