Predator (DWT x OC)

3

I had to get out. 

The walls were suffocating me. Wilbur had forbade me from leaving, and the boys had sided with him in agreement. 

The unanimous decision to restrict only my autonomy was bullshit. A blind attempt to protect me. They could leave. They could escape the horrible pressure building up inside of the walls. I couldn't breathe. 

I wait until nightfall. The entire building is quiet, and I know the guards are light on the section of the wall I'm near, probably clustered near chairs to give their legs a break at this stage of the watch shift. I hop out of my cot in the med bay, where I normally sleep for some privacy. I ease the door open, muscles straining in anticipation of it squeaking, which thankfully it didn't. I see the flicker of Eret's lamp near the entrance, and saw his silhouette illuminated as he sat, watching in his chair. I have to move fast.

I walk quickly and as quietly as I could to the opposite wall, hidden by the trees and their thick, shadowy branches. Then I start scaling the wall. From the inside, climbing the wall is easy. A built in escape mechanism, to prevent the irony of our protection becoming our prison. It's the outside that's difficult. I move silently, biting my lip to prevent any grunts of exertion escaping as I heaved myself up the wall. Eventually, I reach the top, leaping down onto a tree, before sliding onto the ground. I grin to myself, mission success. 

I have a knife, large enough to do a decent amount of damage. I also have a basket, to collect herbs that can help me make remedies for the lighter ailments. The treks to other lakes were hard under the sun and light of day, but at night I could access closer ones. I stretch my shoulders and take a deep breath in of the new smells of the woods. It was refreshing, and feeling better than ever I let a smile creep onto my face.

I sit by a pond, scrubbing my dirty feet in the crystal water, dipping my hands in the coolness and splashing it on my face. I collect healing herbs that sprung in green tufts around the pool, fingers tracing the patterns on their leaves. Slowly I rejuvenate in the new environment, like I can breathe for the first time since the fire. 

I can see the faintest glow of the sun over the horizon. I have to get back. There was a small window where the guards would change over, in which I could sneak back in, but I had to get going now. I hastily gather my things when the muffled sounds of voices freeze me to my spot.

Shit.

Fuck shit fuck.

My basket is forgotten in the pulse of fear that shoots through me, the only singular thought I have is to run. I creep away from the voices, which were only getting closer. Three men were talking. 

Oh no.

I shuffle backwards, trying to flee as fast as I could without making any noise. My hand grips the handle of my knife tightly, bracing it in front of me like a lifeline. The thundering of my heart is loud, and there's a part of me that panics about them hearing how afraid I am. 

Their voices are unintelligible, but float through the silent forest easily, carried over the trees. I keep painfully backing away, slow, silent. 

And then I step on stick. 

The crack cuts through the air, echoing out. 

The men stop talking. There's a horrible second of silence as I'm frozen on the spot. 

 Then, I hear them crashing through the forest.

Abandoning any hope of being quiet, I turn and run, feet flying over twisted roots of trees and winding paths. My legs burn but I refuse to turn back, heart racing faster and faster as the footsteps and shouts got closer. I turn backwards for a second, catching the faint glow of torches. They were far too close. I whip back around only to stumble to a cliff edge. I'm trapped