Serial Experiments Lain Fan Fiction ❯ Touch of God ❯ Chapter 1

 

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The steam from the sewage gates spewed into the city. Satomi tried to weave around the raising gas, but found herself caught up in it anyway. She coughed in the heavy fumes, trying not to breathe them in. After the smoke had passed, Satomi found herself alone, for the first time in a very long time. She looked up over the city, the large towering building. It was a scary place. Satomi wished now that she hadn't ran away. She wished she was still home with her mom and her dad. Why did she say she hated them? No, she was confused.

 

But Satomi had gone too far now to stop. She would stay out the night. Yes, she would try to stay out the night away from home. She would only go back there if she had too. That was the last option. She didn't want to live in a house-hold were she had no choice. She didn't want to live in a place were she was no better then a child.

 

No! Satomi was fifteen! She wasn't a child! She had choices and a future ahead of her. She wasn't going to stay there and be stifled. She was going to live her own life, by God! She was independent. The real world wasn't so hard. She could make it.

 

Satomi had convinced herself, again. She wouldn't go back, no matter how scared she got. Returning back to that place wasn't an option. She knew there were places in the city. Shelters were run-aways and the homeless could stay until they got their feet on the ground. Satomi wasn't real crazy about that option either, but it was better then returning home.

 

Satomi looked down at the concrete sidewalk, tried not to look at the looming buildings and people she didn't know. She knew that if she thought about it too much she would get scared again. She wouldn't let that happen. She was going to be strong and not get scared again. Satomi sucked it up and tried her best to ignore everything that was scary in this new and strange place. She was going to be strong or else.

 

She started to walk. She waited patiently at the crosswalks and just strolled around, not heading anywhere particular. Being lost was better then being unappreciated.

Soon afterward, the vastness of the place began to work its way into Satomi. She tried not to look up at the building, not reveal to everyone that she was new, but the pure spectacle was too much for her not to ignore. Growing up in the suburbs, Satomi had never been around a place as big as this. Apartment buildings, office places, small shopping marts, all things Satomi wasn't use to seeing. It was a little overwhelming.

 

People past her on the street as she walked slower to look up at the sky-scrappers. Satomi was lucky that she didn't have much money on her, or else she probably would have been mugged already.

 

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Satomi didn't know what time it was. It seemed like she had been walking for hours. Her feet were shore and she had a throbbing headache from slouching the whole time. She was cold too. The small jacket she had tucked around her wasn't enough to keep her warm anymore. The night had gone on, and everything had gotten colder.

 

Maybe Satomi could go back to the suburbs and crash with a friend's of her, for a while, until she gets everything sorted out. Maybe that would be an option. It wouldn't be going back, technically. She wouldn't be going back to those parents of her. She could do this on her own.

 

But Satomi was scared. She couldn't deny it anymore. She was scared of everything. She didn't want to fall back on them, but she couldn't take of her self. There was no point in fighting that, but denying it made Satomi feel stronger. Maybe she could do this. But she knew she couldn't.

 

Satomi turned around and headed back for the bus station. Yeah, she could stay with a friend.

 

On her way through town, she passed a clock, one of those small towers in the middle of a square. It was almost midnight. Would the bus station be open? Were they opened all night? Standing on the corner, Satomi looked around at the other vagrants around. Bums. Young girls, who didn't look much older then Satomi, standing around. Is it possible that they could be hookers? Satomi didn't want to think about that. That was an unpleasant place to be.

 

The city was an unpleasant place to be.

 

Satomi wanted to go home.

 

Satomi heard a noise behind her. She turned around to discover two older men stood behind her. The first man stared her in the eyes and whispered,

 

“What ya' doin' here, little girl?”

 

The second man piped up, “Yeah, you don't look like you're from around her.”

 

Satomi backed away. She didn't like were this was going. She slowly began to retreat. The men advanced toward Satomi.

 

“Maybe we could help ya' out, little girl? You want us to help you out?” The first man spoke. He was nearly in front of her.

 

“Get away from me!” Satomi slapped at the first man and ran away as quickly as she could. Satomi could hear the men following after her. Everything was going wrong. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

 

Satomi didn't really have time to think, though. As she ran across the street, a car nearly crashed into her and the rest of traffic came to a sudden halt. Satomi didn't look behind her, she just ran. She was focused on getting away from her attackers. She found herself running up a flight of stairs, a bridge over a street. It was there that someone stopped Satomi.

 

It was a younger girl. Probably a year or so younger then Satomi. Her outer appearance was mostly ordinary, short brown hair, tied into a strange braid at one side of her face, un-descript face and clothes. There was only one thing that made the girl stand-out. The girl had the most piercing and penetrating brown eyes Satomi had ever seen.

 

The younger girl spoke in a faint voice, “Are you okay?”

 

Satomi looked around again and couldn't see her attackers. Maybe she was safe. She decided to answer the girl's question.

 

“I'm kinda' lost.”

 

“Lost?” The girl continued to speak in her little voice. It was strangely comforting.

 

“I ran away from home.” Satomi admitted, in an almost guilty way.

 

“Why'd you run away? Did something bad happen?”

 

Satomi rested again the bridge's safety-bars. “I don't even remember anymore. It was probably something stupid. I'm always fighting with my parents.”

 

“Do you like your parents?” The younger girl continued.

 

“I'm not sure.” Satomi truly didn't know.

 

“I think you were just confused.”

 

Satomi thought about the young girl's statement. Yeah, that sounded right. Maybe she was just confused.

 

Satomi spoke to the young girl, “What's your name?”

 

“You can call me Lain.”

 

“Hi, Lain. I'm Satomi.” She extended her hand in friendship.

 

Lain give it a weak shake. “I think you should go back home, Satomi.”

 

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Satomi didn't remember much else of what happened that evening. It seemed to be replaced in her mind by some large blank space. Some white light.

 

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There was a knock at the door. Mother and Father had been worried sick all evening, but with the short ring at the door, their spirits lifted, just a slight bit. They ran to the door threw it open.

 

On the front step, stood their young daughter, Satomi. She was soaked from head to toe. She smiled a weak smile at them, and spoke, “I'm sorry.”

 

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Touch of God

By Zack Clopton

 

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Disclaimer: “Serial Experiments Lain” is copyright to Pioneer/Geneon. All original ideas presented within are copyright to Zack Clopton, 2005.