Abnormalities in a Broken Society

Survival is Key

I was still running in the woods.  I could feel the blisters on my feet, pain shooting through my legs with every step. I barreled through trees and bushes, twigs pierced my skin, sharpened as though they were knives. The cold night air burned my lungs, as though I had swallowed fire. The sirens behind me were getting louder, mingling with barking police hounds. They were getting closer. I pushed harder, allowing the pain to swallow me whole, as I charged through. The barking got louder, followed now by the yells and footsteps of furious policemen. The ground became steeper, slowly turning from soft dirt into sharp, hard rocks. The tall, menacing trees began to thin out, the ground now littered with scattered bushes and shrubs. My muscles ached as I struggled up, grabbing onto the hard ground for support. The barking got even louder now, I glanced behind me to see monstrous black dogs nearing the bottom of the cliff. Drool and spit dripped from their snarling mouths, the moonlight glinting off their sharp teeth. My heart hammered in my chest as I continued up, grabbing onto twigs and roots so I could climb faster. Finally I reached the top, expecting to find a flat patch of earth followed by a steep decline back down to the forest, but I was greeted by a much different sight. My racing breath caught in my throat as I looked down, there was now steady path back to the forest, only a sheer drop. It was dark, but I could see a river bubbling below, its unsteady surface glimmering in the moonlight.  

I looked back, the dogs were closing in. Their boulder sized paws easily clawed into the ground, launching the ferocious beasts forward with such speed they became dark, growling blurs. My heart raced, my head swiveling between the dogs and the river. When I looked back to the creatures again a figure was standing in front of me. A strangled cry escaped my lips as I realized who it was. The man's eyes were dull and lifeless, blood dripped down his chin and onto his suit in a steady stream of red. A large chunk of the back of his head was missing, his skin peeling up at the corners of the hole. I realized the dogs behind him had vanished. Doctor Miller slowly walked towards me, his face set in a wide, glimmering smile. My stomach dropped as my whole body froze. I was unable to move, even when he reached me. Without a word he grabbed my shoulders, my eyes closed as he pushed me. The ground disappeared from beneath my feet as I fell, the wind rushed past my body, howling in my ears as though it was in mourning. The cold, black water caught me as if it had waited for my fall. I sunk deeper, tendrils of darkness wrapped around me pulling me deeper within its depths. Life slowly seeped out of my body, a sensation I welcomed with open arms. 

I bolted upright, my heart hammered in my chest as I gasped for breath. I sputtered, my arms flailing around as though I was still caught deep within the darkness of the river. It took me a few minutes to calm down, the sleep lifting from my eyes as my surroundings came into focus. My heart rate finally slowed, my breaths returning to normal, but the panic and fear refused to subside. The dream had seemed so real, I could still feel Doctor Miller's cold hands gripping my shoulders. Flashbacks of how I had left him that night filled my mind. 

"Stop." I gasped, grabbing my head as though my grip could chase the thoughts away. With a shaky breath I lied back down, the thin blanket underneath me doing little to soften up the hard, wooden floorboards. I looked up, bright beams of sunlight streamed down from the holes littered throughout the ceiling. Small flecks of dust danced through the shafts of light, swirling through the house as though it wanted to cover every inch. Voices outside brought me back to reality. It was a group of young guys, from what I could tell by the sound of their voices, laughing at something one of them had said. They passed the house, their laughter being carried away by the soft summer breeze. I often wondered what people thought when they saw this house, though my biggest prayer was for them to stay away and not be tempted into coming inside. 

About three days after escaping Ms. Hester's I had found this place. A small, one bedroom house on the brink of collapse. Thick wooden boards had been nailed in front of the doors and windows, a sign of foreclosure hammered into the unkempt front yard. When I had first gotten here I was past the point of exhaustion, my feet bloody and blistered, my hair knotted and tangled with leaves and twigs. I had to force my body to move towards the old building, rounding the house to reach the back door. I managed to muster enough energy to use my ability to pull out the nails hammered into the boards across the door. With a flick of my wrist, the nails flew from the wood, soundlessly falling onto the ground. I had to brace myself against the door frame, my body unable to handle much more. After all the boards were lying on the ground, hidden within the tall, overgrown grass, I lifted a shaky hand to the door handle. I felt like screaming when I realized it was locked, though I helplessly kept turning it.