Fractured Secrets

1

Seattle, Washington.
December 26th
12:51 a.m. & afterwards

My breaths escaped in fractured rasps as I sprinted through the woods, my lungs shuddering inside my chest as every limb in my body screamed for more oxygen. My legs ached from exertion, yet I didn't stop, the sound of branches snapping underneath my feet resonating through the quiet forest as I hurtled through the darkness.

I heard someone shout my name from behind me; the powerful, intimidating voice that I'd become so accustomed to over these past few months echoing through the woods.

My footsteps quickened in response as I sprinted through the trees, listening to the distant echo of cars to confirm that I was going the right way. My flashlight illuminated the path ahead of me, allowing me to jump over any obstacles that had the potential to stop me.

I couldn't stop.

Out. I just needed to get out.

Someone had once told me that you never knew how much your body was capable of until it came down to having to fight for survival. And now, as my heart beat furiously against my chest, every pulse point throughout my body pounding, I knew just how true that was.

Less than five minutes must've passed before I began to spot the faraway glow of headlights flashing by, signaling to me that the main road was close. I pumped my arms faster in response, forcing my legs to comply with the pace I needed to set so they wouldn't catch me before I made it.

"Aspen!" They screamed my name again, willing–no, begging me to stop. Begging me to listen. To empathize. To understand.

But it was too late.

A relieved, broken sob escaped my throat as the trees began to part in order to reveal the road ahead. The slope turned steeper, so I slowed my pace just enough so I wouldn't go tumbling. At one point, a particularly slippery part forced me to slow even more. My footsteps stalled as I regained my balance, before I continued running.

But the move cost me everything.

I'd almost made it completely out of the woods when fingers wrapped around my arm, pulling me backwards.

Everything happened within seconds.

I tried ripping myself out of their grasp, but I was wrenched backwards. My foot got caught in one of the branches underneath us, and I lost my balance.

We both went down together, his arms coming up to wrap around me so he could cushion my fall as much as possible. Flashes of pain lashed out at my body as we rolled over sharp sticks and rocks, and I knew I'd end up with lacerations all over me.

I began fighting him as soon as we came to a stop at the bottom of the slope, using all the energy I could muster to get out of his grip.

"Let me go!" I screamed, my throat aching raw from dehydration. His hands tightened around my arms as he tried to pin me against the ground.

"Aspen, stop," he gritted out, using more strength to hold me down. "Stop and listen to me."

I was in a frenzy; my movements erratic and panicked. I kicked my legs and arms, not paying attention to where I struck him. I screamed again, praying someone would hear me and I'd be able to escape this living hell, but he placed his hand around my mouth, clamping it shut.

Other footsteps approached, their dark silhouettes moving like shadows amongst the darkness. They surrounded me, and in the blink of an eye, all the fight I had left in me withered away.

There was a strange sort of comfort in it; at the realization that after fighting for so long, you could finally stop.

I could finally rest.