Beneath The Surface

Opening Act 3 - What I need is power!

Normal text
Thinking
Onomatopoeia

Akali's POV
Tap! Tap! Tap!

I was sprinting through the forest as fast as I could. Small pockets of light flickered on the moss-covered ground through the gaps of the tree canopies, dimly lighting the way such that I wasn't running in literal darkness. That would be even more hellish. The air was still and humid, not a single breeze blew through. I swiped at a bunch of overgrown ferns from my face. Dead leaves and branches crackled beneath me as I sped through the dense thicket. Beads of sweat rolled down my face, aggravating the fresh cuts and scratches like no tomorrow. But I only pursed my lips, refusing to let disgusting salty liquid flow from my eyes. I won't let those bastards see me this pathetic! 

I was more than experienced in taking a beating or two. That's all weak people could do anyway if they want to survive in this damn dog-eat-dog world. So I wasn't about to break down just from some tiny scratches! I won't! I felt something quiver in my arms. It's the white rabbit. The critter I had just narrowly saved from its sad fate of being drowned by those sick bastards. Its soft ears were pressed tightly against its body as it tucked its head in my arms. My heart ached a little. This frail creature was innocent, but just because it's in the wrong place at the wrong time, it got all wrapped up in this shitshow. Soreness surged through my arms, my feeble body's way of telling me to drop the baggage and take care of myself first. There's no choice left but to hope that the rabbit was lucky enough to escape in time. I screeched to a halt and quickly placed the poor thing on the ground.

"Go on. Run. It's up to your luck now."

The rabbit blinked a few times, its large red eyes staring at me. I knew it could roughly understand what I'm trying to do. Because that's the rule it had always lived by in the wild—only the strong survive. In the wild, no samaritan was going to come by and save it from the jaws of a wolf. No one would mourn for its death either. It's only lucky that I happened to have a bone to pick with those cowards. So I made it my life's mission to foil their plans. Which included following them into the nearby woods to see if they're up to any one of their sick 'jokes'. This rabbit just happened to get caught when I'm following those turds. That's all there was to it. If it felt unhappy with this injustice, it could only blame itself for turning out as a rabbit, a weak critter that's destined to be fodder for beasts. Just like me...

With a kick of its hind legs, the thing was off, darting into the covers of the thick bushes. There wasn't any teary farewell or whatever since I was currently still being chased by some pigs. I didn't have time to mope about. With that, I moved my sore legs and started running again. I must have wasted too much time. The crunching of heavy footsteps behind me sounded much closer. Much more sinister.

Shit! Faster!

My mind's in utter panic mode. Which was extremely useful in getting me to push my stick legs to their utmost limit. I was panting like a dog. My lungs burned with every gasp of precious oxygen. And my legs... Let's just say they're on the verge of melting to mush. My muscles ache like hell. If there wasn't the constant sound of rats screeching behind me, acting as a mini reminder, I would have just laid down and waited to die. Every part of my body hurts. Not only was I dying from a lack of oxygen, I've also been taking a thorough beating from the surrounding vegetation for the past 5 minutes. Large ferns and overhanging branches repeatedly slapped my cheeks until they were red and bloody. I could feel a warm liquid oozing down my legs, no doubt from the deep gashes on my knees. Why did I have to mess up and fall like a bumbling fool??? Despite the constant stabbing pain, I didn't dare to stop. Just continued running as fast as I could. Fortunately, I wouldn't have to suffer for long. There's a light at the end of this dark tunnel. Literally. Glaring sun rays shone at a distance, right on the boundary that marked the end of this gloomy woods. It's tantalising me with the promise of help and safety.