Headspace // Joshler

ғᴏʀᴇsᴛ ғʟᴏᴏʀ

Josh quickly navigates his way through the unknown house, not paying mind to details as he's in a hurry to not get caught. The heel of his small black boots taps against the floor with a small thunk as the boy runs around corners, rose decorated skirt flowing behind him.

Josh shivers as the atmosphere falls uncomfortably silent when he stands still to decide which door he wants to run out. The front door seems like the better option because it would put him on a street that he could then use to figure out where he is. He jolts when a loud thunk comes from across the house. His heartbeat rises, he's not sure if his heart can take this much fright at once. The boy clutches onto a random hoodie he had picked up off the back of the couch as he flings the front door open, not bothering to close it behind him. He knows he will freeze within minutes if he goes out that door shirtless.

Josh almost slips when he reaches the porch, stopping dead in his tracks. His eyes widen at the several shades of green surrounding of the house. The boy's hopes of being on a familiar street crumble to smithereens when his eyes take in the sight in front of him. Tall trees surround the house from all sides, the buildings sit in the middle of a nice forested area. Josh's eyes scan the trees, hoping to see some kind of gap, he wishes to see asphalt roads and grey rooftops. He wishes that his eyes deceive him, that it's just a couple of trees. The wind playing in the branches shatters all the hope Josh had left in him.

The boy quickly tugs the stolen hoodie over his head as the cold air nips at his bare chest. He ignores the paint smearing around the collar as it slides along his face. He descends down the slippery stairs, slick from the fresh rain. His boots slide on the surface as he skitters away like a scared dog. Josh's heart seems to stop for a moment when he loses balance for one second.

The boy's eyes miss the path hidden by a bush, he takes off in a random direction not really knowing which way to go. Josh has no clue where he's going or how deep in the woods they are. He glances around hoping to see a car but then quickly realizes that in order to start the car, even if he found one, he'd have to head back for the keys. He doesn't let that cloud his mind as his feet carry him far from the worn down home that contained his captor. Josh's feet move fast, he heads into the forest with a heartburn in his chest.

His mind is so preoccupied with finding some kind of help that he doesn't notice the tears continuously streaming down his rough skin. His tears gather and blind him as he runs. Everything's so blurry that he isn't surprised when his foot gets caught on a stray vine and sends the boy tumbling onto the muddy forest floor.  Josh yells out in pain as his ankle twists a way it shouldn't, knees sliding along the rocks and fallen pieces of bark. A faint ripping sound comes from his skirt as it gets caught on a branch. He doesn't have to look to know the tight-fitting knee socks had been torn.

A soft sob comes out as a hiccup, he feels the heat on his skin before it's replaced by throbbing pain. Josh scrambles off the forest floor, knees and palms bloodied, muddy. It hurts so much, every step is a torture. The boy had probably pulled his ankle, he feels it. The pain doesn't stop him, the panic in his veins forces him to push forward ignoring every other sense. Run, run, run. Run as fast and as far away as you can. Run till your legs break and your lungs give out. Run till your heart stops.

The forest continues, the boy feels like he's been running for hours but it's been only ten minutes. He's sure that he had run away far enough, a sob flies out of his mouth when he can still see the house from afar when he turns away. Josh stops for a minute to rest, the house is seen due to the hill he's resting on. The forest is like a giant ocean, it descends down and suddenly rises. Josh hides in the shadows afraid that he'll get noticed. He breathes deeply, he can see more once he's on a higher place. Josh looks around frantically, trees still blocking his view. Suddenly, his eyes catch a thin grey line far away in the distance. Josh realizes it's a highway or some kind of important road that probably leads back to the city.