THE RUN AND GO : JOSHLER

31 : SAHLO

Thank God it was zipped up. He couldn't risk anything destroying his journal.

He laid in the murky water for a few moments before shakily pushing himself up on his hands and knees.

As soon as he was up, he fell right back over again. Pain engulfed Clancy's senses. His legs burned. His chest and lungs ached desperately for air. A deep pain was throbbing through his arms.

Clancy closed his eyes, still burning from the mud and rain and tears, and curled up into the fetal position. He laid there in the river, holding his knees to his chest and putting his head down.

The sound of rain pounding on the ground and splashing on top of the water was loud enough to drown out the sound of Clancy's crying.

"Come on," Clancy said to himself. He grit his teeth and pushed himself up into a standing position, fighting through the searing pain. "Keeping on trying. Might as well."

He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. Squinting his eyes to see through the rainfall, he looked up at the top of the trench. He couldn't see that far, but he knew there were all sorts of pathways and winding trails that could get you to the top.

It was partly his fault. He had gotten separated from the rest of the group. The ones that had helped him escape.

The Banditos.

Without the Banditos, Clancy would be dead right now. It was impossible to escape Dema on your own. There was no sneaking out. They would see you and kill you.

But with the Banditos, there were too many of them. Some of them might be taken out, but they were such a huge, tight-knit clique of people, there was no stopping them.

You either went with the Banditos, or not at all.

Somehow, in the midst of all the chaos of escaping and the confusion of the storm, Clancy had lost them.

He could have taken the high road, but he knew he was going to have to go low.

Now, along the paths snaking up the sides of the hills, Clancy could see a faint line of glowing yellow lights. Flashlights.

Clancy wiped away his tears with the back of his muddy hand then picked up his backpack.

He tried to breathe, but his lungs felt like they were being crushed. He was hyperventilating, his skinny chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Folina!" Clancy screamed at the top of his lungs. "Sahlo Folina!"

His voice echoed throughout Trench like a haunting melody. Not even the rain could drown out his desperate cry.

Clancy took a gasp for air. His head spun, and black spots blinked in and out of his vision. He had to breathe. He would faint.

Still, he shouted again: "Sahlo Folina!"

The words rolled off Clancy's tongue like a song. He wasn't screaming. He was singing.

"Sahlo Folina!"

It's what they cried out in Trench when they were in need.