Alone and Free

October 28

A sudden burst of inspiration brought this idea to me today. It’s a quick read, especially compared to some of my other works. I hope you enjoy it!

Two stories today! Woo!

This story is fictional.

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The morning sun was warm on her skin. Eyes closed, Kate smiled as she felt its rays caress her face. It was the right day for this.

Her trip out of the city had been unremarkable. Just another woman on the bus, though one without any makeup, nail polish, jewelry, or even a hairband. She carried no bag, just a small purse, with the exact change needed for the first long distance ticket westward the station would sell her. She didn’t even bother reading where it was going. Were the agent at the bus stop paying attention, he might have found it odd.

Had anyone gone to her house that day, they would have found a SOLD sign on the door. The local Thrift Store would have commented when asked that a woman matching Kate’s description donated her furniture, her entire wardrobe, and even her car. She took out the sim card from her phone, snapped it in half, then donated the phone as well. She also donated the entire contents of her bank account, only keeping enough to buy a few cheap items of clothing.

Three hours later, as the bus was half way between two stops, she spied what she was looking for, and she pulled the handle for the emergency stop. With a lurch, the bus ground to a stop, and the door opened. Kate slipped off without a word, slipping into the trees beyond the end of the road. She waited, listening for pursuit. After a few minutes, the bus resumed its drive, the sound of its engine growing fainter by the minute.

Smiling, she stood there, her back against the tree she had hidden behind, and listened. Nothing. Not a single hum or squeak or spoken word. She was alone.

Walking off into the trees, Kate wandered for a while. She didn’t know where she was. She didn’t care. Branches covered in pine needles occasionally snagged her skin or caught on her clothes, all cheap and unremarkable, picked up from that thrift store only this morning.

Finally, as the sun reached later afternoon, Kate found a clearing. It was quiet, empty, and with a soft bed of pine needles for a floor. She smiled wider. This was the place.

Gathering scraps of branch and wood, Kate cleared a patch of bare dirt. Upon it, she laid out bits of kindling, over which she placed small twigs, then larger ones, then sticks, then finally a nice large branch, broken in half with a loud snap when she stepped on one end.

Digging into the pocket of her gray sweatpants, she fished out one of the only things she’d brought on this trip. A single matchbox. Bending down, she struck a match, then held the flame to the kindling. In moments, it caught, and with a little tending, she soon had a roaring fire burning before her.

She knelt there for a long moment, enjoying the heat. It was nice. Then without preamble, she pulled the sweatshirt over her head, and dropped it into the flames. A moment later, her shoes and sweatpants joined them, as did the matchbox and remaining unlit matches.

She stood back as they quickly lit up, the cheap fabric was apparently extremely flammable. As the flames waned, Kate reached behind her back, unhooked her bra, then slipped her arms free. It too, joined the flames, burning away to ash.

Kate smiled, tugging her leggings off. They were quick to burn, and her bare feet felt cool in the soft bed of Pine Needles she stood upon. Finally, with a shaking breath, she hooked her thumbs around her panties, and in a swift motion, tugged them off as well.

She held them above the flames, otherwise utterly naked, alone, and she knew not where. She dropped the cheap gray panties into the flames, and watched them burn.

Finally, all that remained was the purse. She looked inside. Her Passport, Drivers License, Credit and Debit Cards, even her grocery card, were all in there. Everything that made her who the world said she was.

For the next hour, she stood by that fire, and one by one, the naked woman dropped each item into the flames. FInally, the purse itself joined the pile, burning away to ash like everything else had before it. She had done it. Even the name Kate went into the flames.

Finally, it was done. As the flame dimmed to cool ash, she was at last truly, alone. The nameless woman ***tered the ashes with one foot, spread pine needles over the area, then walked off into her woodland home, finally free.

The End

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My stories have been really long. I thought it was time for something short, sweet, and sexy.

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