Run.

Whilst lazily wandering the wooded paths of the forest, you couldn’t help but think about the past events of your life, and how every choice you’d made affected the present. Of course, if you hadn’t fallen in love with your sister, you and her wouldn’t be in danger right now; you’d made that conclusion a while ago.

The question that constantly ran itself through your mind was where would you actually be now if you hadn’t given your love her first kiss, all those months ago. Would you still be mentally dormant, not knowing why you were so unhappy and miserable, or would you have eventually pushed that empty feeling deep down inside of you until it faded away?

In the back of your mind, you knew the answer to the question, but you chose to ignore it. Dwelling in the past would do nothing but slow you down, and you didn’t need any distractions that would prevent you from finding your sister.

Instead, you thought about things about her that you love: her beauty, her voice, her wit. These were the things that brought you together; the things that ultimately tore you and her apart. You laughed at the irony.

Quickening your steps, you eventually came across a forest clearing. You analyzed the land. It was small, and appeared to have been undisturbed in years; there were no animal droppings on the grass, no rugged areas among the soil. The atmosphere of it was very peaceful; you felt at ease, just gazing at it from afar. It was the perfect place to rest.

Happy to have found a safe place to rest, you weakly trudged over to the nearest tree, and sat against it. The relieving feeling of lifting your weight from your tired feet dulled your rising anxiety.

You sighed heavily, and closed your eyes, the soft breeze of the wind slowly lulling you away into a deep slumber.
Still slightly conscious, you placed your arm on your knee, and slid the other onto the ground.

Suddenly, a small scorching sensation ran itself over the tip your middle finger; you jumped, and opened your eyes, looking for what it was that burned you.

When you found it, your heart skipped a beat, and your breath staggered. It was the very substance that symbolized their hate, their ignorance. Their violence. A smoldering ember.

Your eyes darted left to right, searching for something, something that would lead you into their direction. After a few minutes, you sighed sadly and rested your head against the tree’s trunk, giving up hope that you would ever find something that would give you any insight.

Then, you saw it. A shimmering silver light, blinking in the distance. Your eyes brightened in excitement, as you now realized what the light may have derived from.

****
The smell of burnt flesh and wood filled your nostrils as you walked into the deteriorated abode. It didn’t shock you, or make you gag; in the back of your mind, you knew that the presence of a fire would be here.

You walked further into the house, praying that it wasn’t your love that’d been burnt.

You followed the scent of it, coming closer and closer to the person with each step. You hadn’t seen any sign of her yet, but you knew she was here; there was no other reason as to why your heart was beating so profoundly.

Your veins grew hot, as you stopped at the sight of a closed door. The smell was coming from the inside.
Hesitating, you opened the door slowly, not wanting to be detected.
You peeked through the door, and saw her, standing at the base of a tall window, waving the silver light that led you here.

You bit your lip, and looked at the things that surrounded her. There was blood on the floor.

Frowning, you examined her body, but found no cuts or bruises. You was sure that the burning smell was coming from that very room, though.

You quietly opened the door to its full extent, and entered the room. She hadn’t noticed you yet.
You could see her reflection on the part of the window that was not open; her face was filled with concentration, so much so that her eyes never left the light that she was flickering.

You leaned against the door frame, and called her name, your voice nothing above that of a whisper.

She stopped waving the light, and turned her head. You smiled at her.

Her lip twitched slightly, but she did not smile back. Instead, she walked past you, as if you weren’t there. You gave her a questioning look, but she ignored it.

You turned around, and your eyes followed her.

She walked in the living room, and sat on the burnt, blood-stained sofa. She raised her arm, and pulled black her sleeve, revealing the burnt wound that was her skin.

You ran to her and gently caressed her burnt arm, thinking. It was obvious that they had been here, attacked her, and set the house on fire. What you couldn’t understand was, how did she survive?
You looked into her eyes, silently questioning her. She nodded toward the room where you’d first found her.

