END HER TYRANNY

Chapter 10 | Ditching the Hospital

It wasn't a new world- it was a new dimension.

Everything she knew and everything she was used to was completely forgotten. Suddenly- she's considered an old grandma who can't wrap her head around recent trends.

The mohawked woman was barefoot in the middle of a bustling city. There were no cigarette buds, garbage, and glass shards to worry about.

How could the streets be so clean? There weren't even stray pieces of paper.

She wandered down a wide concrete sidewalk. The buildings towering above her had hundreds of beautiful emerald leaves. Some bushes had flowering assortments from them- ranging from daisies to daffodils.

People walked past her with raised eyebrows, or longing looks- though they immediately peered away when she looked in their general direction.

An outdoor clothing stand sat near a wall. The clothing was on two separate racks on a trolley- their sizing separated by large letters overtop. The salesman was on the sidelines talking to an employee from the convenience store they were outside of. This was a good opportunity.

Wandering up to it casually, she suddenly swiped an XL grey hoodie with an unknown show called "Chatter in the Skull" and a ginger woman with a murderer printed on it.

Calamity swiftly pulled it over her head and kept the hoodie on. It uncomfortably squished her mohawk, but, honestly, she couldn't give a shit.

Successfully stealing without being caught- she continued down the city sidewalk. 

She started to notice more and more men and women covering their noses as they passed. Calamity scoffed and gritted her teeth. Surely she didn't stink that bad?

Picking up her arm, she curtly sniffed her armpit.

It didn't smell like anything hideously disgusting... not enough to make people gag, anyway.

Hoarders become immune to stink...

Oh, god, it can't be so bad that she's immune, right?

Calamity stuffed her hands into her pockets and diverted herself closer to the wall- trying to avoid anyone nearby who could smell her funk. The bustle of the city made her nervous- but she felt like she was dumbed down to a wandering homeless woman.

Peering above the roadway- she noticed a tall bridge coming out of two buildings overtop the road. A nimble passenger train flew down the tracks- the nearby trees and bushes shaking from the wind behind it.

The stress of the day, losing her wolf, and escaping a hospital has finally reminded her of an old stress reliever...

Cigarettes.

The abrupt reminder of her addiction made her throat tight- her stomach swirling with uncertainty. Her urge to smoke was only worsening her stress.

She's forgotten a lot from her old life- but how could someone forget an addiction?

With no money- her best bet was finding someone smoking. 

Calamity searched the streets. She spotted construction workers sitting with their lunches, a few napping in wolf form, but none were smoking.

Nearby was a Target store with two employees standing outside, but there was no smoking.

Why was there a sudden lack of smokers?

On her desperate search, she noticed a group of uniformed men with their hands on their belts. They wandered around the sidewalk with analytic gazes.

One of them turned their back to her- allowing her the easy sight of their back. 'Caninus Police' was printed on the fabric.

Shit, they'd know she escaped, wouldn't they? Even if they didn't... her stench outed her.

Searching for an exit- Calamity noticed a perfect alleyway.

She hurriedly walked toward the alleyway- taking a quick turn into it with her hands in her hoodie pocket and head lowered. Even though she was walking down an alley- the concrete was spotless.

Not a single piece of trash was along the walls. A bright green machine quietly rumbled- its latch locked shut. The text "Compost Dumpster" was printed in black on its front.

Are the dumpsters automatically composting trash? What sorcery is this shit?

A bright blue machine labelled "Recycler" was also rumbling beside it. The machine was also automatically recycling plastic! 

There was still a distinct lack of smokers.

She emerged from the other side of the alley with an irritable expression printed on her face. Her throat felt like it was closing in her stomach, churning with stress.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me..." She muttered as she stopped at the exit to the alleyway.

Calamity stood before a wide outdoor mall.

The concrete was a dark red terracotta with diamond designs painted into it. Tall black street lamps lined the sidewalk beside stores.

Loui Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Hermes, Nordstrom, Burberry, and many more luxury stores were all Calamity could see. The buildings had glass fronts with embroidered wood curled around storefront fonts.

Warm sunlight beamed through the glass ceiling, and small slivers of the ceiling were removed.

Businessmen and women walked down the mall sidewalk. Rich couples walked hand-in-hand- some wearing fluffy coats or tight suits.

She glanced behind her, spotting officers standing far in the distance and curtly speeding into the outdoor mall. Her nostrils flared- quickly discovering that all the rich men and women walking by were werewolves. Not a single one was a human.

Passing werewolves wrinkled their noses and glared at her- not appreciating the wave of stink she was carrying around her.

It was like a fucked-up aura. She was nearly as desperate for a bath as a cigarette.

Calamity only kept passing by more and more expensive luxury stores. Bridal stores, designer stores, custom boutiques, and luxury accessory stores.

Soon, the exit to the outdoor mall was in sight. Short trees stood outside, with a street on the other side of the sidewalk. Self-driving buses and electric vehicles drove down the street- a separate piece of road for bikers passing by.

So close.

"Hey!" A deep, gravely voice sounded behind her, "Woman in the hoodie! Stop!"

But so far.