We were here. It was a small church building, brought by these cruel monsters to hide their sinful ideas and practices. Under the eyes of the lord, in gods home. The men came around to us, we all looked up. We are fuelled with the sudden urge to fight, but with what? Our hands are bonded behind. The soldiers came close, trying to grab any part of us and I without thinking, kicked one of them in the face, he fell back grabbing his nose as drips of blood escape through the crack of his hands. The rest of the soldiers stepped back a little dazed. Without thinking, Willow hopped off the cart, running towards the woods as the soldiers break from their daze as one of them go after and like that, we all hopped off the cart, I ran towards the woods, the 40-year-old woman was shot with an arrow in the leg. I could hear her piercing scream as the soldiers grabbed her and dragged her back. I just kept running. The strain in my legs, the pounding of my heart, and the sounds of arguing guards and dogs don’t slow me down.
I can’t stop. If I stop I die. The trees flash past me, Autumn leaves, golden and dying fall in front of my eyes and crumble under my feet. Snapping, twigs snapping, the sound is in earshot behind me, they’re coming. I keep going for the hope of light at the end of the woods. I swerve around trees, I’m starting to wonder if I’m going in circles.
A tree trunk lays amongst the leaves, I get ready to jump over it. I can hear dogs behind me barking as they sway around the trees effortlessly. I don’t have the same skill or mobility to stay ahead. I curve around a tree branch, accidentally catching a piece of bark or a small branch that was sticking out, tearing my leg a little, I suck the air between my teeth. I can’t let them know. I survey the forest, I come to the conclusion that I’m safe enough to peer at my wound. The cut is not deep enough to be life-threatening but also is deep enough to cause blood to trickle out without any way of stopping. I panic. The dogs will find my scent even quicker now. Their blood-hungry. I try and think quickly, but the dog barks are getting closer. I slump down by the tree. There is no use running with this injury, I will only get so far.
The dogs are closer now.
I close my eyes.