The Long Way Home

Running fast, running far. Not looking back, just running. Running for my life. The burning sensation in my chest. It burns to breathe in. I can't stop. I hear the footsteps close behind me. My eyes burn from the tears and sweat. My vision is getting fuzzy. Trees blurred out as I run. It almost feels unreal. The pain in my legs and chest snap me back to reality. This is real. Footsteps from behind me are more distant than before. "Keep running" I tell myself. "Don't look back, just run".

Branches whip my arms as I start to run through a dense part of the forest. Scratches and small cuts are all over my arms, yet somehow I don't feel the pain. My mind is focused on the pain in my chest. How long have I been running? A lifetime it feels like. My mind is trying to figure out what the hell just happened. What or who was that? While trying to figure out what happened I start to realize I'm not being chased anymore. Should I slow down? Should I look back? No keep running, keep running.

For what seems like hours passing I decide to slow my running down some. Very hard to breathe now. Intense pain in my chest. My lungs feel like they are about to burst. My legs feel like they are about to give out. Trying hard to keep moving but it won't help. My body is done for now. I trip and fall hard to the ground. My knee hits a rock and my hands catch branches and twigs on the way down. My face smacks the ground causing a small cut on my chin. It didn't really hurt much. At least not for now my body is more focused on the pain in my chest. I have to slow my breathing down. I have to get a grip on reality before I lose all control of my emotions.

Images of a dark mass. Something. I don't know what it was. But it was massive and fast. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I lost the others. Did they make it? Oh no Myra. That thing killed Myra. It brutally killed her. How can something kill her like that? Completely ripped her throat open and break her in half. It tossed her aside like she was a rag doll. Blood and guts everywhere. Charlie, did it get him too? I don't know. It lunged at him but that's when everyone was screaming and trying to run away. Instinct took over and I ran. I panicked and I ran. I don't know if I am a coward for not helping Cristal when she tripped and fell. That thing was very close behind us. I had to run. As for Erica, well she ran in another direction. I'm not sure if she is alive. Was I selfish to just run? No don't be stupid. I am alive because I ran. I didn't know what I was up against. I would have been stupid to stay and deal with, whatever that thing was.

Sitting up slowly I can feel my breath slowing down. The pain is still in my chest. Legs hurt from running. I'm alive....but for how long? I look around the dense forest carefully scanning the area. I scoot back against a big tree quietly. I don't want to make too much noise just incase that thing is still out there looking for me. "Come on Mel think." I say quietly to myself. I have to survive somehow. I have to make it out of here. I stick my hands in my pockets to see what I have that might be helpful. A knife...a pocket knife. Great that will be loads of help when that huge fucking thing comes back. "Smart ass" I mumble to myself. It can still be useful. I reach for my back pocket, empty. "Shit" My phone must have fallen out during the chaos. Not that it would do good anyway. No signal up here. Thinking back to the other day at the store. "That's too much for a satellite phone. It's not like anything bad is gonna happen out there." I laugh as I tell Cristal. What a complete dumbass. It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. They always say that in the movies.

I take a deep breath and release it. Starting to feel a little calm now. I need to be. My life depends on it. I grab my hair tie from my wrist and tie my tangled hair up in a bun. A twig snaps not far off behind me. I freeze and instantly hold my breath. My eyes widen. I try hard to listen. I'm completely still. I focus on listening to my surroundings. I hear another twig snap. It's closer now. I can feel my heart pounding. SNAP....it's behind the tree I'm backed up against. I hear the leaves on the ground shuffling a bit.