Run

The First Flash

The first thing that comes to me in this first flash of lightening is that I am running.

I know nothing, have no memories, my mind is blank apart from this one instinct to keep my feet flying along the pale, dusty road. I glance quickly at my surroundings - the land around me is barren and dry, barely a tree in sight, except for the fact that to my left is an arc of smooth grass surrounded by tall oaks, and in the small niche next to the road are thinly spread birches and bushes. As I register the climate around me, I begin to register my situation and the figures near me.

A girl with long, straight dark hair and pale skin is desperately pounding the road in front of me. In my mind, I know that her name is Laura and she is on my side. I don't know how I know this - it isn't a memory, just an instinct that I know to be right. As I glance behind me, I see another girl pursuing us. She is smaller and has shoulder-length brown hair. I know her to be called Rose. A boiling and poisonous hatred builds up inside me towards her. It is as much as I can do not to spit it out at her.

Everything starts to speed up and become a blur. I am still disorientated after the first flash of my life, so I feel dazed, but my natural instincts kick in. Laura yells at me to pull ahead whilst she distracts Rose; I feel immensely guilty at leaving her to die, but I know that if I do not do as she says, we will both die. I burst ahead at a sprint as Laura darts into a corner. Rose pursues her instead of me, which makes me realise that Laura is more of a threat. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Rose shooting bolts of electricity out her fingertips with some sort of device, and hear Laura's screams. Even though I know I should run, I can't help looking back at Laura for the last time.

As I turn around, I collide with another girl. She has short, curly blonde hair and my knowledge again tells me that she is called Tessa. I realise I have lost my chance at escape through colliding with her, so my instincts take over and I grab her, pulling her to the ground with me and diving behind the shallow clump of birches and bushes. Tessa's emotions are not as rigid on the outside as mine are, so she starts to sob and cry out to Laura, but I clamp my hand over her mouth and lie flat, hoping that Rose does not see us.

From lying so still, I start to notice a huge black outline ahead of me. I can't believe that I missed such an obvious building. It is a giant black castle, at least five hundred years old, but it has a menacing air to it. My knowledge tells me that it is a prison, and I can tell that myself by the barbed wire around the windows and turrets. Outside the colossal oak doors are a loose clump of men of all ages, from teenagers to old men. They all have a dead, haunted look in their eyes as if they have given up all hope.

I know that this is an evil place, even without my knowledge telling me so.

Suddenly, Laura's and Rose's shapes smash into the road in front of me. Incredibly, Laura has managed to overpower Rose's electric device and has turned to hand-to-hand combat. In spite of Rose's size, she is slowly gaining the upper hand of Laura. Laura struggles valiantly but is gradually waning. The hatred inside of me for Rose is becoming too much to bear, especially with her beating Laura to a pulp. I know that I could overpower Rose easily - especially with the element of surprise on my side. I can visualise the blows to her face so well, and my desperation to feel her blood on my hands is overcoming me.

Eventually I cannot take it any longer. I leap out of my hiding place and tackle Rose with a screech. She is completely unprepared for the attack so I have already got a huge advantage. I aim the blows at her face thick and fast, and they feel so good. She is already beaten and moans in pain, but I am unable to stop my hands raining down onto her bloody form. It strikes me that she must have done something completely terrible for me to want to hurt her so much, but I do not know what it is she has done. She is starting to become limp under my fists when I am suddenly aware of Laura wrenching me away from her.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she hisses at me as she pulls me up and we start to run, Tessa following, her eyes red and raw. "Okay, you can get her out of action, but you of all people know not to kill one of them. Just follow me from now on; we need to get back, and hopefully not get into any more trouble on the way. Got that?"

I just nod feebly, and let her drag me away along the dusty road.

I still have no idea who I am or what is wrong with this fucked up world.