The woman under the cardboard

Lightning flashed and illuminated the otherwise dark office. Inside, only one light braved the darkness and helped the person who was still working.

A man looked out the window and sighed. That morning, he had luckily watched the weather channel and carried an umbrella when it was mentioned there was a high possibility of rain.

The umbrella he sincerely thought he wouldn't use because the morning and afternoon had been so sunny and sweltering hot someone could fry an egg on the pavement. But, now that it was dark, it was raining cats and frogs.

He had again stayed behind at the office.

It was 10pm already, and he had to finish some reports because his boss was a demon and wanted them first thing in the morning. Damn Michael Ho!

It was because of being constantly asked to work over-time that his ex girlfriend left him, saying he didn't have time for her or for going out. He didn't even call her. He admitted his fault for not calling her.

The funny thing was that when they did go out on dates, she would rant and complain about her job endlessly. That her boss was too mean, her coworkers were too lazy, the new assistant too pretty…

He had enough of his own job to be hearing about hers!

So, one thing led to another. He more often than not, ended up not paying attention to her, zoning out. The problem came when he would be asked for an opinion and he had no idea what to say. She would then rant about him not listening and so on.

In the end, he was dumped for another guy who apparently didn't work and had all the time of the world to listen to her ranting.

All he could say was: good luck to you!

Around midnight, he was able to finish all the reports. He saved the documents and turned everything off.

Despite his demanding job, he had not quit after two years working because the pay was good, so the over-time was worth it. And it was his first job. There was some sentimental aspect of it.

Either way, unless he found a job that paid better, he guessed he would stay in that company for a long time.

When he came out of the building, he was hit by a strong gale, carrying lots of water, soaking him well. He hurriedly opened the umbrella to cover from the rain. He was thankful it didn't fly off from the strong winds.

He walked as fast as he could to the bus stop in fear of the thing flipping upside down and be left without its meager protection. The few people on the bus were as wet and miserable as him.

When he got down the bus, he took a shortcut home by going through the neighborhood's playground. He was tired, his only thought was that of taking a warm bath as soon as he gets home and then sleep like the dead.

It was not pouring anymore, but the rain still affected his vision, making the otherwise normal playground look creepy and frightening. A shiver ran down his spine.

What if something or someone attacked him?

The crime rate in the city was low, but there were quite a few robbers. Though, he doubted robbers would be so dedicated to work even under such weather. Anyway, his mind still came up with songs from Aldo Greco, a famous singer, to keep it occupied and not think about being robbed or murdered.

Tensed, he turned a corner to get out of the playground and appear in front of his apartment building, but he jumped out of fear when he saw some weird shape leaning on a tree.

Under this heavy rain who would be outside apart from overworked and people like him? The robber his mind had conjured?

After staring for a moment, he noticed it was a pile of cardboard. Letting out a relieved sigh, he resumed his walking. However, when he passed next to the pile, he saw it move and the cardboard slipped.

He froze, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. It was a mystery he hadn't run away already. He looked back at the moving cardboard only to realize there was a person under it.

Was it a homeless person trying to shelter from the rain and ended up falling asleep? That was dangerous. The person would get sick. He carefully approached and slowly pulled the cardboard down.

It was a woman.

Or what looked like a woman.

He panicked and stepped back in fright. Is she dead? She doesn't seem to be breathing. I should call an ambulance… Or maybe the police. He wildly thought

Suddenly, the woman slipped from the tree and fell to the ground, whining in pain. Telling him she was still alive.

Thanks to a flash of lightning, he was able to clearly see her wrecked appearance he had barely glimpsed before: countless bruises and cuts marred her face. She was wearing make up but it was all smeared, mixed with blood and dirt.

Due to the skimpy dress she had on, he could see the numerous injuries on her body. He even thought he saw a bone.

She must have been under the cold rain for quite some time as she shivered, or was she trembling from the pain?

After a moment of mental disconnection as his mind couldn't quite process the striking and tragic picture, he shakily took out his phone and decided to call an ambulance so she could be rushed to the hospital. Though, he doubted she would make it.

When it arrived, he stood far from the scene, but was still able to see when the woman was found and checked by the paramedics. She was then carried into the ambulance with a stretcher. The loud sound of the siren earned the attention of some late walkers, yet it peacefully made its way down the streets.

When he returned to his apartment, he was still frazzled from the experience. Watching all those news that portrayed people being all injured from one or other circumstance was totally different from seeing it up close.

He felt as if some unknown bubble had been burst due to what he saw back in that playground. It was frightening.

More importantly, who left her in such state?

He didn't enjoy his bath as much as he had expected.

His sleep was also restless.