On the Run

Warning: the following content contains mention of snakes and loss of consciousness.

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By: Annabelle Kng

Water trickles down the trees, each droplet plopping rhythmically on the muddy water. My legs move as fast as they can. Crunch- I swiftly turn my head around to the sound of a person stepping on a branch and my insides start to jitter. The smell of damp mud fills the air, I can feel each ball of oxygen mixing with the dirt as I inhale it in. The ground squishes against my boot, engulfing it as if the ground were quicksand. Crows screech in horrific harmony, warning them about the danger. I hear my breathing, fast and shallow, my lungs trying to catch as much oxygen as possible. My eyes scan the forest, cautious of the guards chasing after me.

“This way! She’s around here!” A deep voice startles me.

My boot gets caught in between two intertwining branches and I trip into the mud. I grunt, pulling the branch off my foot. “Get off me!” I curse under my breath.

All of a sudden, I feel a slimy tube slithering across my leg. My muscles tense instantly. I stop moving. A large dark green snake hissed. It's heavy weight crushing my leg into the hard ground. A small broken stick slowly stabs into my leg, the splinters sprouts inside me. I clench my teeth together, screaming in my head hoping maybe, just maybe, there would be someone who could read my mind. A squeak comes out of my mouth and I immediately bite my tongue. The forest goes silent. They didn’t hear me, they didn’t hear me, I pray.

“I think I hear something coming in that direction!” the guards shift closer and closer to me.

My mind starts to panic. I peer down at my leg, the snake is still taking its time moving away. The footsteps grow louder and louder each second. I look to the right and see the shadow of a man. I shake my leg, nudging the snake. Hisss. The snake turns its head at me, staring with its beady black eyes. I stare right back, scared that if I blink, it will eat me. It moves closer to me, about 5 inches away from my face. I start to shake in fear, waiting for the second my life flashes before my eyes like in the movies.

“Where is she?” A voice shouts, taking the snake’s attention away from me.

The guards rummage around, checking every bush, every tree. The snake takes one last look at me and slithers away. I sigh, relieved that I wasn’t the part of a snake’s dinner.

I pull on the branch, harder this time, and it finally releases my leg. I get up hastily and limp towards a tree. Squelch, the moist mud gurgles under my shoe. I scowl at the brown mush, well the mud isn’t on my side today. I duck behind the tree watching for any guards around me. When I hear the guards getting further and further away, my strained shoulders loosen, I close my eyes and rest the side of my head on the tree. I am so tired of running, all I want to do is-

As I was about to relax, a cloth smothers my mouth. I shriek, grabbing the leather glove desperate to pull away. No, NO! This can’t happen! My eyesight goes blurry, my muscles become limp and my heartbeat slows. My head plummets into the dirt while I take one last look at who is behind me. His face is blurred yet something about him seems familiar.

“Goodnight, love” his voice thick but gentle.

The voice takes me a moment to recognize; when I eventually do, I gasp, “b- brother? No, it’s not possible...” My consciousness fades away.

Image: Vidakovic, J. (n.d.). [Muddy woods]. shutterstock. https://www.shutterstock.com/ image-photo/road-through-misty-woods-1442978576