13 May 2012
Keep going. Don't let them get you. My ragged breath is all I can comprehend. There is a weird taste in the back of my throat that I always get when I'm running. I'm covered in a mixture of sweat, tears and blood.
I stumble.
No. I don't have time. Keep going. I hear a voice in my head. Don't give up. Never give in. But I can't listen to that voice or I'll remember. They told me not to remember.
I hear the metallic hiss that means he's transforming. Keep going. Faster. Don't give up. Never give in.
My already blurry surroundings start to spin in response to the ever louder voices in my head.
I'm falling. Tumbling roughly. Then hurtling downwards as the ground disappears.
I hit the water hard. The new sharp pain and unforgiving chill revive me. I start to swim in smooth, steady strokes. He won't have followed me. His improvement won't allow it but I can't waste time.
Keep going. Her voice is quieter now my thoughts have cleared. I think of our escape. Only two survived and one of them promptly turned traitor. I only escaped because I'm small and fast. But in this world, a world of giants, it makes all the difference.
I've reached a small, grotty beach. The gritty sand is grey and draped in rubbish but perched behind the tall, dying grass a run-down hovel is hiding. I wade ashore and am almost instantly dried by the sweltering heat. I trudge up to the building and gingerly touch the door. It swings open silently. Something's wrong.
Don't give up. Never give in. She's back. I walk warily around the room. Its sepia tones make me sad. Why? Don't try to remember. They told you not to remember. Don't give up. Never give in. Why won't she be quiet?
I see a rotten door hiding behind the useless fridge. Don't give up. Never give in. She's deafening now, urging me towards the door.
I take one creaking step. Then another.
Silence.
Keep going, she whispers.
I turn the tarnished doorknob and enter a dark room.
My sister is lying, unmoving on the floor. Dead. At the feet of ... Him.
The woman is cackling with glee.
I remember.
Running • Opuss № I