Us Against the Apocalypse

1 - Keep Running

She had to keep running, no matter what.

She couldn't remember why, but something was telling her that she couldn't stay here, that she had to keep on her toes.

Crumpled up in her fist was a damp sheet of paper, though she'd forgotten where it came from or any significance it had held in the first place.

Branches snagged her clothes - clothes which she could never remember purchasing - as she sprinted through the dense forest. Moonlight peering through the towering trees implied that it was night, or was at least near that time.

Whatever the girl was running from, would it still be able to catch her?

Only time would tell.

One possible source of optimism for the girl was that she couldn't hear anything aside from the faint rustle of the breeze, meaning that she was most likely alone. If a human was chasing her, which was the worst possibility, then she'd definitely have outrun them by now. Even so, she wasn't fully confident yet and couldn't slow down, not even for a second.

She felt her grip on the piece of paper she was holding loosen, and fought to keep ahold of the treasure. It could tell her what'd happened, and why she couldn't remember anything. If she was being especially optimistic, she could even stop to read it right now.

But, even though the girl was a blank canvas, she wasn't stupid enough to risk her life.

Something was telling her to keep moving, so she would, even if she kept going all night long. A couple of roots threatened to slow her down, but the girl quickly jumped over them and proudly looked behind her.

It seemed that she was fairly agile, which came as no surprise considering how long she'd been racing across the leafy terrain.

'Is anyone out there?'

It wasn't a cry for help; she simply wanted to hear the sound of her own voice. It was gentle and soft but strained after all of the exercise. It was, without question, a girl's voice.

Even though her memories had completely abandoned her, the girl was fully aware that she was human, and some things in this forest weren't. She knew that she, like many other humans, had been raised by a family, and had already spent over a decade developing into the person she was today.

The irritating part was that those many years had now been thrown away from her.

Finally, she was beginning to tire, and her legs were aching treacherously. She'd been jogging feebly for a while now, but knew that there wasn't much more distance she could cover. Instead of ploughing onwards with increasing determination, she found a cosy rock and sat down.

Was her lack of memories dangerous?

It was a question that she'd been avoiding for as long as she could remember, which was about five minutes.

She opened her fist, relaxing her pale fingers as she removed the crumpled slip of paper. She'd almost forgotten about it and felt a stab of relief as she held it close to her face. Bit by bit, she unfolded it, careful not to rip or damage it in case it was important.

Moments later, it was gone.

'W-What?

Panic seeping through her, the girl immediately leapt to her feet, suspecting that the wind had snatched the paper from her hands. Up until now, the breeze had been lazily dormant, whistling every once in a while to show it was still there. It was difficult to believe that it'd ripped the paper from her hands, but she didn't see any alternatives.

When she finally collapsed onto the rock again, feeling hopeless, she realised with a jolt that she wasn't alone.

'Who...?' she trailed off.