DARK RED [ITADORI Y.]

―XVII. POISON

CHAPTER XVII. PEOPLE ARE POISON.

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MUD sploshed under the multiple sets of footsteps. A distance behind me, I could hear the clomping of horseshoes. My heart was racing in my chest, and I feared it would jump out of my throat if I wasn't careful. Shouting filled the air, the lights from the torches illuminate the sides of the trees.

I raced through the forest, going as fast as my body would let me. All this running through the trees, jumping over logs, slipping in the mud, and hallucinating from the mist the rain created was making me lose it. I wanted to give up. My sides were aching and my legs felt like jello. It was a miracle I was still running.

But the woman in front of me was what was keeping me going. She was ahead of me, frantically looking left and right. I followed after her, stepping in the places she did. She was a lot faster than I was, and it was hard to see her through all of this mist and fog.

It was cold. I was soaked; my hair clinging to my face, my dress clinging to my body. My shoes were full of rainwater and mud and were beginning to make my feet ache as I ran even more. I could feel the blisters on my feet breaking, and the hot blood running across the icy skin.

Thunder bashed around us, making me jump. My breath caught in my throat, and I quickly glanced behind me. The horses cried out loudly before tipping back, threatening to spill their riders into the mud. The others paused to help before returning their pursuit after us.

They never stopped. There were always after us. We couldn't even go into the village without them pouncing on us. We hadn't even done anything! We were just buying things in the market, just as they would do.

We weren't any different than they were. But still, they chased us out with torches and swords, yelling profanities and threats as if we were animals who'd dug in their trash. It was unfair how they treated us.

But there; that was the slash in the tree. We were almost home. I remember watching her tear the blade through the trunk to mark our way. She'd smiled so sweetly at me then.

The woman turned back, realizing that I wasn't directly behind her. Panicked, she found me, swept me into her arms, and continued on her way. I felt relief wash over me, the constant pain in my feet slowly easing. I clung to her as she put her hand on the back of my head, securing me against her.

She ran some more before glancing behind her, seeing that the men had stopped. They never came past that point. So, she slowed her pace down to a walk, holding me tightly against her.

When we had returned to the cottage, the rain had begun to lighten up. It was warmer on the inside, making both of us sigh with relief. She shut the door, pushing her shoulder against it to make sure it was tight, before pulling the wooden board in front of it. She jiggled the handle just to be sure.