TouchNode | Complete

23 | Cripple

Death is only the beginning.

I fell. Air and leaves tunneled around me, blocking my vision as I stumbled backward into a twist. My body closed into itself, curling into a protective ball as I slammed against rock, branch and loose dirt.

Sun streaked between the gnarled branches as they reached out to tear at my clothing. Fear spiked inside of me as I barreled down the raven, forcing down my will to scream. I released my hands first, attempting to claw myself to a halt.

Moments later I curled them back against myself, hiding the blood, cuts and dirty broken fingernails. It felt an eternity before I made it to the bottom. I slid across the dampened earth to rest as a heap of tangled arms and legs.

There, I rested. My breath raced out of my chest as I gathered shallow breaths from my open mouth. Here, the forest was a tomb of silence. Clawing to stand proved useless, my limbs were beaten and tired. Darkness grabbed me as I tripped back to the ground the third time.

Purples, oranges, and yellows danced across the horizon when the darkness finally let me alone. I blinked my eyes once, twice, and glared around me. Blurred shapes surrounded me, pressing me further against the tree shading me.

Breathing heavily, I propped myself up and began to take inventory of my aches and pains. My ankle was sprained, badly, and I could feel the beginning of a killer migraine building at the base of my neck. A thick rope of blood dripped down my forehead, slipping across my eyelashes and downward to my jawline. Quickly, I wiped it away with my sleeve.

My backpack was broken apart, leaving pieces of my clothing and bits of food strewn across the damp ground. A grunt left me as I scooted out of the clearing, hoping to lean against a nearby tree. As the cool of night set in, I grappled with the loose dirt to stand.

Like quicksand, the soil pressed around me. It slithered further down into the ravine, leaving me struggling to cling to anything my hands could reach. I glared across the open space, reaching out to my pack to find a flashlight.

With the flashlight in my hands, I took a shaky breath. The bright beam illuminated the curling darkness, exposing the white fog of my breaths. Cold set in quickly as the sun darted below the horizon, leaving only a wide stripe of purple in the sky, then, a multitude of stars flared to life across the sky. A full moon hung above me, providing more light than I could ever hope.

Fear followed shortly after wonder though. Fear of death. Fear of the mystery man who reached for me in the daylight. Fear of his silent footsteps and possible proximity. Each puff of air left my frame shuddering and stuttering for warmth and the security I had come to depend on.

This time was different. There was no Andres on the other side, trying to get me out. Liam wouldn't be anywhere close, probably hiding out from Carter and Ballarina. And Euphrates... the man who brought me to my edge, wouldn't risk scaring me that way.

Securing the flashlight under my arm, I eased away from the tree. The thick perfume of night invaded my senses as I slunk to my knees. Crickets and cicadas called, their music mixed with the pattern of lightning bugs. A smile tugged at my lips, unintentionally, enjoying the breathtaking display.

My hand reached out, trapping the strap of my backpack in my left hand and drag it towards me. It came slowly, coiled tightly between the grains of the clotted sand. Finally, the bag was at my feet. Triumph leaped through my bones and I yanked it up to my chest.