𝐇𝐀𝐙𝐀𝐑𝐃 │ 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐘𝐋 𝐃𝐈𝐗𝐎𝐍 ¹ [✔]

[52]: abandon all hope

The woods was like a maze. Every turning and corner looked the same. I was going on an endless treck through the same paths. The only difference in the image was how high the sun was, and how much I could see.

I grabbed at every tree I could, resting my weight on each one to try and dull the pain.

I know the treatment for injuries. I had been inflicted them for so long, it was second nature. Bruises and cuts were a colour I had seen more than I should have.

I knew that I needed to rest, but I just couldn't. The need to get back was too much, the pain was just background noise.

But it was only so long you can bear it.

My bottom lip shook as hot tears streamed down my cheeks, my eyes burned and watered for the longest time.

My cheeks even started to hurt as I kept trying to silence myself.

I could hear birds, the soft treading of my feet on the ground, and the small whimpers that escaped me for hours on end.

I begged my body to stop but it never let up.

"I can- I can't," I whispered to myself, looking around at the dull green moss that littered the scenery.

I could feel my ankle swelling in my boot, it heating up and aching with every single step.

"C'mon," every piece of hope I held inside me pushed my legs forward.

It was a good thing I had some idea of where I was going.

There was no one with me.

It was just me now.

And the place I knew had supplies, was the highway. We had left some for Sophia, and we had all been so busy that we never went back after we found her. So they must have still been there.

Now, I wasn't an expert tracker, or really an expert in anything, but I had a little bit of faith in myself that I could find the highway.

The sky had turned from dark to light, from black to grey. From daunting to hopeful.

But hope was horrible, it never usually amounted to anything for me.

I couldn't take it anymore; bottling it all in. The darkness was too much, it was leaking from my skin. The only thing I could do was feel it all at once. Feel everything, all that I had done had to come back eventually. The only thing I had to stop that from happening was the pain travelling up my leg.

I took a moment, falling to the ground right next to a small river. I took my shaking, cold fingers and ripped at the base of my shirt. My small hands could only do so much, and the bones of my hands ached under the pressure.

After gathering a long piece of fabric that once covered my stomach, I took my boot carefully in my hand. Slipping it off was an arduous activity, but I soon got it off to see the makings of purple creeping up my ankle.

Carefully, and painfully, I wrapped all I had around the joint. Going as tight as I could whilst still giving it enough room to breathe. The skin was warm and tight, and I knew I would have to get it cold soon.

All I could do was walk more, getting up from the ground to pass the river after I put my boot back on.

I tread through the water, and it was freezing. I wrapped my arms around myself, gripping tightly to try and conserve any heat I had left. My teeth chattered wildly, making me hurt even more.

It took some effort to climb up various small, but steep hills. For each, my leg would drag behind me, whilst the rest of my body used every ounce of strength to haul myself forward.