Lying on the ground, with a twisted ankle and scrapes all over her hands and arms, it was easy for Natalia to think about what had gone wrong. Joey abandoning her had been the start. She'd searched for him, all over, and with no results. Then she'd listened for his name on the announcement, almost hoping to hear it. It would have been, if nothing else, a reason for him to have not found her.
But Joey was still alive somewhere, and Natalia wouldn't be for much longer. She'd been disheartened, and had retreated from the world, hiding out in the big containers, using them for shelter and a feeling of security. It was almost like having a room again. It was a private little world, hidden in a maze of other containers. She was confident she'd be able to hear anyone coming and decide what to do then. She'd been alone, and she'd felt almost safe, even if she'd been left behind.
Then, just when she'd gotten nearly comfortable, her little hideaway had become a danger zone, and all of its useful traits started to work against her. She'd panicked, thinking about the way out, which she hadn't paid very close attention to. She'd sprung to her feet, not even thinking about grabbing her bag, and had started to run with the cord looped around her left foot.
And now she was on the ground, sniffling and trying to stand, and it hurt too much but she knew she had to, just had to if she was going to survive, but she couldn't make herself. Had she broken something? She couldn't say.
Maybe, with an hour, she could have recovered enough to flee, or could have crawled free of the area. As it was, she didn't have that time. She made a little progress, but still could not see beyond the huge metal containers when her collar finally stopped beeping.
G049, Natalia Kowalski: DECEASED
