Alone

Branches hit my face painfully. But I didn’t think about the pain, just about getting away.
They were chasing us, and they wouldn’t give up until they had us.
Leo grabbed my arm, pulling me along through the dark woods as I struggled to keep up.
“Keep running!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, gasping for air.
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t feel my legs, and I was losing feeling in my arms quickly.
The air was rigid and freezing, and all I had on were jeans and a T-shirt torn on the sleeve.

Suddenly, everything was quiet. We stopped running, waiting for any motion at all. Nothing moved, breathed, or coughed. We were alone.
I sighed in relief, sitting on the ground ready to vomit. Leo sat next to me, hanging his head between his knees. I patted his back friendly.
“Its ok man. They’re gone” I whispered, rubbing my numb arms.
“We escaped them again” He broke in to a painful smile.
“Good running!” I laughed, shivering. He stood up.
“Come on. We need to find shelter.” I nodded and followed, taking in our surroundings. It was almost night, but not quite. The sky was pink and purple, and I smiled at its beauty. How could something be so gorgeous in this terrible place with these crazy people?

I sighed, thinking of the irony. Leo was far ahead of me, walking fast. I trotted to keep up with him.
“Are you cold?” I asked softly, snapping my fingers. A tiny flame hovered over my fingers, lighting the area.
“You know I burn easily,” Leo said glumly. My smile faded.
“Fine. Freeze to death” I mumbled, the flame disappearing. I rub my hands together, a large fire eating my hands. It warmed me almost instantly and I talked to myself. We had to be walking for about two hours before we found a little patch of grass with no trees above.
I glanced up to see the sky, and Leo lay down. Not knowing my hands were still flaming, I stumbled, falling into a tree. Like magic, the tree burst into flames, a red and orange light filling the air.
“Sunny no!” Leo screamed, stepping back. I fell on the ground with surprise, crawling to escape the growing fire. He raised his arms, and all of the shadows from the sunset dashed to the fire, launching on one another.

I watched in silence as the flame quickly died out, the shadows smothering it one by one. And as quickly as it started, the fire stopped. Leo shot a glare my way, tearing my stomach out and making it flop on the ground.
“Sunday. You need to be more careful. You could’ve made them find us!” He said sternly, his hazel eyes piercing my soul.
“I’m, I’m sorry Leo” I bow my head, well knowing I could’ve ended bolth our chances of freedom.
“Ya. Just watch it,” he said grumpy, and I knew that was the end of our conversation. I laid on the ground shivering, but not wanting to make another fire.
“Goodnight Leo” I whispered. No response. Just the sound of bugs clicking and trees whistling in the wind.