Flashes - A series of short stories and snippets

"Don't run from me."

"Come back!" He shouts behind me. But I can't do that. I told him. I'm running.

"Stop!"

I shake my head and continue down the tunnel. I can hear his footsteps pounding behind me and I manage to sigh through my heavy breathing. I told him not to follow.

"Don't run from me!"

I slide to a stop, just before the open exit, the end of the tunnel. I look out and up, at the sun, the clear blue sky, the warm day. It's so different to the life I'm leaving. But it'll work.

I turn toward him, watching him slow down to a stop, just a few feet away. "Please."

The foreign word I've heard him say far too often. It chills my bones, though I can feel the warmth of the outside world radiating toward me, even though I'm still in the tunnel. "I can't stay. I told you that."

"Why can't you stay?"

My patience doesn't exist anymore, so I snap. "I told you already. I'm a threat."

"A threat to what?" He steps closer, but I take a step back, allowing the outside warmth to pull me closer.

"To this. To the System. To you."

He shakes his head as he steps toward me again, pushing me back until I'm at the line. The line between darkness and lightness, death and life. The line between him and my decision. "Don't you see, they're lying to you? They don't want you here but you belong here. You belong here the most, out of anyone." He reaches for my hand. "You've earned your place among us."

I move my hand back, not allowing him to make this harder on me. "I may have earned a place, but I don't deserve it. You heard what they said. I can't stay here. I have to go."

"No." He murmurs, shaking his head yet again. "No."

"I'm sorry." Before he can say anything, before he can react, I step back into the light. His cold eyes suddenly meet mine. He takes a step, as if he were about to come out and join in me in the world of light. But we both know he'd never do that.

"I told you not to run." He says, before turning his back to me.

"And I told you not to follow." I whisper back, watching him stalk away, hoping he can hear me. "I love you."