From Heaven To Hell

Lucius's Daughter

My body freezes hearing the movement in the woods in front of me. The start of the surrounding trees is about 80 feet ahead, not counting how far into them I heard the steps.

I crouch, settling into a defensive stance, even though the person could be harmless. But my mind screams, 'Run. Run right now.' My eyes scan the forest, as though the thing would just start to come out any second. I listen again, and the footsteps stop as if in response to me. As in, it can see me.

My mind still screams at me to get away and I finally obey it. I turn around and sprint to the trail, my hair streaming behind me in the air. No pain even threatens to slow me down, the adrenaline making me go faster than I thought possible. The canopy shades my body as I enter and I keep going, not caring about the mud as it sprays my legs with every step. 'Keep going Lizzie. Faster.' The voice makes me run harder, my feet flying with agility I thought I was never capable of. I almost stop when I notice the voice that was pushing me wasn't mine at all, but Noah's instead.

'Go, don't stop!'

The wind makes my eyes water and my body pushes against it, like my life depended on it. Bark on the trees surrounding the path become a blur and yet I still push myself even more. No pain runs through my body, just the voice telling me I needed to run.

I don't stop when I make it back into the light of day, just sprint on the street, my ears already listening both ways for cars. There aren't any.

My legs are set at a brisk pace, pounding the concrete. My mind becomes blank as it finally snaps, my brain no longer in control of my own body. It's like it becomes someone else, as though no limitations held it back.

Houses come into view and I keep my arms pumping and my legs moving. Like nothing, I easily make it to the sidewalk and slow down to a near-jog. My breath comes in small little puffs, but I keep running, the sound of people now strangely comforting to my alert ears.

As I turn onto my street, I almost trip on a curb, still shaken from the footsteps I heard in the forest.

What was that? It could've been an animal for all I knew, or even just a branch moving. Could it have been a person though? Was someone watching me? The thought of a person staring at me through the dark cracks in the forest foliage makes me want to throw up.

My mother's car is parked in the driveway and relief makes my knees weak. Thank god.

I sprint the last few meters to the yard and slow until I'm walking to the porch. Swinging the door open, I recoil from the heat inside, forgetting that, for this area, furnaces were always on. I fan my sweaty face as I shut the door behind me and slide my dirt-spattered shoes off.

"I'm home!" I sing in a loud voice. The sound of voices come from the living room and I make my way towards it.

"Mom?"

"Right here!" I walk into the slightly darkened space, the curtains drawn across the windows facing the front yard, to see my mother watching the T.V. screen as the two people on-screen start to argue. She has a blanket cocooned around her and she keeps her eyes eagerly on the cliche soap opera. This was a pretty normal picture, my mother was an avid fan of anything that had drama and that included any soap opera she could find.

Glancing over at me, she pats the little couch space beside her, urging me to join her. Personally, I was not a big fan of drama. But I begrudgingly sank into the comfy stuffing of the sofa and leaned my head against her shoulder, which was covered in the thick fabric of her favorite blanket.

She points to the screen. "Emily found out that Rodrigo was cheating on her, so she went behind his back and started rumors that the girl that he cheated on her with was pregnant. Anyway, the other girl, Linda, is avoiding Rodrigo because-" She keeps talking but my mind blanks it all out. Even with sensitive hearing, my ears still knew when to turn off when it came to my mother.