Runaway

The home that she had known for sixteen years slowly faded away as she ran down the street. The only sound in the pitch black was the sound of Makayla's feet hitting the concrete. The stench of pine trees hit her nose as she reached the edge of the forest.

She grabbed a flashlight from the side of her small backpack, knowing that the forest was only a couple dozen feet in length. Memories of playing with her siblings as a child flooded both her mind and her face with tears. Continuing to race through the dark forest, Makayla heard animals moving around in the fallen leaves and the bushes as her backpack seemed to get heavier and heaver along with her legs. Tripping on a branch, she grunted in pain as she landed on her hands and knees.

Standing up, she felt a sting in her knee but continued to run. She had to get away from her parents no matter what and stopping for whatever reason would simply slow her down more than she needed. Even though Makayla was certain that her parents would not go looking for her, she felt that she would need to get miles and miles away from them. There were no other options.

Relief filled her as she finally reached the end of the forest. Houses and streetlights lined this road; slowing to a walk, Makayla undid her loose ponytail. The cool breeze pushed her thick, black hair around her face. As she continued down the silent street, Makayla pulled her hair into a simple braid that reached halfway down her back.

Soon, the neighborhood turned into a town. Brick buildings lined the road, lined up so that they stood with little to no space between them. An art studio stood proudly displaying six different sized paintings in the window. The scent of freshly baked bread filled the air in this section of the town even though no one had been in the bakery for a couple hours now. The stores ended here.

Jogging the last couple yards, Makayla looked at the small railroad station. A few homeless men lay outside, asleep, but all she could think of when she saw them was that she would most likely be in that place for at least a couple of weeks. A man stepped out of the dark.

"Hey, beautiful," He smirked at her, showing off his blackened, decaying teeth. His gruff voice and garbage breath cut off Makayla's thoughts. Looking the man up and down, she responded to his compliment.

"Hey, ugly," She pushed past him to get into the building, trying not to show fear. He stood taller and stronger than her by much. He did not do anything else to her as she walked up the stairs to the door. Creaking, the door opened. A kind looking, old man sat at the desk directly in front of Makayla.

"The train for Lastfield is arriving in ten minutes, correct?" Makayla asked as she smoothed out her black shirt. Eyebrows raised, the man looked around.

"Where are you parents, dear?" He asked, sitting up straighter; she hesitated, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Not looking at him in the eyes, Makayla wrung her hands.

"I'm going to see my grandparents in Lastfield. Can I please get a ticket?" She asked, biting her lip nervously, as she handed him a ten dollar bill. The man sighed, shaking his head, but took the bill and handed her a ticket. Nodding to him, Makayla barely smiled at him while she walked to the back of the building where the train would come.

Memories of being at the train station with her family popped into her head as she stood in wait. When she was younger, Makayla's parents would bring her to museums and to visit family. The memories reminded her of the energy and excitement of being a child.

Suddenly, the train rushing in front of her interrupted her thoughts. As the train stopped, the doors creaked open.

Thanks for reading this. It's just an idea I had a while ago. Tell me if you want to know the rest of it in the comments. <3