Road to Anywhere

Girl Who Run Fast

Story written for "Gloves Up | A Multi-Genre Smackdown Contest", Round 3.1 (September 2022). Genre: Teen Fiction. Inspired by the quote: "Brave doesn't mean you're not scared. It means you go on even though you're scared." - from The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

Story word count = 2980

'Fear is the mind-killer,' I read somewhere once. True, I think. It took away my thoughts, paralyzing me, freezing me in place.

I have to fight it somehow.

They took me here inside the dam, locking me in an empty storage room, dark except for a faint moonbeam through a small window. The rumble of rushing water and the low generator hum vibrated the floor. They took Zach somewhere else, so I'm all alone here. Sitting in a corner, I drew in my knees and trembled, a sob escaping my lips.

Fight it!

Zach and I were out on an evening hike near the Crystal Reservoir when we noticed some strange activity at the concrete dam that spanned between two ridges above the city. As we investigated, people in black ski-masks took us at gunpoint. So here I am.

Built only two years ago, the dam had always been controversial, inviting contentious debate. One side claimed the benefits of clean hydropower and recreational opportunities, while the other objected to loss of the wild river habitat. The protests still occur, sometimes violent.

I flinched as the metal door creaked open and the light came on. Two entered. I gasped when the dark-haired female removed her ski mask. "Emma? What are you doing here?" She was my friend at school, or so I thought.

"Hello Jenna," she said with a blank expression. "I decided to make a difference."

"What kind of difference is this?"

Frowning, Emma answered, "For too long, mankind has raped the Earth. We plan to change that, starting now by destroying the dam."

I huffed in a breath. "What about the people downstream? And my mom! She's sick and won't be able to get away from the flood."

Emma shrugged. "There is collateral damage with every just war."

"Collateral damage!" I said, raising my voice as the implications twisted my gut. "What happened to you? I respected your environmental views, but since when did you get into eco-terrorism? Don't do this Emma."

As Emma opened her mouth to speak, the masked man interrupted with a growling voice, "We don't have time for this."

Following the man out the door, Emma turned to me. "You're as corrupt as Zach. Goodbye, Jenna." As the light went off, again I huddled in the dark.

The clunk of the deadbolt lock had a finality to it, as if the dam and I shared the same destructive fate. I saw the boxes of explosives when they brought me in.

And Zach. He was one of the few that really believed in me, cared for me. He helped keep me going in moments of despair, when I wanted to just give up. Sometimes, I hoped we would become more than best friends, but I didn't know how to make this happen. Random thoughts of being in his arms always made me tingle all over. Would I ever see him again?

The icy fear came back, spurred on by a wandering pessimistic mind. Coldness coursed through my veins, and I wrapped arms around myself. There must be something I can do. Think!

Running was all I've ever been good at. I took first place at the regional cross-country meet, earning a trip to the state championship. Running was also my escape from reality — from living in a rundown trailer by the river, from caring for my cancer-stricken mom, from the petty school dramas, from fear. When I run, I felt free and empowered, as if an Earth Spirit poured in through my feet.