Genesis

Chapter 27: Voice of Shadow

Sarah ran, and she ran hard. She ran harder and faster than she could ever remember herself running. She was overwhelmed with everything running through her head.

The mysteries of the island were quickly becoming more than she could handle. She thought that she would be fine. She thought that, with enough focus, she could purge the fears from her head and move without being captivated by what powers could lie within the island. She was suddenly well aware that she had been wrong, dead wrong.

She saw through the eyes of a creature she had never even seen with her own eyes. She was drawn in by the allure of what she had been able to see. It was so enthralling. She could not tear her eyes away from the beauty that surrounded her, not to mention that it had, initially, kept her calm.

Now? Now she was clueless. She lacked the capability to understand the world that surrounded her, the world she felt like she was quickly becoming a part of. Never before had she felt so alone. Never before had she felt so powerless.

Sarah continued to run.

How far did she need to go before the beast would no longer stalk her? Was she still in danger?

What was that shadow? It had materialized out of nowhere. One moment Sarah stood face to face with the beast as it charged for the kill, and the next moment she was no longer alone with a beast, but saved, for reasons she could not explain, by a shadow that could invade her mind.

The trees rushed by in a blur. She tried her best to dodge the branches, to even move slightly to alleviate the pain that would hit her as the branches struck her body. No matter how hard she tried, she continued to move forward, as if her body was moving for her, without her consent.

She could feel the slight trickle of blood begin to flow as a thin branch whipped against her face. She felt the pain like a slight, constant sting and tried her best to ignore it.

Sarah focused intently. All her might was going into her vain attempt to stop the movement of her body. She slowly accepted that she would be incapable of stopping, at least until her muscles refused to respond to the call of her mind.

Her breath was heavy, labored, painful. She rasped every time she breathed. She had little water in her system after the long day, and the sudden, long sprint was making her realize that more and more as the taste of iron filled her mouth.

How long had she been running for? She thought to herself. Her legs felt heavy, but relentlessly rose and fell at the same pace as they had when she began.

How far had she run? Her feet began to sting. They were unused to such constant pressure ringing through them.

"Stop," the familiar female voice said, echoing again through her head.

Sarah's body, locked in its perpetual motion, refused.

"Stop," the voice repeated, a hint of urgency flowing into the ethereal tones.

Sarah could feel her body begin to comply. Control began to be wrested from the force that kept her moving. She could feel her muscles respond, but she could now feel the ache and burn that had been majorly kept at bay before. Though her body still refused to stop fully.

"Stop," the voice repeated one final time.

Her body ceased all movement and she fell forward. She caught herself as her knees hit the ground, only barely keeping her head from slamming into the earth. Out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed the shadow gliding to a halt off to her left.