Everything happened so fast, and Maddy's head was empty of thoughts.
One moment she had her foot on the sill, a steady surface beneath her legs, and then the next one she was... flying.
She jumped outside the window with a leap, and, for a split second, it felt like she was actually flying. That familiar, yet alien sensation from her nightmares, the sensation of falling into the void, into a black abyss of nothingness, and those few seconds of weightlessness got a gasp ripped out of her mouth, her adrenaline pumping. She stretched her hands in front of her, grabbing at the first branch in sight.
Next thing she knew she was hanging from that branch by both hands, a plunging drop taking over her stomach. Her fingers slipped on the wood, and she winced at its harsh surface scratching and digging at her flesh as she struggled to push herself up.
With her next moan of pain, she was sitting on that very branch, legs dangling loosely, separated by the bough of the tree on which she had laid her cute little butt. She had her back turned on the building, eyes staring straight at the trunk of the tree.
"Guys... Run." A rough voice came from somewhere in the detention class behind her, and she knew it was his voice.
She turned around swiftly, her messy hair flipping in the process, only to face a wild Sia jumping straight towards her direction. Maddy made a small jump and pushed herself up, balancing her weight on the branch, her breath almost taken away. She finally managed to stand on her feet and then walked towards the trunk of the tree in a fast pace.
When she had eventually reached the inside part of the branch, thick enough to make her feel as secure as she could possibly feel in such a situation, she turned around to take a peek at what was going on behind her.
Mia was now also balancing on one of the branches, and Maddy spotted Logan sneaking out of the window as well, his athletic figure sliding on the tree effortlessly, like a graceful panther.
Down, Maddy, get down, she told herself and turned back around, but then she heard an hysterical scream ripping through the air, emptying her lungs.
"WHAT ARE YOU KIDS DOING?! JOHN, DO SOMETHING! STOP THEM!"
That was the nurse. There was no doubt. Maddy's gaze snapped back at the window, a rather novel set of adrenaline pumps rushing through her veins. Her glistening eyes fell on Carter, who was still in the detention class.
Throwing a punch right on "John's" jawline.
It must've been a strong right cross, the type of hook you must avoid at all costs, because the "bodyguard" stumbled backwards and met the ground, probably seeing little stars circling him.
Maddy saw the nurse coming to rescue, screeching at the river of blood flowing off the man's mouth.
Then Carter jumped out of the window, following the others and already climbing down the tree.
Maddy did the same, placing one foot after the other on the lower branches as fast as she could, her legs longing to feel the safety of the steady ground beneath them.
In a few seconds, they were all down, under the chilly shade of the tree, panting.
Carter was the last one to hit the ground.
"Run," was all he uttered, not slowing down for a single second.
Say no more.
And they all broke into a sprint, racing across the backyard in a marathon.
The gate was on the other side of the building, and Maddy winced as she almost sprained her ankle in her flat Oxfords, which were clearly not matching the situation.
YOU ARE READING
Smells Like Winter
Science Fiction"Don't touch me, your hands are cold." Maddy Wesley was your typical 17-year-old high school student, a wallflower with excellent grades, a good taste for vanilla ice cream and a normal, somewhat dull life. Until a virus broke out. A virus that brou...
