Orphan

Chapter 15 - Second Flag

Puffs of blood exploded, and chunks of meat blasted out, as arrows after arrow struck boys and girls. Some screamed. Others dropped. And more and more arrows shot out.I passed the first flag.The grass was flooded in red and brown. I was closing in on the faster kids but was it me? Bolt after bolt, more and more bodies dropped to the floor.I need to go faster. I had to outrun the arrows. "Go back! Go Back! Run the other..." a boy screamed. He couldn't finish. A very, very thin silver arrow stabbed him straight through his throat.Blood gushed out, and his body fell to the floor."Don't you dare turn around kids or stop. You will die."Why were they shooting us? Wasn't this just a race to the other side? I clenched my fist, bit my lips and ran as hard as I could. Desperately trying to listen out for the loud whistling sounds of bolts flashed by. I wanted to tell myself that it was going to be okay, that everything was just a dream, but with each scream and bam as children dropped to the floor.I was brought back into my nightmare.I was losing control of my body. It had a mind of its own, it trembled, shaking from head to toe. Come on, Evelyn, I screamed at myself. I had to focus. I have to concentrate on the flags. I focused my attention on the second flag and bolted out as fast as I could, my legs screamed for me to stop, but I knew I couldn't. If I stayed in one place, I was dead meat.Grinding my teeth, taking in quick deep gasps of air, I jolted left and right, slipping between the others. I was nearly there. Just another 10 metres. Step after step. I passed the second flag, just as I felt something smashed against my back, I fell forward, face first, slamming into the dirt.