AN:

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W

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Sarani

I was running and running and running. I didn’t know how long I was running in this vast, dense forest, but I didn’t dare to stop.

The sound of my pursuers’ relentless pursuit echoed in my ears, driving me forward. A terrible pain in my bare feet spread through my entire body accompanied every step I took. Each foot had scratches and cuts that made running hard, but I couldn’t afford to let my guard down or give in to the pain.

The trees clawed at my arms and legs with their branches, leaving stinging scratches on my skin. I felt the burn of exhaustion in my chest, but I pushed it aside. I couldn’t let them catch me. The fear of what Medea would do to me if they caught me drove me to keep moving.

The horses thumping on the forest floor told me they were getting closer, and a surge of adrenaline swept through me. I gritted my teeth, pushing my tired muscles to their limits. I had been waiting for this chance for months to escape from Medea’s clutches, and I wasn’t about to let it slip through my fingers.

My heart raced in my chest as a distant shout reached my ears.

“She’s here!”

The words sent a jolt of fear through me, making my heart pound even faster. I glanced over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of the riders behind me. They were close, far too close.

“.”

I gritted my teeth, using all the strength I still had, and ran faster, but then, my foot caught on a hidden root, and before I could react, I was tumbling.

I rolled over, and over, pain shooting through my entire body as my back slammed into the ground. Rocks and debris scraped against my skin, adding to the pain. The impact left me winded, and I could literally see stars dancing behind my eyelids.

I struggled to steady my breathing, bringing a hand to my throbbing head, but when I pulled it away, I saw the warm, sticky wetness of blood.

Cursing under my breath, I forced myself to sit up despite the protests in my aching body. I needed to keep moving, to find shelter or a hiding place before they closed in on me.

The voices of my pursuers were getting louder and closer. Panic gripped me as I realized I was running out of time. I needed to find a way to hide, to disappear from their sight.

“I saw her here,” a voice called out, and my heart raced even faster and louder. The pounding was so loud, I was afraid they could hear it.

I hurriedly scanned my surroundings, looking for a spot to hide. And then I saw it. An enormous boulder that was partially hidden by a cluster of bushes.

I pushed through the pain and crawled toward the rock, desperation giving me the energy to move. I crammed my body into the narrow space between the rock and the bushes, trying to make myself as small as possible. My breath came in short, ragged gasps as I pressed my hand over my mouth, forcing myself to remain silent.

The sound of approaching voices and hooves grew louder. I held my breath, hoping they wouldn’t notice me and that the bushes would cover me well enough to keep them from seeing me.

“She cannot have run that far,” one of the voices muttered, frustration and determination in their tone.

“Keep looking,” another voice replied, colder and more determined. “She cannot have vanished into thin air.”

The riders were close, so close that I could practically feel their presence. I squeezed my eyes shut, my fingers digging into the dirt as I willed myself to become invisible.

Seconds felt like an eternity as the voices drew closer, the hoofbeats becoming a thunderous rhythm in my ears. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to move, to flee, but I couldn’t risk making a sound.

I didn’t risk my life to escape from that freaking place just to freaking die.

“She is just here,” the first voice said again, closer this time. “She cannot have run away that fast with just her feet.”

I pressed myself even tighter against the rocks, the fear in my chest threatening to suffocate me. The scent of damp earth and the distant chirping of crickets filled the air, a stark contrast to the tension that riddled my body.

The seconds ticked by slowly, so slowly that it felt like I could hear a clock ticking in my head, and then, as suddenly as they had come, the riders’ voices began to fade.

They were moving away.

I remained huddled in my hiding spot, not daring to move until the sounds from the men and the horses had completely disappeared. Only then did I allow myself to let go of the breath I had been holding, and the relief that followed hit me like a tsunami. The pain in my body was still present, but the overwhelming sense of relief overshadowed it.

The danger had passed, at least for now.

But I knew it was far from over.

As the minutes passed, I slowly got out of my hiding spot. The forest was eerily quiet now and the only sounds were the rustling of leaves in the wind.

I pushed myself to my feet, swaying slightly as my head throbbed in protest. Blood continued to trickle from the gash on my forehead, but I ignored it for now. I had to put as much distance as I could between myself and my pursuers.

With a final glance back at the direction they had gone, I turned and limped deeper into the forest.

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