Waiting for my death | Horizon zero dawn fanfiction

Chapter 17: Eternal Tracks

I shout loudly when my feet impact on the tracks, the sound of the train slowly dying out behind us. Cordelia, still holding my hand, tries to jerk me away from the tracks as I groan. She appears unbothered, meanwhile my lungs grasp for air as she desperately tries to drag me away. Walking on the wooden planks feels like creeping through burning coal, the immense pain never disappearing.

"Come on, Liv, there could be another train charging at us anytime!"

I stretch up my back, standing straight now. She never let go of my hand, she holds it tight like a clamp until we reach the grass. I release my grip from her and dive straightforward onto the ground, my hands uniting with the uneven earth on the ground. I feel it slip underneath my fingertips, unexpectedly having missed that bittersweet feeling.

"I can't believe we are alive," I say with my eyes closed, taking in a deep breath. The sweet smell of the unattended long grass tickles my nostrils.

"I told you that you could trust me with this plan."

I open my eyes, attentively inspecting my surroundings. The landscape of Colorado, with firm mountains eternally standing and rivers running deep into the vital valleys, never ceased to amaze the eye of man. The long grass would swerve slowly along the wind, like waves of an ocean, looking like white boats sailing across the field. Fir trees were dominating the sleek forest in front of the grass field, standing high like skyscrapers and wide like lampposts.

I turn to Cordelia, "how far away are we from Denver?"

"Just less than a mile," Cordelia replies, the sun illuminating her warm smile. "Don't worry, it's a short walk from here. We'll get to enjoy some nature. See it as a hiking trip."

"I was always a city girl. Nature scares me," I rise up and gaze upon the forest in front of me. The strong wind makes me feel Cordelia's coat flap against me.

"I did not expect that. I thought you would have a soft spot for these sorts of environments."

"Don't get me wrong, I do. But imagining what could lurk around the corners, it makes me feel so helpless and vulnerable."

I place a foot on the grass field now, the force of the wind hindering my every other step. It reminds me of when timothy grass would tickle my knees soothingly, running after Ivy while lost in our undying imagination.

"I get that," Cordelia says, only a few steps behind me. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't appreciate the beauty of what you could find in nature, even if you don't know what's hiding in the corners."

I giggle lightly, "is that some sort of metaphor?"

"Do you want it to be?"

We enter the forest, my shoes pressing down on wet moss below. I shiver from the sudden sensation, my socks getting soaked in the process. "It depends on what the metaphor is about."

Cordelia chuckles now. "You're better at words than me. I think you could come up with a good meaning yourself."

I hear the hiccuping sounds of frogs nearby. As I activate my focus, waypoints and tracks leading us to Denver circulate us like velvet fireflies. We follow the tracks, keeping close to each other. I feel my hand brush hers beside me, ducking beneath branches as we pave our way through the forest.

"Maybe it means that not all beautiful things ever truly lasts, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't appreciate them while we still can."

Cordelia shrugs hastily, grinning like a proud parent. She grabs a fir tree branch and moves it out of the way. I walk past it before she lets go, the branch snapping back into place faster than I could blink. "I mean, I didn't really think of that initially. But I think that sounds beautiful."