The One Way Ticket To Hell [BXB]

VIII

And I ran, like the winter breeze colliding into inanimate objects and crashing waves hitting the shoreline. Like eagles soaring across indigo skies and a herd of cheetahs racing through verdant meadows. My long, chocolate-colored locks whipped back and forth behind me like a fiery tale as I flung himself over sharp rocks and heavy tree trunks. I didn't know where I was nor did I know where I was heading. I had no idea what time it was and didn't care. All he knew was he had to keep running forward. Not stopping for anything.

The heavy footstep began to fade until the only ones I could hear were my own and an occasional bird chirp or two. My mind was foggy and my lungs were burning, the harsh winter wind slaps me across the face each step I take. My vision was clouded by tears as my cheeks were damp and moist with them too. I had to keep going, though I knew I couldn't keep it up much longer as my lungs were burning.

It hurts, I didn't know why or how. It started as an uncomfortable tingling pull in my chest, directed at my heart. The further I ran the more my heart began to ache. My mind was begging me to go back and collapse in his arms, but the other half of me forcing myself to continue. Reminding myself those were the vile creatures that killed Lenani. I had to do right, find a way back to the village. Ladon's sad worried face, as it morphed into shock, was on my mind. His cries of pleasing and telling people to go after me. I don't know who he is, but it felt as if my heart and soul was connected to him. I know I sound as if I'm bluffing but it did, I was so close yet so far.

My body stopped as exhaustion took over. I toppled onto the wet grass with a huff, my panting could be heard from miles away. There's a certain level of tiredness that equates to insanity; for me, it's when I'd like to temporarily dislocate my spirit from my body as if I could ask God to take me out for just a short while, let my soul go wherever souls go to be zen. I'm a fairly brave person, I am, but sometimes I just don't wanna feel the process of recovery all over again. I know I'll wake up feeling okay in the morning, it's simply a level of worn-out-ness that hurts. Though this time, I don't get to have a bed to sleep on. My throat was raw and dry, my legs sore, my heart thumping fast and longing for him. I don't understand this strange feeling. A feeling that takes over my entire being, my will, my thoughts. It's like a dark pit, but it doesn't seem so dark, maybe light even. You fall into the pit, it fills you without you ever even knowing you were once empty. It's like walking into an unknown house, taking the risk, and finally calling it home. Home. I miss home, and I'm going home.

I awoke with a heavy heart. It felt as if somebody took my soul and tied it to a tree, miles back, I felt a pull and it hurt. Ignoring the hurt feeling in my soul, I focused on the sound of the rush of water. Water, my throat became even more impossibly dry thinking about it. My feet made its way towards the sound of water until I was met with white water cascaded down a series of rocky outcrops, giving the effect of many waterfalls rather than just one. It was not the gentle sort of waterfall you might see in a stately home garden, it was the kind where torrents of water are poured over rocks hard enough to crack your skull and mash your brains on the way down, then swirl in a plunge pool below deep enough to drown you if you survived the fall. From the bottom it was awe-inspiring, from the top it was brutal and terrifying.

I quickened my pace as I sat near the bank and began to drink. The cold water ran down my dry throat, a comforting sigh escapes my mouth as I close my eyes in bliss. The burning sensation in my throat slowly faded as I wet my lips for what seemed like the first time in forever. I lie back down on the grass, right as my stomach rumbled. Making me regret my decision of not eating breakfast with Ladon first before I ran. Ladon, I wonder how he's doing. My mind was brought back to his annoying attractive features, his kind gestures, and everything more. This feeling was starting to bubble up annoyance and rage inside me, though every time I saw his smile in my mind again, every negative emotion turned up and left and this comforting feeling of warmth and something else washes over me.

Soon, the emptiness in my stomach started to become unbearable. The sky had already become an orange-gold stretch far and wide, the color of fire hearths and tangerines. It is but the reflection of the dawn, the promise of the rising sun that comes after the velvety night has had its say and the land has rested once more. My stomach snarled and howled and from it came the not-so-subtle undertone of pain. It came in waves and it seemed as though my stomach was slowly digesting itself. I clutched at it, pulling it this way and that in an attempt to silence it but to no avail. It cried even louder, earning me a few curious stares. It was a slow pain, eating away at your stomach and leaving you feeling drained and empty.

With a groan, I got up from the grass for a search of food. The soft orange glow of the sunset laid upon the forest, bringing a soothing olive-brown onto the trees, unlike their usual lively green. In the distance could be seen as a small tree, the size of a large bush. Though that strange tree was not what had caught my eye, it was the rosy apples that seemed to glow under the sunset. The branches of each tree spread out as if so proud of the bounty they brought and sweetness has given within each one. It was a party of colors, of chaos and order, of a beauty that sprung from simple seeds blessed with mud and rain. I reached my hand to the red fruit in hopes of its sweet flavor filling my tastebuds and filling my stomach, stopping the painful hunger swell in my body.


The apple had a gold star radiating from the stem, gently blending with that color as vibrant as love's blush. It rested there, in the nest of my fingers, giving a calming coolness upon my palm - solid enough to be noticed, light enough to stay there. Wet and crisp as I bit into it, it broke between my teeth with a soft crunch. The lingering sound drifted around my ears, filling my heart with pleasure. Icy sweetness filled my mouth and for a moment, all fell still, as if a wave of content had drifted past and frozen the world solid. I kept on chewing, biting until it was all gone. Then went to get another, and another, another. After 4 apples or so, my stomach was content without its growling and rumbling. A smile drifted onto my face as I watched the glowing dots in the dark sky.

The eerie darkness of that night would never escape my memory. I clearly remember the pitch-black curtain draped over the sky and the twisted, warped shapes that the stars made against the blackness. The milky speckles twirled and danced along the sky in various patterns, tugging at the corners of my lips in a way that almost made me smile. It was hard to shove aside the worries corrupting my mind, but eventually, I stopped walking over the soft sand below my feet and just... stopped thinking. I was alone. Nothing from my life could touch me. Not a single thing could harm me. I stared up at the sky and studied the silver glow of the moon. She smiled down at me with love so intense it warmed my soul like a fireplace on a cold winter's night. And there I was, standing on the shore at midnight to escape my life at home, not wanting to do anything but cry. But the look that the moon gave me didn't cause the storm to go on inside of me. Instead, a hot blue fire flickered in my heart and soon started to grow, eating at all of the dark emotions in its path. My worries burned away, and the tears that were starting to form at the corners of my eyes melted down my cold face with a rush of relief.

Crying felt good, especially when they were tears that I didn't want to push away. They weren't drops of sadness, no. They were more like the feelings of joy, relief, happiness, and freedom streaming away from my hurt eyes. They were temporary cleaners to wash away the pain. I felt like I could let the floodgates open with a single snap of my fingers. I stared up at the sky and continued to let my pain run away for the moment. The cold midnight waves rolled in and tickled my feet as I laid on the cold yet soft grass underneath it all, wishing to go back home as soon as possible. Though now, I do not even know where home is.