The Run

Those chasing her were tireless. She knew that they would not give up because she deserved this. She saw the unfairness of it all, though she did not have the luxury of this type of contemplation. What she needed to do was to find a way to escape. She was exhausted, sweat ran down her face like little rivers, following the contours of her scars. Her muscles were on fire with pain. And, even if she had the opportunity to stop and consider each part of her body, she would more than likely not be able to identify anything that did not hurt. Her nostrils spread, her forehead tensed tightly, and she froze. Sniffing at the wind could help her figure out the direction they were coming. And then, she jumped into action. She began running again.

She had played in this forest in her youth. She knew every tree, stump, crevice, river, and cave that existed in these woods, but so did they. She needed to find somewhere that they would not consider. She was running so fast that the trees she passed blurred in her vision. Each time her feet hit the ground, she was propelled further in the direction she ran. Straight, then left and then right, to throw them off.

That was when she hit the opening—the danger zone, and this was the place of death. This open area was the place where thunder sounded. And, each time that it did, death followed. This area is a place to be avoided at all costs, but not today. Today, she needed to go somewhere they wouldn’t. They might not think of coming here, out in the open. Here where the thunder lives. So she jumps forward and starts running as fast as she can to the other side, to the safety of the trees. Every one of her nerves tingled as she ran. The thunder could happen at any moment. She could die out here. Fear drove her on as she had never felt before. And then, she reached the other side. She wore the amazement of her achievement with pride beyond pride. More importantly, though, she was safe again. At least for the moment. But, she had made it across. She had an opportunity to rest for a short while, so she curled up and slept.

After the short nap, she rose, shook herself, and started running again. Then she came to the edge of the cliff where she could hear the rushing of the river water. Her thirst only encouraged her to move faster, she was hungry, but she wanted to drink even more. She neared the edge of the river and drank. Suddenly, she raises her head. She faces the sky, she smells the air, and then she tastes it. They are getting closer. Jumping from rock to rock, she got to the other side of the river and continued the run. Sprinting at first, but faster and faster, to put a more considerable distance between herself and them.

When all of a sudden, she hears a sound. A sound that is different from “them,” forcing her to stop. Food? She froze in place. Carefully, she searched with her eyes, and then, there it was a rabbit. She lowered herself. She realized that the rabbit had not seen her, and it was walking in her direction. She needed it to get closer. She was weak at the moment; her muscles hurt as never before. Gradually, it made its way to her. Her muscles tensed, and her heart began to beat faster. The rabbit took one more step, and she sprang into action. Her hunger propelled her with such ferocity that she was on the rabbit before it realized. Her teeth sank into the flesh of the animal. She tore its throat out. She tasted the blood on her lips, and this sent a signal to her very core, and she let out the howl, a deep, resounding, vibrant, howl. And, just as quickly, she realized her mistake. Now they would know where she must be. She tore at the rabbit and ate what she could. Then, she began the run again.