Haunted

Lerato Drax Smithsonian ran until her lungs burned. Every step tore her farther from the house she grew up in, farther from the cage-like future her family had arranged for her. A future where sacred ink, binding, unquestionable decisions tied her to a man, decided her husband. She wasn't ready for that. She wasn't willing. She would never be okay with the fact that a mere sacred tattoo would tie her down to a man, One she would know nothing about before they got married. She would be expected to submit to a man that wouldn't care about her. She had far better dreams, and it didn't include a sacred marriage. The road stretched ahead, grey and empty, surrounded by trees that rustled at the slightest blow of the wind. The sunset bled violently across the sky staining the horizon with colors too dramatic to belong to an ordinary evening. The world felt charged, expectant, as though it knew she was breaking a rule, one that was due to be broken. Her breath trembled out of her. Soulmate marks appeared the moment matches met, but they didn't always show in places where everyone could see. Some bloomed within ribs, across the pelvic line, along the collarbone.It always remained in a hidden place until the matches completed the ritual, which meant souls had completed the bond. It was meant to give couples a moment of private awe, A sacred secret. The position where the mark would appear always had people guessing where it would pop out. No one has ever really gotten where the mark would show up. Even after years of praying to the goddess to cancel out any soul that has been tied to hers, Destroy any soul ties. Lerato had zero trust the goddess had listened to her. She paused to catch her breath, gripping her sides. Her legs ached. She felt like she was about to pour out all her stomach contents. The trees rustled quietly. The wind whispered through the branches, sharp and cool over her overheated skin. Every slight loud noise increased the rate in which her heart beat sped up. She expected to hear her mother scream behind her, her mother's pleas, her father's disappointment. A loud noise came from behind. Lerato's body reacted to it, all her senses heightened. The fear that she had been caught already. She looked around frantically wondering what the noise was and who made the noise. An engine. A car. A car was approaching slowly, almost too slow. Her heartbeat sped up, her hands became sweaty, she started feeling hot from inside. It was a kind of weird feeling she couldn't explain, Anxiety maybe? An anxiety attack. She couldn't have an attack now. Not now, not here. She begged herself to pull it together. Her legs could remember its use. She took a step, it felt heavy but it was something. One step after the other. She pushed further, determined not to get caught. She broke into a sprint. Her legs were functioning well, she didn't feel trapped anymore she’d do anything to not get caught at this point. She had gone too far to turn back. Lerato knew she couldn't outrun a car. She paused looking around desperately. She grabbed onto the tree that was next to her, With a satisfied smile she walked quickly to the thickest tree she could find, She breathed in deeply trying to calm her frantic breathing as she pressed her back against the tree. THE CAR PAUSED. Her blood ran cold. THE DOOR OPENED. "THUMP, THUMP, THUMP". It felt as though heart was about to tear open her chest with how hard and fast it was beating. A LOUD STEP, THEN A BANG. Lerato froze. Her brain paused all thinking. Fight or flight mode activated, she listened to the footsteps carefully. It was coming in her direction. Without thinking, She took off. She chose flight. She continued to run , till she felt numb , her whole body was weak , she could not focus enough to check if the car was following her. At this point she just wanted out.