The Painting

#18 The Only Connection - An T-aon Cheangal

I hit the ground like a ton of bricks, the impact jarring my entire body. An instant ache spread through every bone and every muscle. Momentum from my fall forced me to roll along the uneven terrain, not knowing which way was up and which was down.

The world was pitch black when I finally came to a halt. My chest jerked violently as I gasped for breath to replenish the air that was knocked from my lungs.

I took in my surroundings before I moved. I lay on my stomach, face angled uncomfortably in the grass. No immediate pains rose upon pressing my hands weakly into the solid ground as I did my best to pick my body up into a sitting position. Trembling hands traveled over my legs and torso before moving to my face checking for injury. Resting my palms on the crown of my head I took a few deep breaths. By some miracle, nothing was broken.

Tires screeched in the distance and my head snapped in the direction of the disruption. A red glare emitted in the midst of the darkness and the slam of a car door rang in my ears.

The entire world was distorted to me. Only the outlines of shapes were visible to my clouded mind but one word brought me to my shaky feet.

"May!" Lyle's voice echoed through the night.

My mind and vision were hazy from the fall but I rose, stumbling into the thicket of trees grasping onto each trunk as I moved. With each step I picked up the pace, shuffles turned into leaps as I bounced from tree to tree. The crunch of footsteps became louder behind me and I stopped caring about dodging the branches that grazed my body and face breaking into a full out run.

Lyle called my name again, her voice hoarse but closer this time.

The sound only encouraged my feet. Before I hurled myself from the car, I had only one thought on my mind.

Train station. I had to get to the train station.

I could see only shadows of trunks a few feet in front of me but I knew that the path Grace and Tony trail blazed years ago was close. It ran parallel to the road for several miles and judging the time I spent in the car we were less than a mile from town. Soon the path would curve slightly away from the road, leading toward the center of town stopping first at the train station.

My adrenaline laced body clogged my ears blocking out Lyle's calls as I focused on feeling the ground with my feet.

I gasped excitedly as I felt the smoother ground I knew to be the trail under the soles of my shoes. Ahead of me a dim glimmer of light shone through the chaotic line of tree branches. The train station stood at the end of the path. The thought of the safety in the building dominated my mind as I willed my legs to travel faster. My labored breathing was audible as I continued my pathetic run toward the light.

Suddenly a hand connected with my arm, dragging me backwards away from the refuge of the light. My instant scream muffled by another hand and I whipped around to come face to face with Lyle.

The heat of her right hand that held fast to my arm radiated on my skin and I jerked away but she did not budge. Her mouth pressed into a firm line as her nose flared in order to keep her breathing under control.

I waited foolishly for her to say something, something that would debunk the entire night - or maybe pinch me to wake up from this abstract nightmare.

She did neither of the two.

So I bit her.

Right on the index finger. She yelped in pain and released her grip.

"Get the fuck away from me." I snapped jumping back from her. I looked to my right where a fallen branch lay. It was no longer than two feet and thicker than a broom handle. I picked it up where it'd been freshly snapped and held it defensively toward Lyle.