The Girl With The Crimson Eyes

47: Those Sunset Eyes

Remnya

The dense canopies of ancient trees had kept the forest in the shadows for hundreds of years, endless passages of unexplored land that faded on the horizon in a gradient of emerald greens. Only the tender sunlight seeping through dancing leaves guided Remnya, who advanced like a wandering soul. Her feet were numb, and her lungs struggled for oxygen, but the pain in her arm kept her awake within her senses.

Despite the tears, Remnya found herself smiling at times, amazed by the beauty of birds, squirrels, and snakes inhabiting that mysterious place. Exotic flowers adorned her path, tickling her nose with strange aromas that reminded her of a home she never had. As Remnya passed by a massive bush of wild black roses, the image of Magenta popped into her mind, and with her, Marcus'.

Her legs hesitated for a moment, and tears threatened her eyes again. The hopes of so many people rested on her shoulders, the alive and the dead.

She could not fail.

By sunset, the intertwined foliage above her opened, and Remnya could finally glimpse the orange glow of the horizon and the evening star rising with its golden glimmer. Feeling her body on the verge of collapsing, Remnya decided to sit next to a giant rotten trunk, half-buried into the ground. Cobwebs entangled in her hair as she dropped on the moist soil, and spiders crawled on her arms and legs. She didn't mind; the orphanage's spiders were much bigger.

As the night neared, the first stars appeared, flickering among isolated clouds that still reflected the dying sunlight. Remnya took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the fresh air rising across the forest.

Beyond a maze of trees, Remnya noticed a strange glow. She blinked, making sure it wasn't a dream. But as the illusion persisted, she crawled toward a slope to have a closer look.

Her eyes widened at the glimpse of hope. Ahead of her, a massive valley spread amid endless lands, and the lights of a distant city tilted like millions of fireflies.

"I made it," Remnya murmured with trembling lips and fell to the ground with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.

At last, an oasis in her desolation.

The flame in her chest burned hotter and brighter, fueled by her newfound hope, filling her exhausted body with the energy to keep fighting.

Ignoring the open wounds and pain burning her legs, Remnya stood again, aided by the dead branches of a nearby trunk. If she walked all night, she could reach the city by morning, and the chances of saving Zeo would increase.

He was all that mattered.

Remnya limped through the darkness, guided by the distant radiance of a better future ahead of her. The night closed, and stars covered the sky while a symphony of crickets and owls filled her ears, keeping her awake while exhaustion threatened to send her to the ground.

Like a sleepwalker, Remnya floated through the unknown, numb, blind, and almost lifeless. She advanced until reality faded, and her body collapsed beside a creek.

"Wait for me, Zeo . . . " she whispered, biting the soil and leaves under her face. "I'll save you . . . "

Silence.

Minutes or perhaps hours passed for her.

When Remnya woke up, the soothing sound of water running next to her assured her she was still alive. Dragging herself toward the creek, Remnya buried her face in the cold water. She drank what seemed to be the best drink she had ever had in her life. The coldness filled her insides, washing out the desert of her throat.

Having hydrated herself, Remnya lay down on her back and stared into the night sky. The stars reminded her of those empty nights in the orphanage when she would sneak out of her room to sight shooting stars with Zeo. Remnya wished she had paid more attention to him instead of falling asleep as he spoke about the space.