You let go of her arm, and walked back into the room. You glanced around, and saw the dead body that was rotting on the hardwood floor. You gasped, now knowing where all of the blood came from.
You looked closer at the body, and saw a piece of paper hanging out of the man’s pocket. You pulled it out quickly.

It had you and your sister’s picture on it, and the word ‘reward’ underneath it. Apparently, the locals had set a bounty on you and her’s life. This man must have ventured away from the crowd in search of you, so that he could have the money to himself; your sister had defended herself accordingly.

Shaking, you dropped the paper back on its owner’s body, and you started breathing heavily.

It suddenly occurred to you how serious this situation was. These people was actually trying to kill you and your sister, just because you two were in love. It saddened and frustrated you to no end.

You looked back at your sister, who was now tending to her burn wound. You stared at her, wondering what would have happened if the entire hoard had found her. Not wanting to visualize that, you shook your head furiously, as tears fell from your eyes.

You ran into the bathroom, the only room in the house that was untainted by the flames.
You collapsed on the tile floor, and leaned against the bathtub, as you began to sob uncontrollably. You hadn’t allowed your self to show your emotions until you’d found her, and now that you had, it was as if the wall that kept you from breaking down had been destroyed.

Trembling, you held your face in your hands and screamed, feeling more and more empty with each outburst. You went on like this for minutes.
Soon, you didn’t feel the urge to cry, or scream. Your sobs slowly turned to whines, and you sighed sadly, still feeling horrible.
You looked at your sister through teary eyes. She was smoking a cigarette.

You frowned, and stood up, glancing at yourself in the mirror. You looked pathetic.
You nervously bit your lip, and corrected your posture. You’d come this far; you might as well keep on going.
You exited the bathroom, feeling confident. The act of releasing your emotions made you feel slightly better.

You stared at your sister, waiting for a response.
She walked towards you, and rested her head on your shoulder.
She let out a deep breath, as she leaned into you. You held her, and buried your face in her hair. It was obvious that she was tired.

You wanted to tell her how sorry you was for putting her through this, for putting her life in danger. You wanted to confess your love for her once again, but nothing would come out. It was as if you were mute.

You were only a few seconds into your embrace when she let you go. She stood on her toes, and kissed your eyes. You blushed.

Your growling stomach interrupted you two’s reunion. She looked at you in humor, and laughed, handing you a small bag of chips that were in her jacket pocket. You opened the bag, and offered her some. She declined.
After you ate, you and her left the house, feeling that staying there all night was unsafe.

You ventured out onto the edge of a cliff that overlooked the city. You could still see the blaze that overcame the buildings. You grimaced slightly, feeling guilty for all of the lives that were lost because of you.

You could feel yourself began to cry again, until a hand touched your shoulder.

You turned around, and saw that it was your love. She hugged you from behind, and whispered comforting words into your ear, telling you that it wasn’t your fault that the riot started. You closed your eyes, and nodded.

You knew she was right, but in the back of your mind, you still felt like a waste of skin. You felt like a murderer.

You opened your eyes, and looked at the wasteland that you once called home. The murder city.

Not wanting to look at the destruction anymore, you turned and walked a safe distance away from the cliff, setting up camp. You didn’t make a campfire, as you knew that that would lead the rioters to you. Instead, you laid right underneath the moon, and it supplied you with all the light you needed.
After setting up your beds, you laid onto them and rested your head on the cool ground. She connected her bed with yours, and used your chest as her pillow.

As you cuddled with her, you felt a comforting sensation run through your body, and it didn’t take long for you to feel tired. The last thing you heard was the chiming of the midnight hour clock in the city, before you fell asleep.

****
The bright light of the rising sun awoke you from your slumber.

You jumped up from your bed quickly, knowing that you would be easier to find in the sunlight.
You looked over, happy that she was already awake and ready.

It didn’t take long for you to pack the sheets together and leave the campsite, leaving it and your old life forever.

After a few minutes of constant running, you came across the beginning of the lake. You could see the shadow of a town in the distance, and you realized that you would have to swim for it.

Grabbing her hand, you walked into the water, and smiled, knowing that this was where your life truly began.


Fin.