Second Chances

A sudden injection of adrenaline coursing through her body pushed her forward. She surrendered herself to the beat of her feet against the wet ground as everything blurred round her. The crackling sound of thunder and the lightening that jiggered in the sky illuminated her surrounding with an intense light that kicked her heart beat up a notch.

The increased thumping of her heart echoed in her ears as she pushed herself forcing her, now aching legs to move forward. At one time of her life, she would have loved it. The intense weather like that somehow always managed to fascinate her but now her mind was blank. All she knew was that she had to run away. She had to make it this time. If not for herself, then for the one thing that mattered the most.

Her breathing was frantic as she turned her face to see behind her, her eyes roaming the area for any threat. She was stupid to just run like that without any plan but she was desperate and it was the only time she knew, she could make it farther unlike so many times before. The thoughts echoed in her mind, pushing her body to the limit. Her lungs were dry and felt as if they would burst. Her eyes were continuously roaming the surroundings accessing it, looking for anything that could help her.

The searing pain in back crippled her as she gasped loudly and fell on the wet forest floor, clutching her abdomen tightly, she tried to breathe through the pain. No, not like this, she thought. She looked back at the path through which she had run with tear filled eyes. She groaned in pain as she widened her eyes to clearly see the tall green trees, raindrops adorning them for a less than a second before the next replaced it, the wet wild grass.

She sighed as the tears flowed down her cheeks mixing with the rain, giving her a sense of warmth in the cold weather. She would've enjoyed it if it wasn't for the situation she was in. The raining season was always her favorite. She was the kind of girl that enjoyed dancing in the rain but not now, she thought dejectedly.

She straightened herself when the pain subsided but as she did, the pain returned stabbing her like knives over and over again. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to bear the pain but to no avail. It was only increasing and it terrified her but she got up, taking the support from the tree and started to walk slowly, taking deep breaths in crouched position, her hands slowly rubbing her belly as if to soothe the pain.

"Thank you, God," she sighed as she saw a small wooden house lit by candles. She directed herself to move there. "Please, open," she croaked as she kept punching her fist on the door repeatedly. The door opened, revealing an old woman, her grey hair were settled in a tidy bun on her head, the wrinkles on her face made her more pretty, more mature.

"Help," she croaked out again, the pain evident in her eyes, her voice, the position she was standing in.

"Oh dear. Whatever are you doing out in a weather like that?" the woman scolded, ushering her in and closing the door behind her with a click.

"Arghh..." the girl screamed as she collapsed on the ground, her body twitching in pain.

"Oh. Holy spirits!" the woman exclaimed as she rushed in, gathering things to help the girl. "It. Hurts. So. Much," she said in between her painful torture, taking in sharp breaths. The girl took the woman's hand and stared at her with wide eyes, "Please," she begged, "Save," she swallowed, "Save my baby," she gasped again and clenched her eyes shut.

"You'll both be fine," the woman assured her with a firm voice as the girl doubled over in pain. She could see her whole life before her eyes as they used to say as she was going numb already.

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A sweet angelic voice grasped her attention bringing her back from the edge of dark abyss, she was falling into. "It's a girl," the woman murmured, awed.

"A girl," she smiled, "my princess," she whispered through the haziness. "Please," she swallowed hard, "keep my prin-cess safe," she said to the old woman in low, gentle murmur as she extended her arms towards the woman. She wanted to hold her daughter, her princess just once as her eyes were drooping already.

A strange blackness surrounded her as she fought it, trying to keep it away. She wanted to cry at her life, at the world, at the unfairness to her and her innocent daughter but she vowed not to. She would not cry in front of her princess. She would tell her be to strong, would show her to be strong because world was a dark and cruel place and no one knew that better than her. She would be strong for her...that was if she stayed.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" the woman asked her, cradling the baby in one arm as the other rested on the girl's forehead. The girl dropped her arms from weakness as her daughter never came to her and concentrated on the question that woman had asked her.

"Emma," she whispered, her eyes closing on their own accord, "Emma Carter," she whispered, thinking her daughter would be fine with that woman as the same blackness consumed her entirely. She wanted to thank the woman because she was kind enough to help her at such an inappropriate hour and she think she did but the words never left her mouth as she fell into dark, peaceful abyss.