D.N.A: Does Not Assimilate

More than an hour later, emerging through the trees of the woods cloaking more than half the town, she came to stand near the north side of town. Less than a ten-minute walk from the center of town. Curious underneath her breath, realizing that she had come too close to the central part of town, more likely to get caught up. No. She'd just have to be more careful. Glancing down at her attire, blue hospital scrubs that all the patients were forced to wear, Property of Greenwood Medical on the back of the top, Niyota wrinkled her nose. First order of business, she needed to get herself a new change of clothes. With what she was wearing, it wouldn't be hard to see that she was the escaped mental patient from Greenwood and land her right back where she started.

The thought had no sooner entered her mind, than she was stalking further away from the trees, coming to a decision on what to do. Using long black hair to hide her face from view, praying that no one was on this side of town at this time of night, though it was doubtful. Quickly walking down Main Street, cursing under her breath to see that her wishes were not to be, the place was crowded with people. Thankfully, none of them seemed to notice her. Immediately slipping into a darkened alleyway, Niyota raced through the shadows and around the corner of a brick building, completely out of sight.

Three blocks down, in the less populated area of town-most of the people were headed to their homes for the night she stopped at an old brownstone. A thrift store that Mrs. Hamburge had opened up last year when she had moved into town, had turned out more successful than people thought. Grabbing a brick from a pile stacked up to the side, Niyota stalked to the back entrance and brick in hand smashed out the window. Dropping the brick on the ground, she slipped her arm through the hole and reaching around to the other side, released the lock on the knob and catch up top. Extracting her arm, she quickly opened the door and stepping inside, relieved when no sirens off of to alert a break-in, it abruptly closed behind her.

Stepping around the glass that littered the floor at the rear of the store, Niyota stalked down a hall and through beaded curtains to the front. Forgoing clicking on the old antique lamp sitting on the counter, which would only alert that someone was inside, she went to the wrack of clothes. Stripping out of the dirty hospital garments she was wearing, tossing them away in the trash can, she skimmed through the available clothes. Ignoring the guilt at what she was about to do, never having thought she'd sink so low as she steal from someone else, but hadn't been left with any other option. They'd backed her into a corner. Grabbing the first thing that she came across that would fit her, Niyota instantly changed into a pair of blue jean pants and a halter top. Boots were found in a bin of shoes on the floor, a size too small for her size nine feet, but knew that it would have to do for now.

Yanking down a hoodie from a cloth wrack in the middle of the floor and a pair of glasses from the shelf, she started to move back towards the back entrance. Suddenly she stopped, unable to leave like this. Her guilt eventually got the best of her, hating what her predicament had forced her into doing, Niyota crossed the floor to the counter. Taking a piece of paper and pen from the other side, she jotted down a quick note for the store owner, adding her signature at the bottom. Feeling worlds better that Mrs. Hamburge wouldn't completely be in the dark, she placed it atop the cash register, easy to be found. Walking around the corner of the counter to head down the hall, Niyota vowed that one day, when this was all over, she would pay the woman back.

Slipping back out through the rear entrance of the thrift store, a hand reached for the knob to close the door, only to lurch forward at a sharp pain in her midsection. Cursing loudly underneath her breath, gritting down on her teeth before more could come out, a hand clutched hold of the middle of her stomach. Fuck! It hurt something awful. When the pain receded a moment later, discarding it as anything of import, Niyota instantly closed the back door and started off down the alleyway. The only thought on her mind was to get far away from town as soon as possible, knowing in all due time the place would be crawling with cops.

It came around.

Only to disappear again.

Emerging out of the alleyway five blocks later, cursing as she noticed a police cruiser parked at the end of the street, she immediately jumped back into the alley. Back pressed up against the back of the building, remaining carefully out of sight, she vehemently cursed at the reminder of that car. Shit. Apparently, the local police had moved faster than she thought. Niyota had no doubt that the cop was there because of her. No doubt Detective Gerald had been appraised of the situation and sent all of his cop buddies around town to keep their eyes peeled for his runaway criminal.

Waiting until the cop moved in, which he waited a whole five minutes before driving off down the street, she stepped back out of the alley. Dragging the hood of the jacket up over her head, stuffing hair in the shadows of the hood, she purposefully stalked across the street. Keeping her head down, focusing on the scuffed toes of the boots, Niyota did her best to appear as normal as she possibly could. Ten minutes later, spying a police cruiser on the opposite end of the street talking to a group of people stopped on the street, aware they were talking about her. Immediately turning the corner, a block away from where they were, Niyota stalked down the deserted street, moving as fast as her legs could carry her. Without appearing too suspicious.

Upon spying the third police cruiser of the night at the corner five blocks over, another parked on the opposite end, Niyota knew that she needed to get off the street. Now. So far it'd been pure dumb luck that had managed to keep her from being caught up, the streak was going to eventually run out. The cops were out too thick tonight, determined to catch her before any damage could be done.

Another time, she promised.

Knowing that it wouldn't be long before he returned it was a miracle in itself that he hadn't come home from work already-she went to work. Walking around to the side of the house, dropping to her knees on the ground, she slithered through a hole underneath the porch. Reaching around to a trap door to the right, which went unnoticed by everyone else, she undid the clasp and pushed open the door. Grabbing the small slender bundle tucked away in a mound of dirt to the side, pulling it out of the secret hiding place, she opened the brown cloth. The metal glinted in the glow of the moon, the strange etchings seemed to almost shimmer with light. Immediately wrapping it back up, it was tucked deep into the waistband of her pants and Niyota slowly crawled back out from underneath the porch.