Running with Wolves

5

I awake running.

Trees and branches snap at my arms and legs as I go. My feet racing along the forest floor like there's no tomorrow and I don't want to stop. I keep running and running and running, never slowing down. Only getting faster. The green of my surroundings blur together into a beautiful abstract painting.

Until I stop. Frozen on the edge of a cliff overlooking a beautiful sunrise only, it's not a bright yellow sun that's rays will illuminate my every feature in a firefly gold. It doesn't glow a beautiful gold but a destructive red. It burns everything it touches like a ghastly orange grin, tearing through the verdant woodland. Unfettered flames, devouring hungrily, licking and lapping at the coppice, twisting and swaying in a dance without rhythm. The blackened bodies and charred bones of the trees are left behind as the fire rages on before me.

My heart sinks at the sight, everything burning. The light slowly travels until it graces my face. I wait for the burning sensation to overcome me, wait for a searing pain as it burns my skin to dust and my soul into nothing.

But it never comes.

"Mummy! Please wake up!" I hear the terrified cries of Mia as she shakes me awake. I gasp in a breath as I sit up to look at her sobbing figure. "I-I thought you di-died." She sobs loudly in the bathroom.

"Oh, no. No. No. I would never leave you." I sit up and wrap my arms tightly around her shaking frame. She continues to wail in my arms. I rock us back and forth steadily in the bathtub until she calms down.

I go grab a cloth from under the sink and use it to clean her up before doing myself. I slowly open the bathroom door and see that the sun is shining so the creatures cannot hurt us. I step into the light of the sun, relief rushing through me at the sight of beautiful yellow rays rather than the burning red ones.

A refreshing feeling runs through my body and a smile sets on my lips. Mia refuses to leave my side so I take her to get her changed before doing myself, ensuring she doesn't get a look at my bruised torso. The bruises on my face only got worse in the night so I use my hair to try and cover them the best I can. I run my fingers through my hair numerous times until it looks somewhat presentable, not that it really matters. No one in Outpost 5 is actually clean.

I head to the kitchen and frown since I can't cook us any soup for a long time without the cooker. It'll be 3 months of wages before I can get us a new one. I guess we could eat it cold...nope. I'll just buy us bread and fillings until then.

I make a sandwich and place it in front of Mia but she shakes her head. "I'm not hungry. You have it." She denies.

"Mia, you need to eat." I urge her.

"So do you. I had lots yesterday." She tried to persuade me.

"Don't argue with me." I give her a warning glance but she just puts her hands on her hips, "Mia, eat your breakfast." I say with a pained sigh, "Please."

"But- but you're hungry." She frowns.

"If I was hungry I'd have something to eat, wouldn't I? I'm not a silly billy." I shake my head. I know she doesn't believe me but she just nods her head. She picks up the sandwich and takes a big bite out of it. I smile and go round to kiss her head.

I decide to busy myself by doing her hair in some braids. My mum taught me how to braid hair for when I did sport at school. I used to be a track star, I was nationally ranked before the war.

"Thank you." She turns and wraps her arms around me. I smile and hug her back.

"Lets go." I go pick up our bags but she stops me.