City Lights

      Music blasted from Zilla’s headphones, drowning out the busy city noises. The bus stop was full of a variety of people and there was no shortage passing her on the street either. People constantly passed her by as she continued to wait for the bus. The sun had set and the sky was black. Only a single star could be seen in the night sky, the rest constantly hidden by light pollution. Zilla focused on that single star. It looked out of place. Alone. The bus was already an hour late and many of the people standing next to her were getting impatient. One by one, they left too. It started sprinkling slightly and Zilla groaned. She got out her umbrella and laid it beside her. Cars whooshed by as she scanned the street, glancing at the faces as people walked by. A woman was ushering her child towards an apartment building. A man and a woman were smiling at each other as they waved goodbye. A teenage boy was leaning against a building while talking to a couple other boys. Another hour went by and Zilla decided to leave. The bus was not getting there anytime soon. Collecting her backpack and opening up her blue umbrella, Zilla headed off to the right. A slow ballad started playing as she walked. Studying the neon signs as she went, Zilla glanced around at the bustling nightlife. Children laughed and ran around as parents attempted to rein them in. Couples chatted with each other while holding hands. Singular figures smiled as friends came over to whisk them away. Zilla’s pace quickened as she passed people, signs, and buildings. An advertisement for some kind of drink. A grocery store. A grandma hugging her grandchildren. Zilla slowed down a bit and looked at the grandmother sadly. She was shocked out of her staring by someone barreling into her. Falling backwards, she exclaimed in surprise as she was quickly yanked back onto her feet. Whoever that had been, ran away quickly and Zilla checked her pockets. Phone. Wallet. Keys. Everything was still there.

           “That was odd.” Zilla muttered. She continued walking until she got to a crosswalk. People crowded around her in all directions. Beep. Beep. Beep. The crosswalk showed walk and the cluster of umbrellas walked across the street. Zilla frowned as people brushed by her, easily passing her leisurely gait and once again leaving her alone. Several people bumped into her as she went, not even stopping to apologize. It was as if she was invisible. Everyone seemed to be in such a rush to leave. Grey clothing twirled in and out of her vision. Dresses, skirts, suits, pants, shirts, and hats all made their presence quickly known before they disappeared into a sea of grey. Honking of horns from the street interrupted the music and drew her attention.

“Get outta the way!”

“Move it!”

“I have places to be!”

“Couldn’t you have pulled over?”

“Just call a tow truck!” Yelling came from the street at a woman’s car that was blocking the street. Tears trickled from her eyes as she desperately tried to get the car to work. An infant screeched from the back of her car. Zilla looked down at her shoes and her pace quickened. She plunged into the monotonous crowd. A blue umbrella in a sea of grey. People gave her weird looks as she walked through. Whispered comments were covered up by an especially loud song. Head down, Zilla continued to trudge through the rain. She entered a convenience store and let out a sigh. Grabbing a couple treats, she tried to make small talk with the person working the counter.

“Nasty weather we’re having today.”

“Mhmm…”

“I really hope it clears up by tomorrow.”

“Hmm…”

“It didn’t look like it was going to rain earlier today.”

“Mmhmm…” Zilla gave up on attempting to chat with him, thanked him, and left with her food. Inhaling a cinnamon roll, she rejoined the crowd heading towards her street. She looked at the buildings. Most of them were grey, drab, and looked as if they had been painted with lint, but every so often there would be a building that was a nice blue color or maybe a green. Zilla loved the buildings that actually had color. There was not that many in the city, so they were a nice treasure when she found one. She ran her hand across a small picket fence that was painted a light purple. Finally reaching her building, she entered and closed her umbrella. The elevator was broken like usual, so she headed for the stairs. There were exactly fifty-three stairs to her apartment. She ran up every one of them and entered her home. The brightly colored furniture was refreshing after the constant grey color of everything else. Zilla threw off her headphones and collapsed onto her red couch. She was just about to drift off to sleep when she saw a letter on the counter. The pristine white envelope was only marred by the grey seal. Getting up reluctantly, she snatched the envelope and opened it. Scanning the words, her eyes widened. She blinked as if not quite believing the words on the page. It could not be true. Closing her eyes, Zilla waited a couple seconds before reopening them. It was still there.

“Disgusting.” Zilla muttered. Her apartment bill had gone up fifteen percent. She flopped onto the couch with the letter and threw it at the door. Furrowing her brow, she tried to figure out ways she could afford the bill.

“I could use zero water and zero electricity or maybe I could launch my apartment to the moon. I’m pretty sure you can’t send bills to the moon.” Zilla laughed. She scrolled through her phone looking for a solution. Zilla rolled her eyes at most of the things she thought of. Living with her parents was a no. She had just moved out. Moving to Kentucky was a no because she had just secured a job here. Getting a roommate. She could do that one, but it would have to wait till the morning. Drifting off to sleep, Zilla frowned at the prospect of someone invading her space.

“But I have to do what I have to do.” She whispered to herself. The ad on her phone sat quietly waiting for a response that did not come.