A Walk

Slipping Away Softly

Snake sits. I watch. He mutters and hisses keeping to himself. Ever so often he has a twitch. Force of habit or what that twitch is my key. His eyes close and body freezes. Giving me time to carry out the first part of my plan.

The needle is at the inside of my elbow and the cord dangles from it loosely. The drug is too powerful for me to yank out the cord with my hands, but there are other options. For one there's a root  lying inches away from my limp arm begging to be used. The cord can be snagged on it and the needle pulled if I slide back to laying down.
I focus my strength and jerk my arm as much as I can. The cord is thrown what seems like a hairs breath of movement. Just that little movement is exhausting but I fight the dead-weight and jerk it again. Closer, so close.
Third times the charm, I tell myself. Pull and bingo it's hooked. I glance over at Snake and watch closely. Counting between each twitch. There's a pattern: every three minutes he twitches. The twitch is about ten seconds long. Ten seconds. Ten seconds to get the needle out.

The scratches from my trip up the tree trunk sting and burn reminding me of my last attempt and I cringe when I think of doing it again. I brace my shoulders up on the tree and push against it. Push push push. The pain returns double. The drug pressuring my muscles.

After what seems like ages my strength fails and I fall back. My head slamming against the base of the tree. My ears are ringing and back throbbing, but throwing my head to the side I see the needle is out and a small trickle of blood coming from the now torn hole. I can't lift my head so I can't judge his position so I use my ears, as far as I can tell he's still at the fire. Slowly the drug lifts from my body. I can wiggle my fingers. That's a start. But I need more to get up. Much much more.

I sit, my eyes in slits, waiting for the drug to fade. My muscles twitch and spasm as they back to life, and a dull throb of pain starts between my eyes. Everything hurts. My body is throwing everything it has to force the drug out, but it is biting back. I lift an arm a couple inches into the air, watching it like it isn't really attached to me. A small smile plays across my lips at the victory. I work again.

I glance again over at my guard, I find his gaze has zeroed in on me. He cocks his head to one side and smiles. His smile is haunting and holds my gaze. His lips stretch tightly into thin lines revealing perfectly pointed teeth. I freeze with my arm still held up, and for a second I consider bolting. 

No you idiot, play dead.... Phoenix screams in frustration. I gulp for air and let myself fall back still pushing her conscientiousness down as I fall. My breathing is ragged as I prepare for his approach, but it doesn't come. Hours seem to go by, my muscles still jerking with the addition of adrenaline. Slowly I lift my head until I am peering between the valley in my chest. My guard has abandoned his post. Panic turns my stomach in knots. Where is he, where is he, where is he?

Jerkily, I sit up as if unaware I have joints. My head swivels in a slow panorama of the campsite. Nothing. The woods have gone deadly quiet. The air is heavy, my breathing slows to an almost stop in an effort to hear...anything. Silence answers my plea. He could be anywhere, guard up, I remind myself. I reach out with a hand still fighting against my will and grasp for a handhold on the tree. Finding a burl, I use it to slowly haul myself up. I am standing, gently swaying in vertigo. 

The somnum flower has dampened my reflexes, balance, everything. Shakily I take a step and then another pausing every time to listen. 

Where'd he go Ember?

Shut up.

You are going to get us killed, just run already.

SHUT UP, I scream at her in my head and I feel her back away into the recesses of our mind.

I try to jog, but three steps in the ground in front of me is swimming up to greet me and I eat dirt. Spitting blood and pebbles I rock back on my heels and stand again, determined. I sigh and focus on regaining balance. Step by step I am putting distance between me and the drug.

I am three hundred paces out from the campsite, and still I have not heard anything that would alert me to danger. Terror creeps in black flashes across my vision and runs icily through my blood. He could be anywhere, I tell myself, just keep watching.

Then I hear it, one snap of a twig. My head shoots around behind to locate the origin of the sound and briefly for a split second I see a shadow of a slim figure dart between the trees. For a split second my feet struggle to find purchase in the leaves of the forest floor, but then I am running.

Sporadically I half run half jog fighting against the drug and trying to keep my balance. In the back of my head I picture Snake as a shadow figure just inches behind me ready to pounce. I shudder and run faster. Forcefully air moves through my lungs, my muscles are burning and my balance is beginning to falter. Desperate I search for anywhere to hide as I run. There, Phoenix shouts out, turning my head I see it too and I grin wryly. Guess she doesn't want to get caught either.

I dive at an angle into the dry creek bed, rolling then falling into the mud. Coughing from the fall I draw a breath and drag my self underneath the overhang. Seeing the impressions I made in the run I curse myself. It's obvious. I crawl back out and smooth out the mud best I can. Then I crawl through the mud back to the overhang of roots and earth. The smell of decay is prominent and noise is dampened like someone had thrown a blanket over my ears. I crawl until I come to a curve in the creek and I stop and assess myself. 

A split lip, multiple cuts and bruises, I am a mess, but nothing serious. The drug still has me constantly feeling a bit unbalanced and as I recover from the run nausea takes hold. A headache throbs between my ears becoming worse with each pound of my heart. Leaning over I heave again and again having nothing but water and stomach acid to produce. It ends leaving me with sore ribs and ragged breath, I wipe my mouth and lean back against the wall. My back hits the earth with a dull thump. It's hollow....

I turn and paw at the earth and it comes away in my hands easily. Using both hands I shovel dirt and soon I have a hole. Cold wet air hits me and with it come a realization.. an underground spring. I begin to shovel earth as fast as I can. It comes away easy and soon water is flowing around my knees. I pause and let the cold spring water do the work fro me. As soon as I can I shimmy my way through and find myself in the spring. The water has washed away any evidence of my excavation and to me it looks natural enough, so I leave the opening and begin to crawl on my hand and knees further into the spring. 

It is cold. Everything bites here: the air, the water, the walls of the spring. My skin is covered in goosebumps and I shiver regularly. I know if I stop I will quickly get too cold so on I slosh through the clear spring water.... away from the shadowy figure of Snake. In the back of my head I can hear his hiss and it prods me on.

 Swish slosh Swish slosh swish slosh......

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Hello all!!! It has been ages I know, but school was crazy this year. Life, you know. Please, give me an idea on what you think. Vote, comment, and message me with suggestions and questions!!!

Thanks, look for the next update within the next week. ;)