Fighting My Way Out

Under and Out

Ahead, I heard the trickle of water and hoped for a stream or a brook of some kind to lose the dogs. Before my eyes could register, my tortured feet slipped into bitingly cold water. The stream didn't seem overly deep, enough to reach just above my ankles. It burned, but I knew I would go numb eventually and pressed on toward my left. The water would hopefully mask my scent from the dogs; the humans I would just have to outrun. The rocks were slippery as I ran, all my focus was diverted to not falling and injuring myself further. But I took a moment to listen to the night sounds around me. The howls had fallen away, no call of humans with flashlights. I doubted they had truly abandoned the hunt; no doubt they migrated somewhere else. So I continued to wade through the water hoping to come across a road or bridge I could follow.

Instead, I encountered a tall chain link fence stretching out on either side for an indeterminate amount of length. The only way out was under and hopefully not drown in the process. I took my chances, kneeling down into the frigid water, hissing as the liquid seared into my open wounds. I tried to pry up as much of the metal fence as I could before flattening my beaten frame against the rocks. Shuffling against the stream's current, I collided with the fence. Metal ends clawed into my back, splitting skin open. When I nearly screamed, water rushed into my mouth. I gurgled and gagged, forcing myself to move faster, despite my ripping flesh. It felt as though it took hours to reach the other side before I re-emerged, gasping. The bitter air seared my lungs and numbed my cuts.

The fence behind me, I stumbled toward some invisible destination. My vision blurred momentarily and I wondered how much blood I lost. The mantra in my head was 'keep walking, do not pass out'. My feet stepped onto something hard, cold, and flat; my mind distantly registered that as a road. I looked around the quiet darkness, having no idea where I was or where the nearest town could be. I picked a direction and hoped for the best. That was just like when I escaped Jill and Allen's, not knowing where to go; but that time I refused to be caught in another trap. I prayed to any god, angel, or demon listening that I didn't pass out on the side of the road again.