Short Stories

Outside The Walls

OUTSIDE THE WALLS:

  

HIS muscles burned. It felt as if he had been traveling for weeks.  In reality, he had been only traveling for a couple of hours. He felt so weak and tired; the dreary weather didn’t help either.

            He didn’t know why he decided to flee.  It seemed like a good idea at the time. But like all his ideas, he never really thought of the consequences. Out of breath and in desperate need of a break, he leaned against a chunk of building. It took him all his strength not to collapse right then and there.

            His lungs were on fire and his eyes stung. “No wonder they were never allowed outside the Walls,” he thought. That was when he heard a chorus of shouting. He froze, and felt adrenaline rushing through his body. Alert and aware, he carefully stepped away from the debris and started to run.   

            His heart was beating fast.  His body - riddled with fear - wasn’t able to register that the amount of noise he was making.   At that moment, he heard footsteps advancing. His heart rammed against his ribcage.

            In a desperate attempt, he sprinted.  His breathing became ragged and rough. That was when he heard the shouting again, but closer this time. He could even hear words: “Yuppie!” “Yoo-hoo! Come out and play!” “Stop running or you’re dead!”

            His heart pounded dangerously and he became lightheaded. Giving up, dead tired, he threw himself on his knees, causing him to slide a couple of feet from the momentum.  His jeans ripped and he cried out, but immediately regretted it. They could find him any second now.

            That was when he heard the crunching of glass and slowly turned his head. Four people were staring at him. He squinted his eyes to see them more clearly. They looked young, possibly his age; one of them stepped forward. “I got this one, Bunker,” a feminine voice said, “scat and I’ll see ya at the Cliff.” They all nodded and faded away into the fog, though the person who spoke remained.

            She cautiously approached him; each step caused something under her shoes to crack. He was overwhelmed, his heart beat fast and sweat slid down his temples. His vision was foggy. It was all so sudden that he hunched over and threw up.

            That was the last thing he remembered.

*

“Hey.”

“Hey, dude.”

“Hey.”

“Wake up.”

“Dude, seriously.”

Sigh.

“WAKE UP!”

His eyes shot open as his whole body tensed at the loud voice. Everything was foggy and for a split second he couldn’t remember anything. Then his memories came flooding back. Running away. Traveling alone. Being found. Sprinting from captors. Throwing up. Passing out.