Astray

One

Thump thump.
Thump thump.
Thump thump.

That was the sound of Eri's heart hammering in her chest.

The man who had been in charge of watching her—who had bangs covering his eyes and a pretentious smile that sent chills running down her spine—had gone over to other room to talk to another man. Across from her, her room was unlocked and slightly ajar. This was her chance...

Freedom.

She was tired of the needles and blood and being trapped to a chair. She was tired of the world going hazy and black, only to then wake up, finding herself on an oversized bed, her skin a fresh canvas. The toys never made her feel better—worse, if anything. It were as if the plastic dolls or cuddly bears were a taunting reminder that something as nice as a plaything couldn't give her joy.

Nothing could.

If she were to take this opportunity to escape, would he find her? Would he punish her? What about other people? Would he hurt them as a punishment?

She'd better stay and accept her fate. She must've committed terrible, unspeakable crimes to receive this fate she called hell. This life—if that's would you could even call this—wasn't worth living.

But she didn't want to die. Not again. She wanted to live. She wanted to be free. Was that so awful? Was it so awful that she couldn't seize possibly her only chance at escaping?

The horned child bit her lip. She couldn't remember a life outside of this one, but she sometimes got flashes of memories, probably from when she was younger. Much, much younger. And although she didn't know what the flashes meant, she associated the feeling that flickered in her chest with... happiness.

She wanted to feel that again. She wanted to feel that sweet emotion spread across her whole body. And before she even knew it, she had gotten up from her sitting position on the bed, threw the bedroom door completely open, and ran as fast as her little legs would let her. Her bare feet made small thudding sounds as they hit against the smooth tile of the building floor when she made her way to the exit. Her gut clenched with anxiety and her brain screamed at her to stop, but her legs did not obey. They moved and moved, and even when a man shouted for her to "get back here!", her body continued as if it would be the last time it'd be able to. Even when she heard footsteps that were much louder and heavier than her own following behind her, she didn't hesitate.

And for the first time in her life, she felt a sliver of hope.

She used both of her small hands to push the exit door open. The blinding sun poured onto her like paint as she got out of the building, still scurrying like the pest that she felt like.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! She's getting away! Get her, damn it!" One of the men behind her yelled. They sounded further away than she thought. Still, she didn't allow herself to slow down no matter how out of breath she already felt.

The bright red eyed girl halted for only a heartbeat to whip her head from side to side so that she could scan the area and find a place to run or hide. Her eyes darted to a small, shabby, wooden building down a narrow alley. There, she decided. She ran past the alley and hid behind a wall.

"She went that way!" The voice of her care keeper informed. The two other men followed him and bolted right past her.

Eri stood shakily until she could no longer hear heels on concrete. She exhaled and slide down to the floor, using the wall behind her as leverage. Her heart was still racing and her feet throbbed. She must've stepped on a rock or two.

As much as she wanted to stay behind that corner forever and cry herself a river, she knew that she'd ought to go to the wooden building where she could get help. The men would probably come back running here, desperate to find her. So she grunted quietly as she pulled herself back onto her feet, and approached the building.