I raced through the darkness as fast as my aching legs could carry me. My heart was racing at a hundred beats per second and I was panting heavily as I turned a sharp corner and halted to a stop. Silence. I ducked behind a wide tree that was standing, tall and proud, by my side.
They're gone. I've lost them.
I sat down amongst the wet ground of the forest. I grabbed a handful of soil in both hands and squeezed them tight, letting the earth seep through my fingers. The only thing I could hear was a soft rustling of leaves and the gentle dribble of a nearby river. A thick scent of nature wafted through the air. I glanced up at the black sky. A few faint stars were shining dimly in the distance and a bright moon was hovering high amongst ghostly clouds.
Footsteps. Light ones. I could hear them. They were quiet; but just loud enough for me to pick up. Panic rose in my chest.
"He must be here somewhere!" Voices. Distant voices. They were heading closer.
"Find him!" Another voice. Closer. Too close. I made myself as small as humanly possible, clutching tightly onto my knees. I heard a shout. A loud, furious shout.
"That bastard! He got away!" It was a deep, booming voice, one that seemed to echo in my ears for another ten seconds. Then I heard shouts. Of anger. Of frustration. Of... hopelessness. Then some more voices. They were too far away for me to hear what they were saying. They were still here. I could hear them, smell them, feel them. But they'd just... given up.
A wave of regret flushed over me. I didn't deserve to stay alive. I didn't want to. I didn't need to live anymore. My life had simply got to that point when there is no point in living anymore. What I did is unacceptable, and I can't expect forgiveness. Or any kind of respect, for that matter.
But there's still a way out of this! You can just run away now and live your life peacefully, forgetting this ever happened!
It was that voice. The same voice that had caused me to do what I did. Tears prickled the back of my eyes. I was alone. I stood up abruptly and stepped out from behind the tree.
"I'm here," I shouted as a tiny drop of water dropped down my cheekbone. As I wiped the tears away from my eyes, I saw something approaching me. A tall dark shadow. He was holding a gun. It was pointing towards me.
I took another step forwards. I watched as the shot spiralled towards my head and bashed into me at full speed. My body dropped limply to the floor, my legs no longer able to hold me up. I fell into the muddy earth.
Images. Voices. And then the world went black.
