Episode4
1215 Words
Narrow evasion
Ann lay on the ground, among the thicket.
The moon forest. Now she was free. Free from forced responsibility.
But for some reason, it didn't quite taste like freedom. It wasn't how she had expected things to go.
She had wanted to flee to a neighboring city.
Maybe a more distant one. Start up a little new life there. Somewhere serene where no one would come looking for her. This was serene.
The forest was serene, but how was she going to survive there? She had left a large deal of luggage she was to abscond with.
The bundle of money she had stashed in that bag. All behind.
The thought of having to go home after all she had gone through to escape.
She couldn't even bear to think of what her father's reaction was going to be.
She knew she was dead meat if she went back home. But here. Here she was as good as dead. No food, no water.
Out here in the wild. There were going to be wild animals. She was going to be mauled to death. The stories she had heard. Saying there were monsters here. Werewolves.
She scoffed.
"Werewolves, seriously. How delusional have I become?".
She was tired from running. She had been running all night. Afraid that someone might have trailed her into the forest.
She could remember at some point, thinking she heard human noises.
Running at the slightest sound. A twig snapping. Some leaves crunching. She barely slept. A nap. A slumber.
"What have I done" she thought? "I shouldn't have left home".
The warmth of the house. The coziness of her bed. The rich food she was served. The luxurious life she lived.
Some people would kill to be in her shoes. People who wouldn't mind getting married to an unknown suitor guaranteed they lived like she lived. She was starting to feel like she had made a bad decision.
Maybe she should have listened to Miriam.
She should have stayed home. Now she regretted the course of actions she had taken.
All because she was blinded by sadness. Her tears had clouded her judgment. She had made a fool of herself.
But then, maybe she wasn't the one with the blame. If her father had been considerate.
If he had been more of a father. If he had treated her like she was his daughter. If he had let her voice her feelings, her emotions.
If he had paid attention to at least a single word she said. This wouldn't have happened.
She wouldn't have been forced to get married against her wishes. To deprive herself of happiness.
All because she had to be responsible. All because it was her responsibility to do as she was told. She wouldn't have fled in the first place.
Her regrets gave way to anger, which in turn returned to sadness. She was emotionally negative about the basis of her existence.
Tears had slowly found their way out. Escaped the bounds of her eyelids and started trickling down.
"Ann" a voice called faintly and inaudibly. It sounded very distant. She might have as well imagined it.
She felt the hairs on her body stand. A tingling sensation. Like the air was being electrified.
She caught a glimpse of a figure. A shadowy image, from the corner of her eyes.
"Ann!" The voice sounded again. This time closer.
"Father!" She gasped.
He had followed her here. How did he find out that she was there? There was no getting away from this man.
All of a sudden, her longing, her yearning for the comfort and warmth of her home disappeared.
She just needed to remember her father to reignite her hatred for the bondage she faced at home.
She took to her heels. Homing deeper into the forest.
She was not going to be caught. She would see to it. And in any case, it would happen that she got caught. They would have to earn it.
"Oh God. I do not want to be caught ".
She could only for this. If they found her, they would take her home.
If she was taken home. She was going to be forced to go through with the wedding. And knowing her father well.
He was going to lock her up for the rest of her life. She would never see daylight again. Ever.
She felt something trickle down her thigh.
Blood. She was bleeding. She must have scraped her legs while wading through the thicket.
A faint rustle from the bushes caught her attention.
Something was following her. Trailing her. She was being hunted.
Short deep breaths echoed through to her.
It was a woman. She was being pursued by a woman all dressed in black.
A long flowing coat that almost floated in the air.
The woman leaped at her.
She saw fangs. Fangs and claws outstretched, aiming for her.
A loud bang shook the air. Someone had fired a gun.
At the lady. The lady was shot at. But with a well-timed twist in the air, she had evaded the projectile.
The whole atmosphere was violently disoriented by gunfire.
Oh God. Please, please. I don't want to die out here. I can't go back with my father either. Please save me. I promise to make better decisions in the future. I promise to......
A bullet whizzed past her. A second one hit her in the abdomen.
She was bleeding. She was feeling faint.
She fell to the floor and proceeded to crawl on her belly. Away from the feud ensuing behind her.
The ground was starting to get steep. She rolled and tumbled down. Scratching her body against the floor and sharps.
At last, she got to the end of the steep. All battered and bruised from the descent. She was whizzing. Drawing ragged breaths. She couldn't move. Her eyes were getting blurry.
Her hopes were shot high when she saw two young men.
Angels. She thought. She must be dying.
One of them bent to take a look at her. The most marvelous face she had ever beheld.
"Are you alright?" the man said. "Can you hear me?"
She nodded weakly. Her head was spinning.
"Let's get you up" the man tried to lift her. She fell limply into his arms. He smelt of moisture and nosegay.
"Nathaniel!" The other man alerted, "She is human "
What were they talking about? Of course, she was human. What else was she supposed to be... slight fear gripped her. Weren't they humans? They looked like humans.
Almost like angels. They must be angels.
"We can't just leave her here, Judas," Nathaniel responded.
He had already lifted her into his arms. Getting to his feet. "She's....... Beautiful" he added, after a sympathetic stare at her face.
"Yes, we can," Judas stressed. "We can't risk being revealed to the public again. You know how it goes."
"The hunters disbanded a very long time ago," Nathaniel said. "Nothing would go wrong."
"If she made it here. Then there is a high chance she didn't come here alone. She might have been followed. She might be a decoy."
Ann watched them argue. Her vision was starting to fade. Her hearing next. Her hands dropped limply to her side.
- Writer
