Lucky and the Killer ✔

On the Run

She ran six miles before falling on her back and praying to God for air. The night around her was black and angry. The wind hovered over her and invaded the surrounding space like an uninvited guest. She stared up.

"What now?" she whispered to herself.

She shut her eyes and listened to the wind and the crickets off in the distance. It was quiet. There weren't any cars. The sky above was just a blanket of charcoaled-velvet, but at least the rain stopped. The stars glittered in lines above her—each one a part of the tapestry God stitched together.

"God...," she whispered, "save him."

She thought back to the blood that ran across the floor into the puddle beneath him. Memories flooded back to her. She remembered King. She remembered her mother. She remembered just about enough to make her a piece of who she used to be, but at the end of the flashes, all she could see was darkness. And, the darkness made her want to forget all over again.

She rolled over on the cement and pushed herself back up off the ground. She'd actually managed to get away from him. Her fingers found the lint in her pockets once more, and she toyed with it as she thought about where to go or what to do next.

"I'm alone...," she whispered, and it stunned her. Her brain went blank on plans, and the only thing she thought about was standing alone on the street. Aside from her runaway-stay on Earth, she'd rarely ever been alone in her life. Someone was always there, but no one was there this time. King was gone. Gray and Zee were gone. Her parents were gone. It was just her and the air. The air kissed her lightly on the neck, and she shut her eyes again. She knew she had to move, but her feet wouldn't budge.

"What can I even do?" she mumbled against the wind's forced embrace. "I'm just me."

Her eyes sprang open again, and she started to run. She sensed someone, and they were near. The road was hard beneath her, but even it seemed to tremble against the wind's hand. Dimly lit, green and hollow street signs stood still as she ran past.

"King?" she whispered to herself.

Down a street lined with lights like soldiers, a figure stood. Lucky stopped. She stared at the black shadow at the end of the road. Even though she squinted, she couldn't make out who it was. Everything within her hoped that it just wasn't Gray.

The figure took a step, and as they did, the street lights on either side of the road went dead. One-by-one, the lights were killed by the shadow's steps. The air around them was clear and cold.

"I found you," the voice called out, and she instantly recognized it.

"Zee!" she yelled. Her feet carried her further down the street and down into the dark part of the road where he stood. When she got to him, she wrapped her arms around him—something she never thought she'd do again. "Thank God it's you. King's okay, then! You made it to him."

"Yeah," Zee said.

When she pulled away from him, she noticed his eyes were different. His blond hair shimmered like gold from the lights in front of them, but his eyes were dark and solid from the void behind them. He stared down at her, but he wouldn't smile or move.

"Zee?"

"Let's go," he said.

Lucky tilted her head up at him as he pivoted around and began walking away. She wasn't sure why he seemed so mad. He wasn't that way when he found her the first time on Earth. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was definitely wrong with him.

"Alright...," she whispered against the voice inside her head. It told her to stay where she was, but she followed behind his tall shadow anyway. "Are you okay, Zee?"