Night Light

Chapter 8

The night is fresh and moon is bright. The ground is damp under my bare feet, the old autumn leaves rotten. Winter was coming, and I was in trouble. I had no idea where I was. I'd been running without end. The strange thing was that I never felt tired. The old pains and aches completely gone. The nightgown was torn to shreds, I was practically naked. The only sounds in the forest were my hitching breaths and the soft thump or the abnormal crunch of my feet on the ground.

I felt no pain. I felt no fear. For once, I was carefree. For once, I was free. I had no way to tell how much I'd ran, the same way that I couldn't tell where I was. I hadn't eaten anything, but I had drunk from a little stream I had come across. That did not mean I wasn't hungry. My stomach rumbled and grumbled, but I could not bring myself to kill one of the nearby animals. I hadn't seen anyone else, I was completely alone in the miles of forest. Alone and lost. Lost forever. But I kept running.

On the third day I gave in to my hunger and killed a rabbit. Sorry to all the vegetarian readers, but I ate it all. It tasted pretty disgusting raw, but what could I do? It was extremely gory, and I hated every bit of it. I tried to ignore it's eyes, but they will haunt me forever. The metallic taste of blood never left my mouth for the rest of the day.

I had slowed down to a walk, even though I felt perfectly rested. Without knowing it, I had run through more than 200 miles of forest with my impressive speed. My feet should be bruised and wounded, right? Well, guess what? They were perfectly fine, no cuts, no bruises. My dress was just rags draping over my body, and I felt a little cold, but not much. Deep down I knew what I was, but I still denied it. For some reason, I refused to believe. I was just not having it.

It was the fifth day that I noticed a change. The air was different. Colder. It was that day that I decided to go back. Just turn around and walk back. It would never be the same, I would be considered the girl who went missing for more than two weeks. The animal. I knew what I must look like. Dirty, greasy, messy hair. Bloody chin and nose, I hadn't bothered to wipe the blood from the first day, the first day when Caleb had punched me.

I had started running again when I heard it. The rustle of leaves, the snap of a small twig. There someone else in the forest. I could hear muffled panting, a silent sniffle. I felt the hairs at the nape of my neck stand up. I ran faster, trying to leave whoever it was behind, but I could still hear them. They followed me down to the little stream, where I decide to stop and drink. I was nearing the base. I'd be safe there. I heard them move closer, I didn't want to look up, in fear that would make them afraid. When I did look up, it was already too late.

The person, who I thought was a man, wore heavy tramping boots, with green cargo pants. His large jacket covered most of his body, making me even more aware of how naked I was. Then I noticed the raised gun. The gun that was pointed to my chest. I stood abruptly and growled, even thought every inch of me told be to run. But I just stood there, hands curled into fists, growling. I guess that was the stupid thing to do, because now he had a clear shot at me, but oh well, too late. Too dammed late. I had time to turn just enough for him to hit my left lung.

My chest exploded in pain, I tried to ignore it as best as I could, but I felt the blood trickling down my torso. No superpower could heal a lung. I lunged at him, my fingernails had grown and had an ugly purple colour. My teeth were razor sharp, my senses heightened. I pushed him over with whatever strength I had in my worn out muscles. I tore his throat open, causing blood to squirt into my face. I was blinded for a second, but as soon as I realized what had hit me I quickly wiped it off.

I felt dirtier than I had ever felt before. My chest was a burning blaze of pain and my breath wheezed in and out of my damaged lung. The only thing I thought about was Dean. Even though all of this was his fault, I had never signed up for any of this shit. Yes, I may have gotten myself shot by leaving the base, but that wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been cruelly tricked into this. But part of me still loved him. Still loved the way he talked and the way smiled. The way he walked and the way he cared for me.

It was night by the time I got to the vaulted door. I heard shouting from the inside, and also the snapping of the locks, but the only thing I could think of was Dean and his emeralds. Dean and his copper hair. Dean and his smile. Dean and only Dean. Then I saw him for real. His green eyes worried, his mouth a grim line, but everything was hazy. Hazy and unfocused. I felt people touching me, asking me questions, but they were muffled. I felt like in a cloud, and soon that cloud floated up, and up, and up, and disappeared into space.