Keep Running

"Come on, you're so close!"

Your voice is far away. All I can feel, hear, smell, taste, is the fear. It's suffocating. It's terrifying. It's enveloping me and taking me into it's mouth. I can feel them behind me, their breath on my heels.

"Faster!" Your call is lost to my ears; all I can hear is their heavy breathing and the fear, the terrible fear. I am no more. I wish I was a bird, or a beast capable of taking them on. I am not. My heart is too delicate, too delicate for this sort of pace.

But it's you telling me too keep running. It's you saying I can do this. And your voice gives me energy. I increase my pace, but it seems I get no closer to you. I am still too close to them, they follow me with precision and grace.

"Come to my voice! I'll help you!" You say, but I cannot see you. I can hear you now, only slightly better because your voice lifts some of my fear. But in a moment, the strongest is on my tail, snapping and trying to reduce me to nothing.

You tell me you're close. You tell me just a little farther. I don't know if I can take this. Even your powerful voice is losing affect on me now. There are shadows left in my vision.

Black waves are threatening to crash over me. You yell at me not to give up, you tell me you'll protect me when I make it to you.

You say 'when' instead of 'if'

For a moment, I'm so sure I'll make it to you. How can I even be afraid of them? I have you! They have no one but themselves! I could take them on! I am strong, with your voice in my ears and an image of you in my head.

I leap forward, turning to stare at the great beasts before me. A cat is no match for the wolves before me. They have been waiting for me to turn. My flanks heave. My body is so close to collapsing. I've been running for longer than I can remember.

The strongest lunges for my throat.

I die with you in my mind. I go to the place of souls, the place you've been waiting since years long past...