A flicker of light illuminated her face and gently touched the end of her cigarette. She breathed in the smoke, letting it embrace her lungs in a sick hug of toxic fumes and ecstasy. The world went dark as the lighter fell to the cold, unforgiving cement. The smell of city mixed with the smell of venomous tobacco, the only sound heard was her labored breathing. Her eyes were closed, she tried imagining a brighter world. Her mind, a fortress, concocted a sad fantasy. No foul darkness, the smell of city dissipated, and she did not hurt for a brief moment. Then, she opened her eyes. There was no light, other than the small ember glowing from the poison in her fingertips. The smell of pollution and sadness rushed into her body with the force of a tidal wave. Her head pounded painfully to the rapid beating of her heart. She shivered as a brisk wind, cold and stale, flowed through her long hair. A car rushed past her like a freight train, spraying the sidewalk with contaminated street water. She strategically flicked the end of her cigarette and listened to the quiet conflict between fire and water. She fondled her pockets for her money and began walking slowly and silently towards the liquor store. Her clothing dark and tight against her skinny body. She walked carefully past the alleys she called home. Walking past the dingy storefronts and past the dirty men selling drugs of every kind to support themselves. A tall man confronted her, towering over her like an abandoned skyscraper. Unloved, and intimidating. “Pick your poison sweetheart” he said with a nasty grin, as he pulled various drugs out of the abyss of his dirty jacket pocket. “Not today Jack.” She said somberly and began walking. She felt his large hand grab her arm harshly with the force of a giant. “Maybe there’s something you can offer me eh?” he grinned cynically showing gnarled teeth. “Not now Jack I’m busy. I’m just trying to get to the liquor store. I don’t have time for you.” She forced his arm away and pushed him back. She could see the lights from the store only a few blocks away, shining like a safe haven amongst the rubble of the world. The man simply stared with hungry eyes like daggers, “I’ll be seeing you around.” She slowly walked away, now shaking like the last winter leaf before it falls. Her stomach craved the warmth of the liquor, her mind craved the numbness. She walked faster now, trying to avoid the mindless stares of the druggies and the drunks that littered the sidewalks. The bell above the door rang, singing the same song of depression she longs to hear. “Same as usual miss?” the cashier said unenthusiastically, as if by now it was routine. She somberly nodded her head, trying to shake away the shame that clouded her life. Walking towards the back of the store, she felt the man’s eyes follow her. Grasping the top of her usual bottle of Vodka, she felt a large, mammoth-like hand rest gently on her shoulder. “Grab another miss, on the house.” The cashier smiled half-heartedly down at her, as if he was solving her problems with a drink. “Thank you sir.” He rang up her drink and she dismissed herself. She uncapped one of the bottles and breathed in her addiction. She sat on the curb and tried to silence the sound of misery that so often filled her ears. She put the cold bottle to her lips and drank. The cold liquid felt warm running down her slender throat; she savored the foul drink and closed her eyes. She sipped and sat, silently waiting for the numbing intoxication she desired. Her throat burned and her heartbeat slowed to the steady beat of a ticking time bomb. The intruding sound of police sirens wailing in the distance made her nervous. She stood and swayed, slowly stumbling towards a familiar alley. She slumped to the ground covered by the darkness she loved, but she was uneasy. “Hello again. Find your liquor?” a disgustingly familiar voice said from the darkness. “Hello again Jack. Need something?” she said, disgust covering her words like a sick cloak. “Just thought I’d give you some company, Plus, I think you owe me something.” Memories flooded her mind and she hid her face. “I paid you the money…You said one or the other” Jack walked out of the darkness towards her and spoke quietly but strictly in her ear, “I never specified. Sweetheart, you are nothing but a drunken whore.” He moved his finger up to her neck and gently pushed her against the wall. “Why do you do this Jack?” she stuttered, her voice shaking from the fear. “Will you ever learn?” he slammed her against the wall and her empty bottle fell from her hand and to the ground. She heard the glass break, and then her world went dark.