Run

                                                                                Run

Just a short story I wrote last semester :)

A new chapter of HAW should be up hopefully in two weeks when i finish school for the term and come back from my camp, i'll have had heaps of time to write :)

A curly blonde haired girl slipped from a door way in the large house, glancing around, so as not to be caught. She grabbed a bag from the hallway, before quickly running down the stairs and out the back door, which she quietly closed behind her. She pulled her knitted beanie down over her hair before once again checking her surroundings and sprinting across the yard into the trees marking the beginning of the woods. Once in the safety of the trees, she relaxed, slowing to a steady walk, before sitting in a small clearing. She placed the bag next her and pulled out a Walkman and her favourite book, before settling down to wait.

Her name was Hailey, she was short but delicate, and very beautiful. She had deep brown eyes and long curly blonde hair. Sitting there in that clearing, in her pink top, pale blue jeans and grey beanie, she could have been an angel.

Going out to the woods had become a weekly habit, every Saturday she would meet her best friend, Emmett, in that same spot, as her parents did not approve. They believed that Hailey could do better, Emmett’s family was not as well off as Hailey’s family, and therefore he was unworthy. Hailey however, did not share her parents view and disobeyed their demand to forget about him. This was what led to the following events. Maybe if she had listened when they first asked her, none of this would have happened, but it did, and no one was prepared for what was to happen.

After about two hours, when Hailey had restarted her book, she decided to go and look for Emmet. Emmett was a bit of a daydreamer and would often distract himself along the path, watching the ants, or a spider spinning its web, or a caterpillar walking across a leaf. But that was what she liked about him, he was different.

She quickly re-packed her bag, tucking her book and Walkman safely inside, before slinging it over her shoulders and making her way further in to the woods. She ducked under a branch that stuck out over her path, the bark cool and rough under her fingers as she guided herself under. The sun was low, only just trickling through the gaps in the leaves over head at a low angle. She shuddered and quickened her pace. It would soon get dark and she would have to make it home in time for dinner, but she wanted to see Emmet first.

The woods had suddenly become dark, as the sun slipped behind the last cloud before the horizon, and Hailey’s breath had begun to fog. She shivered, rubbing her cold arms. If she didn’t find Emmet soon she would have to return home without having seen him. Taking a good look around, Hailey realised she was in a part of the woods she did not recognise, and doubt and worry began to plague her mind. She turned a full circle, her bag banging against her hip as she spun. Finally she decided to go back the way she came and began walking.

The moon filtering through the trees created an eerie light as it shone through the fog, glinting off of Hailey’s hair and the wet leaves on the ground. Her breath came in short burst as she began to run, her heart thumping in time with her bag against her hip.

Thump thump.

Thump thump.

The fog covered the ground, making it hard for Hailey to see where she was going, and her heart was pounding, the fear of tripping tying her stomach in knots. The leaves on the forest floor seemed to be getting thicker and thicker, slowing her down. Hailey started to panic, tears streaming down her face, her breath leaving in sobs.

Suddenly a gap in the trees appeared in front of her; she sobbed and ran towards it. As she got closer, she realised it was the path that she had come in on, the path that would led her home. She let at a shaky sigh of relief, wiping the tear tracks from her face as she sprinted. Next thing she knew, she was sprawled face first in the leaves, her foot having caught on something on the edge of the road. She got shakily to her feet and turned to see what she had tripped over. Her breath caught in her throat, her hand flying to her mouth.

Lying on the ground, face frozen in shock and covered in blood was Emmet. Hailey collapsed on the ground next to him, pushing her hair away from her face as she sobbed. She reached down to push his hair away from his face but froze when she saw her hand covered in blood. Her other hand flew up to her head, coming away red. She stared at her hands in shock, her body shaking, sobs leaving her mouth as fog in the cold air. She watched the fog leaving her mouth, as it became more and more indistinct, her vision tunnelling. Hailey wavered before falling next to the dead boy next to her, her eyes fluttering. The last thing she saw were two bright lights moving towards her, before everything went black.