The Ashen Wrath (Watty's SHORTLIST recipient 2018) CHAPTERED VERSION

*23

       

There was no fence indicating the edge of Zone 28. No discernible border to cross. Fear usually sufficed to keep everyone within their assigned plots, zipped up in their tents. I squatted next to a butterfly bush and waited for my eyes to adjust to the dark.

I squinted into the open plain, seeing waist-high grass stretch to the edge of the valley before giving way to rocky hills topped with dense trees. What laid beyond the hills was a mystery—nothing else could be seen aside from a ridge of snow-topped mountains far in the distance.

I looked at my watch to consider my options. Having less than an hour, there was no choice but to run. I'd only have enough time to see if anything was on the other side of the hills before being forced to sprint back to the village. The risk was incredible and reward negligible, but I decided to press on.

I started running through the grass before I could talk myself out of the decision. The tall green blades whipped against my body until my clothes were soaked with dew. I kept my pace up, hoping not to twist my ankle on a rock or sink my leg into a rodent hole. A gibbous moon cut through the darkness just enough to illuminate the edge of the outcroppings in the distance, keeping me on course. I obsessed over the dials of my watch—time was quickly running out.