Desert Phoenix

•∆•Strange Encounter•∆•

Alèv was raging.

She walked and walked and walked till she was not able to figure out which way to go any further.

She had come far away from her mother's place.

My mother.

She hated replenishing the fact afresh in her mind again and again.

She stood at the deserted spot for some minutes. The manholes in the area were giving out some sort of smoke. She looked around.

Okay I don't know this place. Let's trace back the path.

She noticed that it was some sort of compound with the backside of three buildings which formed the three faces of the compound and a small path on the fourth face. Various garbage cans, dumpsters and small cardboard boxes which served as an abode for stray dogs and cats, were scattered around.

The only sources of light were a neon Nevada sign on the backside of one of the building and a broken lamp hanging on an equally broken pole.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps echoed. Alèv immediately turned. There was a person, a rather bulky person in the pathway. She immediately knew it was a man. He didn't seem to notice her.

He looked around and then proceeded in her direction. She immediately got out of the way and approached a nearby dumpster. In a fit of hurry, she knocked a tin which immediately turned the strangers attention  towards her.

She froze at her please, not even breathing. The stranger's steps were proceeding towards her.

Luckily, a cat emerged from the same spot as hers. The stranger stopped and seemed to retreat.

Alèv was still at her awkward, half up, half crouched position.

She straightened her knees and turned on her heels to watch the strange man.

She was surprised at what she saw.

All the possible strays were around him and he held food for all of them. They were bouncing on him. He seemed to smile at all the excitement around him.

Now that he was in some light, she figured out his physique. He was quite tall and bulky. She couldn't tell if he was muscular too because he was wearing a lot of clothes. He seemed to have long hair and he was wearing a baseball cap.

After some time, when all the food was gone, the man turned and started to walk away. The strays scattered too.

Alèv saw it as a chance to proceed.
She came out of her hiding and at least maintaining a ten feet distance, she followed the man's lead. When she was at the beginning of the small path, the man had turned a left. She could see a road in front of her.

She started to walk normally.

As she approached the end of the path, a strong pull forced her against the wall of one of the building on either sides of the path.

It was the same man.

He was clutching her throat. Her feet were dangling in the air. She was tapping and beating his hand that was around her neck but to no success. He was way too strong.

"Who the hell are you?!" He barked in her face.

She strated to cough and her eyes started to water.

She tried to speak something but failed terribly.

Seeing that if he needed answers, he had to let go.

As he did so, she fell on the pathway and coughed profously.

The man was towering over her.

"Wha-What the hell is wrong with you?" She said between her coughs.