2020 Vision | Unus Annus

Chapter 9 - The Reality of Doubts

(Hello again!  No time to waste, all AN updates in the previous chapter including TW s! I present to you the longest chapter I have ever written!

Enjoy ;)

~RpBi)

Unus's POV

My lungs were tightening in my chest. My backpack bounced in time with my shoes slapping the pavement.

Breathe, Breathe, come on Ethan move faster.

My face stung and my side hurt but I kept running.

I sprinted down the road, my legs pumping faster than they've gone in a while.

Had it been a race versus Seán I might have actually stood a chance for once, with my adrenaline surging a million miles a second.

Houses, trees, cars, all zoomed past me, blurring into oblivion as I pushed myself as hard as I could go.

The shouts were echoing in my ears, I was sure it was my imagination at this point but I couldn't stop, for fear that it wasn't. I rounded a corner and found myself face first with an unfamiliar green belt, thick trees and bushes like a wall of nature. I plunged into it immediately with zero thought or hesitation, never once breaking my sprint.

Branched and leaves slapped and scratched at my face and arms, one wrong move sent me barreling into a mesquite tree. Still panicked, I struggled to untangle my clothes from the thorns, like a wild animal in a trap. The problem progressively became worse. I couldn't think straight or calm down quick enough, tears started welling up at the panic and pain.

One final tug and I had freed myself, minus the part of the back of my shirt that still hung there like a flag of defeat and what felt like half my skin. I pushed forward, huge scratches across my arm and face but the increased adrenaline numbed everything.

I dove behind a large rock, collapsing on the ground.

I was exhausted and buzzing with panic.

Breathe.

I was shaken, my heart pounding and my head was starting to hurt. The adrenaline was fading so the pain in my face and side began to throb in time with my heart rate. Not to mention the stupid mesquite tree scratches which burned.

I quieted down my gasps for air and listened intently.

Just a dog barking loudly in the distance.

I guess one point for Ethan. It wasn't often I managed to get away like that.

If that could be called 'getting away'

I checked my phone, the picture of Mark, Seán, Tyler, and I from the last day of Sophomore year lit up, our smiling faces thrilled to have finished another year of high school.

4:30

August 28th, 2016

Wrestling and football practices started in 10 minutes,

Probably why they stopped chasing me. They needed time to get to practice.

High school wasn't as lenient as middle school, but that only explained two of them.

I stayed leaning against the rock, I was tired and it was pretty outside. I wasn't being chased either so that was a bonus.

Seán would be home in a week.

For the last couple of summers, he'd disappear for weeks on end.

It was always camps and church stuff and these things called "missions" and whatnot.