Fear
I don’t understand.
I’m not a scary guy?
Why is she running?
smack
She trips.
“What a pretty jacket.” he said. “Where did you get it?”
She stuttered and stammered. She had words, but they were not words he wanted to hear, so why should she say it?
She picked up a rock from the pile of dirt next to her and threw it as hard as she could. As he screamed in pain, she scurried to stand up and continued to run away.
He was groaning, yet still following her. His steps were so big that, though he was walking, his stride was as big as hers.
She tried to dodge all obstacles that came in her way. The trees, the rocks, the large piles of leaves, any insect that came across her path. And, even though she was successful in playing a game of “dodgeball”, it seemed as no matter how far she ran she wasn’t getting any closer to the end. It was like she was trapped in a maze that had no beginning nor ending. Her legs were slowly tiring, and she knew she couldn’t run much longer. What else could she do? She can’t fly, she can’t teleport. She was no supernatural being nor goddess. There was only one thing that was possible in her situation; and that was to run.
Any time the branches seemed too thick to pass through, she would turn the other way and just keep going- and regardless of any path she took, he always seemed to be behind her.
God, what do I do?
She was aware she was powerless, yet he wasn’t aware he was powerful.
30 turns. 40 turns. 50 turns; 100. “Please, Lady. You’re very pretty. I just want to talk.” he groaned. She screamed. “I don’t want to talk to you!” she cried. Why would she? No, why should she? Ah, that’s right. She shouldn’t. This man was a stalker- a creeper. He looked old, he sounded old, and better yet? He sounded dead. He looked dead- unalive- unwilling- ungrateful- disgusted- and he seemed stupid.
He felt unwanted, he felt sad, depressed, weary, weak. He felt revolted. He just wanted to be a kind fellow, he just wanted to talk, he just wanted to be friends. Why was she running? He’s not scary, he’s not purposefully intimidating, he’s just a man. So why is she running?
How did I even get here? she couldn’t help but think.
How did she get here?
A million questions filled her mind, but the loudest one? The one that made her head pound, ache, throb; the one that made her head spin, blur. The one that made her feel like she was out of place, the one that was itching to have an answer. Why the h$ll is he chasing me?
Neither of them knew how they got here nor why he was chasing her… No one does. It just… happened. This place was repulsing. It smelled like vinegar and public bathrooms, yet, something about this place seemed familiar to the both of them. The brown leaves, the light trees, the tough dirt and the ankle long grass, the red trail- the wet red trail.
The air tasted like salt.
It felt like their feet had been cut and bruised over and over again- in the same place.
The atmosphere of the forest was nauseating.
The only thing that kept her going was the fear of being caught by him.
And she didn’t even know why she was afraid.
She had been running for well around 30 minutes, yet she had come to no avail. She was slowing down, and she knew it. His footsteps were getting louder. She could feel his steps as well; as if he was shaking the earth. 5 seconds passed, then another, then another, then another, and soon she could feel what she presumed was his breath. She wasn’t wearing socks and she could feel the painful thorns stabbing into her foot. At first it had just been a blur; she was just running. Now? She was aware of her surroundings, she was sober. She felt everything. Every bug, every thorn, everything. She was tired and her throat was sore; she was drooling and crying, she felt like she was going to throw up. And every d*mn tree looked the same! Maybe she was running in circles- in a never-ending circle- or maybe she was running in squares- maybe every turn she took led her farther than she had been before- maybe she was making no progress- maybe-
I see it!
I see the end!
I’ve made it!
She was excited. She had finally made it to the end of this stupid maze that was seemingly limiitless.
“Finally!-”
“W-what?” she cried.
It was a dead end.
sign me uppp
