The Definition of Consciousness

Chapter 1 - The Night It Happened

1/11/2016 – Not Edited

Chapter 1

"Hurry back home!" Maureen called out to her daughter.

Ella was clutching her bag wrapped around her body as she left their tiny apartment. Wishing that their life could go back to when her family was complete and living back at their normal two-story house. Back to the time when her mother wasn't drinking her life away.

The brisk, cold air nipped at her skin as she walks in the middle of the night to get her mom another pack of beer at the nearby gas station. She could have used her old pick-up truck to get there. It would have been easier and she wouldn't have to feel like her fingers are about to fall off. But that would also mean that she'd get home faster.

Going home, seeing beer bottles all over the floor and her mom probably passed out on the couch in their apartment isn't really what Ella has in mind

Ella saw a coffee shop that's still open and since she wasn't really in a hurry to get home, she decided to go in.

After ordering a cup of coffee she decided to sit in the back corner of the shop but not before passing by an old tiny woman reading a book and a sweet looking couple who kept stealing glances at each other.
She got to her chosen quiet spot in the cafe and sat down in one of the most comfortable single sofas she has ever been on. Well, compared to their old run down leather sofas at her house anways.

Without thinking what she was doing, Ella lifted her hand up to her neck and began clutching the necklace her mom and dad gave her on her sixteenth birthday, just two months before everything began falling apart.

Ella thought her parents were hopelessly in love with each other.  So she was heartbroken when her father left them for another woman two years ago. Ever since then her mom started acting like she's bot herself. There was a time when Ella was coming down the stairs at their old house and her mom was in the kitchen. She had a bowl of cereal in front of her on the kitchen counter but she was staring blankly ahead with a dazed look in her eyes like she was reminiscing about something, or now Ella realized, of someone she had once thought loved her. Ella had to shake her shoulders to get her attention and her mom would just resume what she was doing like nothing happened.

She thought that maybe her mom was just tired from her night shift at the hospital so Ella wasn't worried. But it continued on for the next two weeks and it would happen several times a day. She really didn't notice how it escalated to witnessing her mother coming home early in morning in a drunken state. And for the next year and a half or so, Ella saw how her mother slowly started leaning into alcoholism like it was her life line and started drinking herself into a temporary coma every night.

"Excuse me Ma'am but we're about to close" Ella was taken out of her memories at the voice of the young waitress standing on the side of her table.

Ella looked around of the coffee shop, the sweet couple sitting a couple of tables down and the old tiny woman sitting on the couch wasn't there anymore.

Ella looked back up to the young waitress who's looking at her impatiently and apologized. She walked out of the cozy coffee shop and began walking to the gas station.

She couldn't help but feel intimidated with the darkness surrounding her and began regretting her decision for not taking her old pick-up truck.

To take her mind out of her uneasiness, she took her music player out of her small body bag and decided to listen to the music that's been stuck in her head for a couple of days.

'Lately I've been seeing things

Belly button piercings in the sky at night

When we're side by side

And I don't mean to rain on anybody's cabaret

One of those games you're gonna lose

But you wanna play it just in case

And now it's getting dark and the sky looks sticky

More like black treacle that tar

Black treacle

Somebody told the stars you'e not coming out tonight

And so they-'

One of Ella's headphones fell out of her ears as she felt one of her shoulder collide with something or rather someone.

'This what happens when you're not paying attention to your surroundings Ella.' She reprimanded herself as she looked up to the person she bumped into.

"I'm so so-"Ella began to apologize but stopped when she noticed what the man is holding. The light from the street light a couple of steps behind her reflected on the sharp silver knife the man was holding.

"Give me your money!" the man said threateningly holding on the sharp knife like it was his lifeline.

Ella couldn't hear anything as she was unable to tear her eyes away from the object that can take her life away in a snap of a finger and was being held shakenly towards her.

When she saw the knife began moving closer to her, she was taken out of her state of shock.

Ella started running away towards the direction where the coffee shop is because maybe someone is still in there who can help her.

She was almost there when the man got a hold of her bag strap and pulled her roughly to him but not without bumping her head on a light post.

Ella's eyes began wavering, she couldn't see clearly, black spots began appearing in her line of vision. She still tried defending herself against her assailant even as she received a hard punch in the face.

He probably thought she would stop defending herself if he stabs her and she did. She received the most excruciating pain in her stomach.

The man felt the pockets of her pants front and back and even the pockets of her jacket. He took the music player out.

'Probably planning on selling it' 

He began going through her tiny bag

'Sorry buddy, you're only going to find a couple of tampons and folded one dollar bills that's worth twelve bucks'

Ella thought as she covers her stab wound to prevent losing a lot of blood.

The man let out a curse, stood up and ran away from her body

'Nice knowing you too'

Ella's last thought was at least she has a good reason to tell her mom when she gets home empty handed.

Ella began closing her eyes but not before she heard fast footsteps coming towards her and a voice that she wouldn't be able to remember when she wakes up

A/N
Please comment on what you guys think so far! I need some sort of a feeback (comment or vote!) to see if I should continue with the story or change a few things in the story. Thanks guys!
Much appreciated!