My Hero?

Runaway

The last thing I remembered was running. Aggressive dogs were chasing me as I helpless sprinted away from a family; a family that was awfully cruel and strict. The devil of a mother determined on changing me, waring me down into a submissive maid. Her son, snobbish and arrogant; clearly inherited from mother dearest, a painfully disgusting look on his face whenever I was presented to him at functions. I was to be engaged to him in the following days, a visit turned into a trap. A trap in which I felt it was impossible to escape.

One night I decided, if I was to escape the shackles of this family it was now. I could find my disowned uncle in London, he would care and provide for me I was sure. Only I did not account for the wretched dogs. As I ran they appeared more like hell hounds leaping to drag me back to that hell; not before tearing me apart first. They looked hungry, this thought only made me run faster.
I managed to reach the gate and hop onto the decorative bars. Thank goodness for her ability to show off her wealth! If not I imagine those canines would have snapped my ankles for sure. From running to climbing I was exhausted. I couldn't stop now! I thought, clutching my heart as I ran into a wood nearby. The noise would have woken them, they'd be after me soon enough. I'd have no choice but to enter a possibly more hostile place.

My sense of time had shattered, minutes could have been hours. I kept moving, though much slower than before. The adrenaline could not keep me running but I never stopped walking deeper and deeper into the wood. My anxiety crept closer and closer to my thoughts. The darkness and silence only contributed to my fears. I was alone. Vulnerable. Scared.
I soon heard noises that would encourage me to run. The sound of crunching leaves snapping twigs. Far to big to be a fox or light deer. It was them! It had to be, that or a very large animal. Either way I didn't want to be caught. I ran so deep into the wood that the trees seemed to hug closer, roots were twisted and deadly and my feet would trip under the volume of defensive shrubbery. Finally I would a space to hide. A tree. Not any tree, this one was different. Thicker and darker than the rest. There was an abnormal cut in the bark. Large enough to fit my small body into. It would be temporary of course but I had to rest out of view. I tried to keep my breathing light, but the exhaustion kept me panting. In an attempt to blend in, I tried to push myself further into the tree. One foot at a time. Slowly contouring into the shape when a foot slipped... A dark hole unmissed. I felt the jolt of the fall and then darkness.