The Sprinter

Chapter 24

She tried to summon something, any form of emotion, but her mind remained blank.

“Who?” Mirae demanded. Eloise couldn’t reply. She just kept staring at the Commander, his wavy hair shining in the sun, holding his stare, unable to match his smile.

“Who is it?” she repeated, getting agitated.
“Eloise, who is it?” she shouted, snapping Eloise out of her shocked state. She turned and grabbed Mirae by the shoulders.

“Run.”
“What? That’s not a -”
“Listen to me Mirae, this is serious. I need you to get out of here. These people - they’re not -”

Mirae shook her off, stepping back, her face scrunched up with fury and worry.

“I will not! I’m not going anywhere! This is my farm! My place! I’m not just going to leave. I’m not,” she added, when Eloise opened her mouth to protest. Rage boiled up in her, searing through every instinct and kindness built up inside her.

“Fine then,” she said, “stay with your little farm, and your little creatures. I don’t care. I’m getting out of here.” She pushed past Mirae, and stormed towards the door. Eloise paused at the frame, looking back to gauge Mirae's reaction. She stared back at her, abandoned hopelessness shining through her eyes, providing fitting company for the tears starting to build there. She didn't say anything. She didn't move.

Eloise opened her mouth, but the girl waved her hand - to silence her. Her face hardened into resolve. She stood up straighter, prouder. She said again,

"This is my farm. My place. And I am not going to abandon it."
"That's stupid. You're going to get -"
"I'm not going to leave," Mirae repeated, her voice calmer, settled. Eloise frowned, and walked back over to her.

"These people - they are not like anyone else you have seen, or anyone you ever will see again. They aren't even people. They're demons. They will kill you. Don't you understand?" she said, trying to sound calm, but her anger got the better of her. This girl - she was crazy.

"I know." Eloise opened her mouth, but Mirae cut in again, "I know, Eloise. These are the people who've been chasing you. You've run across the country to get away from them; they're dangerous. I know. I'm not going to leave my farm."

Eloise sighed. As much as she wanted to pretend otherwise, she knew. The girl understood. But the farm… that was hers. Hers in a way that nothing else could be, could match. She would stay, and fight for it, if it came to that. She nodded.

"Make sure you warn your father."

Mirae nodded. She would almost see her brain working, formulating an unlikely plan, with a slim chance of survival. With these people, that was all she had. What was life if you couldn't fight for what you had, what you loved? Eloise turned to leave, and had once more reached the frame when Mirae spoke again.

"You could stay too,"

Eloise shook her head, she fought the urge to turn around.

"You know them - you could help us. We could provide for you after, you could stay here, and we could -"
"I'm not staying," Eloise said, quicker than she'd intended. She heard Mirae sigh from behind her.

"Here," she said. Eloise turned around. Mirae was holding a container - the water. And the remainder of her food. She shook her head, but Mirae pushed it into her, forcing her to take it.

"You're going to be on the run for a while, I assume. You'll want this."

Eloise stared at her. Didn't she understand? She was leaving her, letting her deal with these creatures alone, just to save her own skin. She should hate her. But she knew that Mirae did understand. She probably minded, too. She was just - a good person. One of the few. Like Arothena. Eloise took the food, and nodded at her. She ran out the door, hurtling out through the back before she could change her mind.

She sprang from the brightly coloured tiles of the kitchen into the meadows of Hardelorn, her feet pounding down on the grass. She bent her head and powered up the hill, refusing to look back, to see if they followed her. Or if they went for Mirae.

She reached the top of the hill, and stumbled over a rock. She turned back, common sense bending to curiosity’s will. She needed to know. She needed to know if she was alright.

The Commander had approached the house. Mirae waited by the door. Her father was only a few feet away from the creature. They were talking. No, not talking. Arguing. The man's red face had turned positively beetroot, and his hat bobbed up and down as he shook his head furiously, yelling at the Commander as if he were no more than the initiator of a pub brawl. Eloise continued to stare, horrified by what the man was inevitably bringing on himself, his daughter, and the farm. The Commander continued to talk with him, no doubt throwing back comebacks and cutting remarks at him as easily as he breathed. His wicked smile danced across his face, and his hands through the air – gestures to emphasise what he was saying, to ensure that his meaning was clear.

Eventually, it seemed, he had enough. He lunged forward, grabbing Mirae’s father by his neck and waist, and threw him into the lake. The lake. Mirae’s voice floated back to her.

It’s home to a swarm of creatures called Tinaecoes. They secrete a special type of poison. It acts quickly, and painfully.

Even from the top of the hill, Eloise could hear her scream. It was a scream of pure pain, of desperation. Of devastation and hopelessness. Of maturity forced upon someone too young, and of the loss of a life that could never be regained. It sucked the breath right out of her. Eloise couldn't bear it. So she did what she'd always been best at. She ran.

Right back to the farm.

{~}