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The thunder was as severe as the storm that day. The rain was splashing like a whip all around. The sound of the wind was growling in the background. Teresa was shivering as she got slowly wet. The ceiling of the underpass, where she had taken shelter was already leaking. Her clothes and the little bag of belongings were getting all wet. The temperature had dropped all of a sudden and it was cold as hell. But that's not even a proper comparison, hell is supposed to be hot. Anyway, Teresa was still holding on to her dear life under that leaking underpass, somehow.
It was over a year that the orphanage she grew up in had to close due to legal issues. It wasn't that good a place to live in, though Teresa atleast had a roof above her head. There were frequent incidents of child abuse in that orphanage. Teresa too had been involved in many of them. But she didn't complain. She didn't complain because she didn't know how else anybody lived. She didn't complain because she had no idea that what she was experiencing was actually wrong. All her life, she had been part of that abusive environment, being exploited in the name of a home. However, at the point where she was now, she would happily exchange being exploited than freezing to death.
Suddenly, her eyes caught a black and white blob, braving the storm, just a few metres away from her. She strained her eyes trying to have a good look. Then her ears caught a faint meowing sound too.
" Is that a cat? What is it doing in this rain? Weren't animals supposed to be smart about natural disasters? Why didn't that idiot hide? "She was mumbling to herself. More like she was fighting her desire to stay put or go and get the kitty. After a few more heated debate with herself, she finally stood up.
" Ahhhh! I hate you for this. " She stamped her feet at herself and went running over to the spot where the kitten was struggling . It had a paw stuck between a rod and a boulder. In fact it's paw was pressed down by the boulder itself.
" Awwww, cutie. How did you get stuck like this? "She tried picking the boulder up and then the kitten itself, " Ssshhh! It's alright. Don't worry, you will be fine in just a few days. Sshhhhh! " Teresa consoled the kitten as it yelped in pain.She braced it in her arms and ran straight back inside her den.
But as soon as she stepped inside, she was pushed out by two firm hands. Teresa looked up with difficulty . She was already fully drenched. The rain battering over her eyes made it difficult to look ahead. She held one hand up her forehead to shelter her eyes.
"Who are you? What do want? Let me get in. I'm freezing here, " She asked looking up. There were about four people, all looked homeless like her, crouched where she was. They had taken her spot when she left.
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