The hem of my jacket caught on the top of the barbed fence as I leapt over, pulling it up my body and almost sliding it off my arms as I fell down the other side. With what seemed like a mightily loud ripping noise, I was freed, but instead of flying gracefully, I tumbled in a heap at the bottom of the fence.
A dog howled, and I turned to look through the fence, my breath hitching as I panted, out of breath. They were getting closer. Too close.
I scrambled to my feet and kept running, ducking in and out of the trees as best I could in the dark. There were no lights to help me, this was not a well walked path that lamps had been installed along. Even the moon was hiding its face, tucked safely behind the heavy clouds. Rain was on its way, and it wasn’t going to hold off for much longer.
My feet pounded against the forest floor, slipping on the damp leaves and trying my hardest to not trip on the tree roots emerging from beneath the ground. My lungs burned, and the cool air wasn’t helping. Every breath felt like being stabbed by icicles from the inside, but it wasn’t like I had a choice. I couldn’t duck and hide in the bushes. I would simply be resigning myself to becoming a plaything for the dogs. Although that might be better than the fate I would face if they actually caught me. No, better for the dogs to get to me first.
Barking echoed through the night, and I could hear the faint shouts of men, branches snapping all around me. I pressed on, praying to come across something, anything, that would help me. A road, a house. Some sign of other people that might come to my rescue and keep me safe. I could see nothing, though, though the darkness. I could barely see far enough ahead to weave between the trees without running straight into one. I had made it over the fence though. I was out of the compound. Just how deep in the woods could they have built it? They had to get supplies in from somewhere – that thought was the only thing pushing me on. The idea that they couldn’t have built it too far from civilisation. Just far enough behind the fence that no one would find it.
The rain didn’t start with a few drops, easing into the shower, but instead began pelting down the icy water, letting out all of its frustrations at once. If I couldn’t see before, I certainly couldn’t now. I reached up to wipe away the droplets clinging to my eyelashes, blinking furiously. What if I wasn’t even going the right way. For all I knew, I could be going further into the inky blackness of the trees. How far would they chase me before giving up?
That was a stupid question. I knew too much. If they couldn’t catch me to put me back where I belonged, they would loose the dogs to kill me. There could be no whistleblower. No escapees. No survivors.
For all my efforts in pressing on, staying upright, dodging everything, my downfall was a bramble root, carving itself into and out of the earth, looping itself in amongst its fellow roots. My foot caught, and my speed was my downfall, tumbling me forwards and sideways against the declining earth. I tried to tuck my arms up to my head, to cover my face with the sleeves of my jacket, but I needn’t have bothered. I came to a stop at the bottom of the hill in a heap, the exposed skin on my hands and face stinging with scratches. If I had previously held any hope that the rain might’ve hindered the dogs in their hunt, washing away my scent, the blood I was leaving in the indented brambles down the slope I had just traveled down at great speed was certainly going to get their attention.
I dragged myself back to my feet, but I had lost the ability to press on. My lungs aches, and every breath I took seemed to be getting shallower and shallower, until I felt like I was suffocating. I could feel a drop of blood running down my forehead, and the ankle that had caught in the bramble burned furiously with every step. I tried, but found I could no longer run.
Struggling to breath, I walked into the deepest, thickest growth of bushes I could find, the branches grabbing at my legs and arms, pulling themselves around my body as I forced my way though them. The trees growing amongst them had low enough branches for me to force my arms to pull myself up into, and I climbed as high as I could before my limbs felt about to give out and send me back towards the ground.
I sat in the dark, straddling a branch and hugging the trunk of the tree, trying desperately to slow my breathing, but failing as it came in shuddering gasps. I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead against the rough wood, coated in the softness of damp moss, as the rain pounded the world around me. I was semi-shielded by the leaves of the tree, and I could do nothing but hope and pray that they would hide me as well as shelter me.
I could hear voices getting closer, so much so that I could hear the dogs straining on their leads, trying to pull forwards quicker than they were being allowed. Behind my eyelids, I could see lights, and I couldn’t help but open them, and watch my demise come forth to me.
Torch light forced its way through the rain and trees, falling across my face. In the darkness, I had thought myself more covered by leaves than I clearly was, and with the dogs surrounding the bushes around me, spit flying from their mouths as they snapped up at me, their eyes crazed at the potential opportunity to be set free to tear me down, it was evident that my time was up.
“Ready. Aim.” An array of torch mounted hunting rifles pointed at me, the beams of light proving the intention and aim was true, and I closed my eyes again. At least I wouldn’t be returning. I would never be going back to that place.
“Fire.”
And done!
This is the first bit of writing I have done in literal months, and I really enjoyed it!
I remember why I need to make time for doing this now.
Where do I find the time to continue doing this...?
Anyway, that's all for now...
Bye!
