Metas on the Run

Prologue

Terra could feel the cold wind whipping and biting her face. She could feel her hair flying out behind her. She could feel everything. The burning in her legs as her bare feet hit the ground hard. The frozen air that stung and burned her lungs. The growing agony of the arm she was cradling to her chest, surely it was broken. 

But what she felt the most wasn't physical. It wasn't something she could put in a splint, or slap a band-aid on. 

It was fear. Dread. Terror. The type of fear that consumes every thought in your head and spits it back out as another monster.

She felt scared.

So she kept on running. She ran in a straight line, no turning back, no hesitation. Houses she didn't recognize flew past her at high speeds. Past a yellow playground. A golden fountain. A statue of a man on a horse.

Terra was so focused on running that she didn't have time to react when a figure came out of a van and swung something into her face. A long wooden cane connected with her forehead and she went crashing to the ground with a dazed yelp. She slid to a halt and groaned as blood poured into her eyes from the gash left behind. 

Close to passing out, she tried to get back up to keep going. A boot came down on her chest and held her down. 

A voice came flitting down to her ears, thick and gruff, without any sympathy at all. "Sorry kiddo, But you're coming back with me whether you like it or not." 

Through the blood, Terra could see the long cane go up and then start to swing down hard.

Then everything went black.