Survivor

I ran and tried to keep the wind from blowing sand into my eyes. Wheezing, I stumbled to the huge rock and hid behind it. My hand dug in to ground and I covered the cut on my arm with sand; it can smell blood. I made myself stop thinking; it can smell fear. I tried to listen but all I could hear were my own short gasps of breath. I was on this planet for only ten minutes and was already starting to feel light headed. I shrunk down against the boulder. My subconscious tried to imagine what it was like back home. Warm scents of apple pie baking and the bickering of my nonsense nieces.

My sigh of sorrow was cut off by his voice: "Ariel! ARIELl!" 

My eyes flew open. I peered over the rock and saw him. Without thinking, I ran towards him. "I've missed you so, so much." I kissed him with tears running down my face. I saw shadows climbing over the mountains. I quickly let go of him and looked him in the eye. Run.

We ran for minutes or maybe we ran for hours. I collapsed and examined my new cuts. I found the canteen hidden behind layers of my clothing. Unscrewing the cap, I took small sips. I offered some to him, but he just shook his head.

"What about your mom?" he asked angrily.

"What about my mom?" I said innocently.

"How is she going to survive, knowing that her daughter is gone forever?"

"I am not 'gone forever.' I came here to save you and I did. Now we just have to find a way out," I said confidently.

"Of course you'll find a way out. That's who you are, Ariel. Who you'll always be. A survivor," he said bitterly and walked away without looking back.

I hastily screwed the cap back on my canteen and ran to catch up to him. We walked in silence. A survivor.

After walking what felt like miles, we stopped. I watched the mountains and realized how close the shadows were. I didn't understand how they found us so quickly. Then I looked down at my arm, at the cuts. The fresh, raw, bloody cuts on my arm. Crap.

The shadows were close. I was scared to turn around. If I did, I would see it walking menacingly towards us, but I didn't. Instead, I grabbed his hand and we ran, but this time I wasn't so sure.

"I'm done. I'm done running," he said bleakly.

"Stop being stupid! We can still make it!" I screamed, desperation seeping into my voice.

"It's too late," he said somberly.

We both looked up and I saw it coming towards us. The darkness. I reluctantly thought about what I read in my years of research. The darkness only feasts on one human every year. I knew what had to happen.

Me or him.

With only seconds to waste, I thought about what to do.

Me or him.

Who deserved it more?

Me or him.

Then, his own words echoed back to me.

A survivor.

I made a choice.