the chase

By: Zaine Louvier

I'm running and running and running through a dark forest as fast as I can. It's so dark and I'm running so fast that I can't even see the trees looming over me, I can only feel them as I run by. But she's in there somewhere and it's up to me to find her in the emptiness, there are no clues and no indication that I get closer, just the darkness waiting to swallow me whole.

Running. Trees. My breath. My heart. The leaves. The dark. A noise, a glance, a root. Fall.

Searing pain shoots up my leg. Shins scratched and bruised, clothes ripped, shoes falling apart. I take a moment to look at my ankle. It’s not supposed to bend that way. I can’t tell if I’m any closer. I can barely think. A chill down my spine. It’s close again. I need to run. Back on my feet.

Stumbling. Trees. Step. Pain. Step. Pain. Faster. Step, pain. Faster. Step pain. A snap.

I’m on the ground again. It’s over. Acceptance washes over me as fear tries to force its way up my spine. I can only beg for my hunter to show mercy.

Shaking. A heartbeat. A breath. Another. Not mine. Silence.

I try to open my eyes and realize they were never closed. The darkness is so absolute it swallows everything. The sound of my heart, my breath, my pain. My hope. I finally feel it loom over me.

I couldn’t find her.

Flailing. Desperation. Searching. Begging. Pleading.

My hand finds it in the darkness. The combination of cold air and wet leaves make it hard to hold. I must. A beam of light emits from the flashlight piercing the darkness of the forest around me. A boy is standing over me. He looks like he could be my brother.

Sobbing. Relief. His tears. His voice.

“I thought I’d never find you”