I was running.
To where? I have no clue but I have to escape. Leave before they caught onto what I did. Before they found him, his body. It was so dark, there was no moon out tonight and the fact that the rain along with my tears were blurring up my path didn't help either.
I had to do it though, there was no other way. But why him? Why--
'Stop it. Not now.', I tell myself. 'Later.' I needed to get out of here first.
I was running through the woods on the property. My legs ached from how long I've been using them this past 15 minutes. But I was well past the half point of the woods.
'Almost there'. Again, where? I didn't know but my only chance of surviving lay outside the property. Once I was on the other side and well away from this place, in a different state, then I could breathe.
I curse as I tumble down onto the ground filled with mud. I turn to look at what caused my fall. My right foot was caught under a half-uprooted tree root. I tried prying my feet out, and that was when I heard them. Dog barks coming about fifteen meters behind me. They found him and now they were searching for me.
I sprung into action and tugged desperately, trying to pry my foot out but it wasn't working. The barks were getting closer. If I don't move now, the small advantage I had on them would end. At this realisation, I tugged at my leg harder but it wasn't working. If I wanted to get out, I had to twist my ankle.
Another bark had me moving, I bit my tongue hard and in one move, twisted my ankle. The pain brought tears to my ears, it hurt but my leg was free. I got up and tried placing pressure on my right foot. 'Ow!', I shout. I was lucky the rain drowned out my cry.
I definitely did more than twist my ankle. Another bark. The worst thing was I knew those barks. I raised them, nurtured and trained them to attack danger. The realisation that I was now that 'danger', hurt me. More than I thought it would.
I started back on my road to freedom. The pain on my ankle was excruciating but I had to live. For them. I had to survive for them.
It wasn't long before I started hearing the hum of cars passing by on the road. I was close to the highway. I ran faster, ignoring the pain on my ankle.
'Almost there, Scorpio.'
I was shaking violently from the cold due to the fact I only had on a thin red satin dress to cover myself. Well to call it a dress was being modest. It looked nothing like it did an hour before. I'm pretty sure there were twigs stuck in my hair and I was covered in mud from my fall, the red of the dress was barely visible.
He loved me in red. He said the color was created just for me and no one else---
'Stop it, Scorpio', I tell myself. 'Not yet, please. Not yet.'
I wasn't paying attention and missed the fact that I was no longer stepping on mud but concrete. It wasn't until a pair of headlights and a loud car horn was directed at me, that I looked up.
A black 1970's mustang was in front of me. I was standing in the middle of the highway but there was no car except the one in front of me. As I kept staring at the car, I heard the driver's side door open, and from it came a man.
The moment I stared into his eyes, I broke. I collapsed onto the ground. I heard footsteps getting closer, I looked up and there he was. Staring at me through his thick red-rimmed glasses, concern in his eyes.
I was fading fast, the exhaustion from running non-stop for the past 30 minutes and the trauma of the day taking a toll on me. I looked into the strangers eyes and begged with everything left in me. 'Please, help me'.
And the last thing I saw before I closed my eyes was a nod.