1. Freak
Josh ran, his legs powering as fast as they could go. His legs ached, his arms ached, his whole body ached. Panting for breath, Josh continued to sprint despite the burning feeling in his chest and the hard beating of his heart, banging in his chest like a drum.
He didn't know how long he had been running for, or how long he could keep this up.
Fear crept through his veins, acting as the only factor that kept him running.
He swiped at the hanging branches, shoving his way through the leaves of trees and bushes. It was late at night, and the moon was high in the sky. The sky itself was a midnight blue, and faint stars twinkled against the darkness.
Josh couldn't see anything infront of him, but he knew he'd run into the woods to try escape his pursuers. But he was too loud, the constant rustling of nature, his heavy breaths and the thumping of his feet on the dirty earth gave away his position to the men following him. He could hear them, and they scared him.
He didn't exactly blend in, he stood out massively in the darkness.
Despite the black clothing, all as dark as the deepest night, he didn't remain hidden. Josh had dark eyes, dark hair but what made him stand out was his skin. His ghostly pale, glowing skin that shone almost as bright as the moon.
Josh was a supernatural being, he manipulated dark arts and used them as a source of power. People hated him for it, and thus, he was always on the run. He'd never been caught until now, these people had been hunting him for years and now they'd finally found him.
So many questions floated through Josh's mind:
"What do they want with me?"
"What will they do?"
"How did they find me?"
"Where will I go?"
"Are there others?"
Josh slowed himself to a jog, before stopping behind a large tree trunk and sliding to the bottom, where he sat in a heap. His back rested against the bark, his legs pulled up to his chest and he wrapped his arms around them, squeezing his knees to his chest. He put his head down, and began to catch his breath.
He knew, like his pursuers, that he couldn't run forever. He needed a plan, and he needed to think of one fast.
Josh shivered in his black jumper, realising how cold it was.
"Why me?" He mumbled to himself through heavy breaths, his voice cracking "Why me?"
Josh squeezed his legs tighter, he was scared, lonely and cold with nowhere to go. He was stuck, and his hunters were closing in quick.
"Come here, freak!" A deep voice called from somewhere among the trees.
"We ain't gonna hurt ya!" Another yelled "Just wanna play a game!"
They were close to him, and their harsh words and rough tones only frightened Josh more. It didn't take him long to realise that he had no escape route; the pursuers were beginning to circle his position.
"You can run, but you can't hide!"
"Come out, come out wherever you are, freak!"
Josh lifted his head up from where it was resting, and bright lights from torches caught his attention. They were going to catch him if he didn't do something soon. He caught his breath, his chest rising and falling steadily.
And he made his decision to fight.
Slowly and cautiously, Josh pulled himself to his feet, watching the lights like a hawk.
They never left his sight, but little did Josh know, they had spotted him as well.
A group of men in armour, equipped with torches and guns had gathered several meters behind Josh without him realising. He had been too caught up in his fears to notice that the guards had completely surrounded his position, he had been pinpointed by their tracking devices.
Josh let his eyes flutter shut, and he rose his hand, summoning the power of dark arts and mysterious magic beyond human control. He felt himself become stronger, and when he reopened his eyes, a dark swirling beam of power had gathered in the palm of his hand.
He took a deep breath and extended his arm in the direction of the guards in front of him. The darkness in his hand burst out, hitting the group of guards and causing a firey explosion that lit up the night.
Flames danced against the sky, some trees setting alight and the fire created an eerie glow on Josh's skin. He heard screaming and angry cries, and he turned to run.
But he didn't go far.
Josh heard footsteps behind him, and gruff voices shouting at him. Once again, a Josh felt afraid and the pit of his stomach filled with anxiety, along with the nervous flutter of butterflies.
He glanced over his shoulder, and he saw 6 heavily armed men storming after him. They all wore black leather with luminous green and blue stripes up the sides, and to Josh, they looked like they came from space.
"Stop right there, freak!"
Josh scrunched his eyes up, throwing out his hand behind him and causing yet another explosion of dark magic, instantly killing all the 6 guards.
He didn't want to hurt them, but they left him no choice.
The second explosion was noticed by the remaining guards, and they automatically laid eyes on Josh's glowing white skin. They took their mark, aimed their guns, and fired.
Josh fell to the floor at the impact, the speed he was running at caused him to tumble around and roll across the floor. He grunted as the stones dug into his skin, but he became more worried when he couldn't get back up to his feet.
"No, no, no" Josh muttered to himself.
He looked down at his legs, finding his ankles bound together by some kind of chain. He squirmed and fidgeted around, desperate to break free before the guards caught him. He watched the bright lights come closer, but a strong grip on his shoulder took Josh by surprise.
Josh looked up, and there was a guard, grinning down at him like a maniac.
The guard chuckled "Gotcha, freak"
Handcuffs snapped onto Josh's wrists, and he was heaved onto the guards shoulder. Josh kicked and yelled, but nothing happened.
He was carried out of the forest, and Josh felt tears rimming in his eyes. He was afraid of the unknown and what would happen to him, he was afraid of the guards and he feared for his life.
Josh told himself that he could get out of this, that he would survive but he had to bite his lip to hold back tears. He didn't believe word of what he said.
The guard slung him back over, and threw Josh to the floor. He scrambled back in panic, wanting to get as far away as he could. The guard grabbed Josh's handcuffs and pulled him to his feet.
Josh whimpered "Please" He begged, scanning the area to find a white van "Don't do this to me"
The guard just chuckled "You're a freak" The guard unlocked the back of the van, and Josh dug his heels into the floor "Accept it. You're dangerous"
Josh was slung into the back of the cold, dark van. He landed on his side, and a sharp pain shot through all of his body.
His dark eyes landed on the guard, and instead of fear, he felt anger.
Josh narrowed his eyebrows, and the man slammed the doors of the van closed. Before he did, Josh heard one word.
"Freak"
The one noun was enough, he snapped.
Josh got to his feet, and slammed his whole body into the van, hoping it would dent it. Nothing happened, but he continued to charge into the hard metal. He banged his tied fists on the doors, and he even tried to kick the lock off. But nothing happened.
He screamed in frustration and the van began to move.
"I'M NOT A FUCKING FREAK!"
Josh felt a tear trickle down his cheek, and he sunk to the floor, sniffing.
His lip trembled, and he stared at his white skin that illuminated the inside of the van. He didn't realise that he was panting, his throat was soar from shouting and his bones were aching due to all the trashing around.
Josh wasn't afraid anymore, he felt a burning hatred in his heart.
He rose his eyes from his hands, and only now did he notice that he had company.
Sat on the left side of the van on a wooden bench was a man, with dirty hair that stuck up in a quiff. He was staring at Josh, his eyes were a bright blue with a mysterious sparkle to them. The man was tall and lanky, he had a wide smile on his face and an extremely faint scar that ran down his cheek.
Josh exhaled deeply, his face blank as he looked at the stranger.
"Are you insane like me?"
Josh frowned, and wiped a tear "No"
"Oh" The man said, before giggling like a little school girl. He leant forward and whispered as if he was telling Josh a secret "I'm a freak!"
Josh sniffed, not feeling at all talkative.
"I'm Simon" The man greeted.
"Josh"
The man, Simon, let his smile slowly widen, and Josh found something odd about it. Josh observed Simon's clothes, which were a baggy white shirt with faded red stains on and dark jeans. Josh knew the stains were blood, he could smell the metallic scent and it meant Simon was nothing but madness.
"They said you were a freak" Simon pointed out "Why cry over it?" Josh frowned "Just accept it. You'll realise that life without insanity is no fun at all!"
14.01.17