(I don't know if CF is still around, but I'll jump into this thing since I posted a bio for it a while back
)
The rumbling of her stomach was the only sound that broke the silence that night. Constance sighed and rolled over on her "bed," truly only a small, rectangular piece of cardboard, but it was better than the hard stone street... at least it wasn't any worse. But the pangs in her belly were too great for her to care the least about what she slept on. She groaned and clutched her midriff. It felt like a lifetime since she had eaten. People were frequenting the streets less and less often these days, and since she had no job, begging was her way of life. She had no talents or special skills. It was either that or prostitution, and she had still not fallen that far. But due to the shortage of people and their growing wariness of strangers she hadn't had much success of late.
The rumblings of her stomach were a sharp and constant reminder of that.
"I have to find something to eat," she mumbled wearily. She could feel herself losing strength day after day. She knew she wouldn't last long the way she was. Passing in front of a window earlier that day, she had caught a glimpse of her reflection and been utterly appalled. No wonder people avoided her! Once a pretty girl, she had lost all her youthful splendor. Her pale face was gaunt and haggard, dark circles accented her haunted green eyes, and her long black her was matted. Not to mention the mud stains on her threadbare clothing. She needed help.
But as she looked out from the dark alley onto the street fear burned in her core. Constance kept seeing the body of her dear sister, mutilated, disgraced. The blood.... She shook her head to banish the image. She couldn't think about that. Living in fear would get her nowhere. If she kept hiding out in the alley with no sustenance, she would die anyway. But what awaited her out on that dark street in the middle of the night? It was a risk she had to take. "Surely I can find some place where there is food, or someone who is kind enough to give me some. Or better still, a job. Once I get something to eat I can come back here, and go to sleep, safe and sound. Safe and sound." Was her Mary thinking the same thing that night? Tears filled her eyes, but she took a deep breath and stepped into the street anyway.
A ways off there was a single streetlight. Constance thought she saw a figure there, but before she could get a better look, she heard the sound of footsteps. Rapid footsteps. Heart in her throat, she turned.
