The street lights were glowing a white and pure light against the snow and ice on the streets. She could see the smoke coming from nearby chimneys as the wood burned in someones fireplace.
Warmth, blessed warmth, what she wouldn't give for just a few minutes of that. But it didn't matter really, she didn't feel cold either, at least not now. She hadn't really felt anything for quite some time.
Looking around her, she saw the snow, sticky and red from her blood. The patterns it made were interesting to look at, not horrible or sickening as she would have thought. It just was there, and it was something to look at, focus on, to try and stay awake, to try and stay alive.
Nora hadn't seen the man standing behind the column in front of the courthouse. Hadn't heard his footsteps as he approached her. The only thing she knew was a sharp pain that flashed in her ribs and the feeling of warmth moving down her side. She had fallen almost instantly and the man had grabbed her purse and struck her face and then ran through the snow, not even stopping to watch for traffic. There was no reason to stop for traffic, there was none. Worst storm of the year and she had been out in it, doing her last checks on some files and then walking home. It seemed so long ago she had come out to walk to the office. It must have been hours, or so it seemed.
A warmth stole across her chest and she felt a sort of calmness throughout her that she had never known before and she was comforted by this feeling. Nothing seemed to be stressful or sad or tragic at this moment, just calm and warm and almost happy. Nora couldn't put her finger on the feeling, but it was like the ones she used to get in her Grandmothers kitchen when she was baking. Warm, secure, happy. Funny, she had never thought of having these feelings when she was so alone, yet she was and she was quite satisfied as she closed her eyes and smelled the sweet smell of baking bread and the warmth of the oven as her Grandmother slid the pans into it.
It was 4am, the officer making his rounds found the woman huddled against the wall of the courthouse. He felt a rush of sadness as he realized that she had been there less than hour and it happened just after his last round. Still, the look on her face, that peaceful, almost angelic look gave him a moment of ease. Maybe she never felt what happened. Maybe this one was quick and with the cold, she never had time to think about it.
He walked to the car and called it in. No rush really, she was dead, and a strange color of blue, almost periwinkle he thought.
Inspiration
