Our Fate ☾ H.S.

02

- WARNING: Detailed-graphics may be triggering to some viewers -

My mind is numb, ignoring the sharp shards of glass cutting my feet.

In front of me is a scene straight from a horror film.  My parents lie in pools on their own blood on the now stained wood flooring.  One bullet hole pierces a bullseye in each of their emotionless faces.

My shaky hands cover my mouth, my body completely in shock.  A calloused hand interrupts my moment of stillness, wrapping around my forearm.

"We need to go.  Now."

My wide eyes snap to the man responsible for the scene in front of me.  Without a second thought, I instinctively throw a punch right to his face, and another to his throat, cutting off his air supply.

In his moment of weakness, my feet break out in a sprint.  I throw open the entrance door, using all the momentum I have to flee down our street.  Behind me, I hear curses being thrown my way, the three men hot on my trail, but I'm determined to get as far away from them as possible.  I didn't even have time to process where my panicked state was leading me, but it was right in the eye of the border of Utopia where we'd be trained to avoid.

No one ever went south of the communal-living headquarters, which was surrounded in deep, jaded forests.  We'd heard in history class of the dangers - wild-life, poisonous substances in every direction, and most importantly, The Imperfect. 

Those who were rejected by the Utopian society were forced to flee into the trees, and those who ever encountered them told stories of the aggression and lack of mercy these people held.  It was said that they held a great grudge over our citizens', jealousy and rage determining their actions.  However, I don't have any other option but to take cover in the thick brush feet away from me.

Once I break through the first few towering trees, my eyes are scanning the whole landscape, searching for some safe place that I could use to shelter myself from the evil men still racing towards me.  Nothing is in site, so my first instinct is to keep running as long as I can.  I know that my youthfulness will help me outrun these men when it comes to time, but naturally, they are quicker on their feet and have done this a few times before.

It seems like fifteen minutes go by before I smell smoke in the distance, some source of light illuminating a large area of trees about half a mile ahead.  The closer my feet take me, the clearer a giant, wooden wall comes into my vision, relief washing over my body. 

With all the breath left in me, I start screaming as loud as I can, hoping someone on the other side of that wall will hear my cries for help.

"Please, help me!"  I repeat, my lungs screaming for more air as I crash into the wall, my legs feeling like jello.  My arms, covered in cuts from the sharp pines, pound as hard as they can on the doors as I hear footsteps stomping behind me.  "Help!"

"You bitch!" A rough voice barks behind me.  The moment I turn to meet the men behind me, a hand slaps my face in the other direction.  My clammy hands grasp my cheek in pain, an intense stinging sensation throbbing where I'd been struck.  The three men stalk towards me, pinning my exhausted body against the splintered wood.

"Oi!" A voice shouts from above us.  All of heads snap up to meet a blonde man, geared up with a large gun and hardy vest.  "What the hell is all the ruckus for?"

"We have a runner," one of the men finally speak, spitting his words with annoyance.

The wooden wall parts just enough for me to be shoved through, my body not even fighting as I crash down onto the prickly brush below me.  At this point, I could fall asleep right where I was, even with the tons of eyes on me, belonging to a crowd of people that look to be armed and just as unhappy with me being here as I am.