Run.
Run.
Run.
Don't look back.
Don't stop.
Run.
Run.
Run.
Nowhere to go.
Nowhere to hide.
Run.
Run.
Run.
Blue eyes.
Safe eyes.
Run.
Run.
Run.
Warm hands.
Hold on tight.
Run.
Run.
Run.
He tells me to run faster.
I don't think I can.
Run.
Run.
Run.
Hands reaching.
Guns firing.
Run.
Run.
Run.
He keeps trying.
I am giving up.
Run.
Run.
Run.
We're done for.
It's over.
Run.
Run.
Run.
Screams.
Blood.
Run.
Run.
Run.
Blue eyes, wide with terror.
Blue eyes, narrowed in determination.
Run.
Run.
Run.
He is trying so hard.
He is brave.
Run.
Run.
Run.
I am not.
Run.
Run.
Run.
More yelling.
More blood.
Run.
Run.
Run.
It hurts.
Bang.
Finally.
No more running.
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I wake up with a jolt. The silent forest allowing me to become a victim of my own thoughts.
The nightmare still resounds in my head.
Run.
Run.
Run.
Feeling restless and uneasy I do what I do best. I pack up my small camp,
And I run.
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Before the war started, I welcomed the sound of nothing.
Those times when I craved silence. I would walk alone through the still woods, letting the sound of nothingness consume me.
Silence used to be a refuge.
But now it's lonely.
Purposely stepping on small twigs to make noise, I looked up at the blue sky.
How can the sky be so beautiful and calm when underneath it, disaster is everywhere?
Does the sky feel guilty that it's allowing us humans to destroy ourselves?
I think the loneliness is getting to me. I'm personifying the sky.
Sighing, I find a suitable rock and pull out a jerky stick. While I munch on the dry meat, I lean against the the rock and wonder when the last time was that I saw a person. Alive.
It could've been months, or even years, and I would've figured it out if it weren't for an interruption.
Water.
Quickly standing up, I threw my pack over my shoulder and walked towards the sound.
A small grassy clearing with a rocky stream cutting through the center came into view.
I cautiously walked closer to the clearing, looking around.
The silence was the same as always, loud and deafening, yet it was the sound of nothing. The sky looked the same. The grass was bending softly in the wind. Yet I couldn't help the alarms sounding in my mind.
Something isn't right.
The crack of a twig cut through the silence like a knife. Rapidly, I crouched down in the shrubbery, peering out through the leaves.
My gut feeling was confirmed when a group of rugged looking people stalked into the clearing, headed directly towards the stream.
A young woman, maybe a few years older than me, crouched down to the stream, lowering a water jug that had been slung over her shoulder into the stream. As she waited for the water to fill the container, I noticed a black marking on her shoulder blade. The swirling pattern of a tattoo peeking out from her tank top. When she adjusted her jug in the stream, more of the design was revealed. I was both relieved and nervous.
She was Rebellious.
One of the many people in this country who revolted against the oppressive Government.
I picked through the rest of the group, examining each person closely.
5 people total were grouped at the stream, all filling their water jugs.
A stocky man, perhaps in his forties, seemed to run the group.
The girl with the tattoo had slick black hair, pulled back loosely in a ponytail.
A young boy, maybe in his early teens, had short dark hair, and his clothes hung loosely on his body.
Another man, this one most likely around the same age as me, eighteen, had light hair and a very large build. He seemed like the kind of person you wouldn't want to pick a fight with.
When my eyes landed on the last member of the group, a young girl, a sense of familiarity struck me.
I know her.
I couldn't grasp completely who she was or how I knew her, I just know that she is not a complete stranger to me.
The group of Rebellious was now leaving the clearing and one by one, they disappeared into the dense woods from which they came.
Waiting at least a full two minutes, I walked cautiously out into the clearing and towards the stream. Kneeling down, I filled my water bottles with the clear water, drinking them and refilling them again. Once my thirst was quenched, I stood and walked back towards the woods.
Just as I was about to reenter the comfortable shade, the sun reflected off an object in my peripheral vision. Furrowing my eyes in confusion, I walked towards it.
A pocket knife.
One of the rebellious must have dropped it. I slowly bent over and picked it up, examining it as I turned it over in my hands. It seemed useful enough, so I started to slide it into the pocket of my jeans.
Bad idea.
"I don't think that's yours to keep." I strong clear voice filled the silence, like a dam breaking and water rushing out all at once. A snarl was evident in his voice.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, and turned slowly to face the man, hoping he wasn't too big, hoping I could take him.
As always, I was wrong.
The big man turned out to be one of the Rebellious that had just passed through to fill their water jugs.
The one I said I wouldn't want to pick a fight with.
I opened my palms in surrender and attempted to say something, but nothing came out.
The big man quickly reached towards me and roughly snatched the pocket knife from my trembling hand. I flinched back in fear. He chuckled, a twisted grin taking form amongst the stubble on his chin.
"Say goodnight." And for the second time in my life, I was hit over the head with the butt of a gun.
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When I awoke, the first thing I noticed was the urge to run away, to get out as fast as possible.
Even though I didn't even know where or what I was running from.
Looking around, I found myself in a small, dark, cold room.
I attempted to stand up, but to no avail.
I was tied to the wall.
Panic began to close in on me and I attempted, in vain, to tug free of my restraint.
It reminded me of a certain night.
The night I lost everyone I loved.
The last time I saw the boy with the blue eyes.
*Flashback 3 years ago*
"Ava, come on, I'm getting you out."
He quickly unlocked the chains that were chafing my wrists.
"What?"
"Shh, I'm getting you out of here, right now. Go down this hall and to the left, you'll see a door. Go into that room and climb through the window, they're should be a chair for you to stand on. Now go. Run."
"But-"
"No. I've bought you enough time. You'll make it."
"What about you?"
"Don't worry, I'll see you again. We'll always find each other. I promise."
A tear rolled down my cheek, and I hugged him one last time.
I turned and ran down the hall, glancing back before I turned the corner, his blue eyes catching mine. Finally, I turned away, not knowing I wouldn't see those eyes for years to come.
*end of flashback*
I stared into the darkness and kept hearing his words in my head.
"We'll always find each other. I promise."
I curled myself up into a ball as the cold started to sleep into my bones.
That night, I cried myself to sleep.
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