Alpha's Choice

| 5 | Regretting |

| Madison Cloud |

The sound of a roaring engine woke me from my deep sleep. The vibration of the platform I laid on shook my body. Still half asleep, I ignored the sound of tracks and the engine and tried to fall back to sleep, but when the smell of rice hit my nose, my eyes shot open, and I jumped up.

Oh my gosh, I fell asleep!

I quickly sat up and rushed to the entrance, opening it only for a strong gust of wind and summer's sweet scent to fill my senses. My heart was now beating at a thousand miles per hour as I stared at the scenery flash by me.

Oh, my gosh, oh my gosh — I fell asleep! I wasn't supposed to fall asleep! I just laid down till the pain from my knee went away. Panic and dread settled in me. I had no idea where I was. I quickly pulled out my cell phone from my pocket only to find it dead, perfect. From the looks of it, the train must have been running all night, and who knows what time it is? I don't even know how long I was asleep. I feel so disoriented. What was I going to do?!

Pacing around, I take a deep breath. First things first, I have to get off this train. I should have never gotten on it in the first place.

Standing at the entrance, I surveyed the surrounding area. Nothing but vast land, and it doesn't look like the train would be stopping anytime soon. Groaning, I take a deep breath, knowing I couldn't risk staying on the train any longer. I count to three before jumping off of the train. I try my best to avoid the train tracks, but I tumble down a slope full of weeds and tall grass in doing so. Unable to stop myself from rolling, I tried to protect my head as I moved through fallen branches and leaves, mud, and rocks; the motion sickness was getting to me. I spotted a large rock in the direction I was falling and quickly pushed my body back to the right trying to avoid the stone, only to collide headfirst with a tree and blackout.

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I groaned in pain as I came too; my mind was slightly fuzzy as I rubbed my head. I looked around. A lot of time must have passed from me being unconscious; the sun was now setting as the sky painted orange with a mixture of red and purple slashes. I stood up and stumbled slightly, holding onto the tree, and I tried to keep my balance and looked around. I gripped my shoulder as it throbbed. The white bandage was now dirtied with mud, dirt, and bloodstains from my wound. I was in the woods in the middle of nowhere. I looked up the slope I had fallen from hours ago. It was too steep for me to climb. Having no other choice but to find somewhere to sleep, I started walking. Hours went by, and all I saw were trees, trees, and more trees. This forest went on for miles, and I couldn't quite tell where I was going. I'm pretty sure I passed the same rotten log at least three times, which only meant I had been going in circles. I'd stop from time to time to catch my breath or take a breath. Walking, worn out my legs were too much, I had bruises from my fall, and I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning or well, since before Alex and I arrived at school.

I sat leaning against a tree, legs pressed against my chest, my head on my knees, just thinking about what I was going to do. I had no money, no phone, no clothes, and nowhere to go. I should have thought this through. I sighed but shot up when I heard leaves rustling and the sound of the owl's hoots echoing throughout the woods. A slight panic hit me as I started running again. Being in an unfamiliar place was too stressful, and it was unwise to stay in one place for too long, so I continued to see if I can find at least a small town or something.

The first streak of the morning decorated the sky when I stopped running, tired and worn out. The morning dew was setting in. I had mud all over my shoes and pants, smudges on my face and shirt, along with cuts and bruises. I had leaves in my hair and bags under my eyes. I felt the fog surround me. I've been running and searching all night and still nothing. By this point, I had no energy left. I was leaning up against a tree when I heard twigs snapping. I jumped, scared. One thing I didn't take into consideration with me leaving was becoming a rogue. That topic had completely slipped my mind. I was so engrossed in everything else I had forgotten what that meant and what would happen.