Just Beyond the River
the capture
"Briar! Briar, wait!"
She paid no attention to the shouts behind her as she flung open the door and stumbled outside. She spun around frantically, barely able to see a mere five foot in front of her but also not spotting anyone who might be lurking about. The more she looked about, the more she was certain she didn't know which way she'd come from and which way she ought to go.
The door banged behind her and she turned to see the barman standing in the doorway. "Where're you going?" he asked.
"I have to get away. I can't go back!"
"What about the others? Listen, those guys will want to get their loved ones back and you could help them."
"No!" she shouted. "I can't. You-you don't understand! I have to go, but please you go with them. Get them. Do what no one did for me."
Without letting him reply, she took off running into the woods that were opposite the tavern. She heard his calling but thankfully it did not draw closer, and eventually stopped altogether. Her plan was to just keep moving straight, and only once the land stopped heading in that direction would she divert to a different path. With no destination in sight, she hoped that once she was free from the town that her safety would increase. As it was, the pain in her head had begun again and she'd only been running for a minute.
There were plenty of tree roots that she had to be mindful of, and once or twice she'd be hit in the face by a branch she hadn't spotted, but she didn't once stop. The terrain was vastly unfamiliar and the apparent world was unfamiliar too. Twenty six years and she was still her sixteen year old self. The notion was frightening and drove her forward. How many more years would they confine her for if they caught her? How much more pain would they inflict?
She stopped after seven minutes, grasping onto the nearest tree as a dizziness washed over her. Her already poor sight began to blur and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to calm it. She couldn't stop, not yet. There was still too little distance between her and that place.
A noise sounded to her left and her head shot up. Were their animals in these woods? The barman hadn't warned her about any and fear began to suddenly creep into her gut.
"I really must commend you for being able to hide for all this time," his voice came, making her snap her head frantically from side to side. "I never knew that you were so good at hide and seek."
"No, I won't go back!"
"Now, now, let's not prolong the inevitable."
Though her sight was still blurry, she roughly gauged that he was stood to the left of her. But if her time there taught her anything, it was that she was bound to have someone to the right of her as well as directly in front of her. "Just kill me already, please," she begged.
She heard him tsking before a hand touched her cheek, making her give a startled cry and stumble backwards before falling over a root. "Being out here has truly done some damage," he said. His voice was still close to her but she couldn't work out where he was anymore. The dark and the blur covering her eyes was just too much.
"Now, Aurora, let's do this with as little fuss as possible."
"That's not my name!" she shouted, lashing out at the air in front of her.
There was silence as she held her breath, keenly aware of the punishment of refuting her given identity. There had been many beatings until she'd stopped insisting her name was Briar and started to respond to Aurora. Any mention of the name Briar would earn her more punishment, even if it was a simple mumble heard by a keen ear.
Fingers on her chin made her jump and she couldn't pull away as her head was raised, the blur darkening slightly. "You can't see," he said, moving his fingers slightly to secure his hold before she felt his other hand on her eye, peeling back her eyelids. "How long has this been like it?"
When she didn't give him a reply, he tightened his fingers on her chin. "I'd rather die," she spat.
Suddenly she was released and she blinked several times, disheartened when her sight didn't return. "We have to get her back as soon as possible," the man announced. She attempted to crawl backwards only for her hand to land on the boot of the man who was stood behind her.
"Is now the time to use this?" another man asked, making her fear rise. She might not be able to see, but she had a guess at what was being spoken about.
There was no reply before the man behind her bent down and grabbed her shoulders, wrestling her to the ground in order to expose the small of her back. She began to scream as the needle was inserted.
In less than a minute, she was silent.
She paid no attention to the shouts behind her as she flung open the door and stumbled outside. She spun around frantically, barely able to see a mere five foot in front of her but also not spotting anyone who might be lurking about. The more she looked about, the more she was certain she didn't know which way she'd come from and which way she ought to go.
The door banged behind her and she turned to see the barman standing in the doorway. "Where're you going?" he asked.
"I have to get away. I can't go back!"
"What about the others? Listen, those guys will want to get their loved ones back and you could help them."
"No!" she shouted. "I can't. You-you don't understand! I have to go, but please you go with them. Get them. Do what no one did for me."
Without letting him reply, she took off running into the woods that were opposite the tavern. She heard his calling but thankfully it did not draw closer, and eventually stopped altogether. Her plan was to just keep moving straight, and only once the land stopped heading in that direction would she divert to a different path. With no destination in sight, she hoped that once she was free from the town that her safety would increase. As it was, the pain in her head had begun again and she'd only been running for a minute.
There were plenty of tree roots that she had to be mindful of, and once or twice she'd be hit in the face by a branch she hadn't spotted, but she didn't once stop. The terrain was vastly unfamiliar and the apparent world was unfamiliar too. Twenty six years and she was still her sixteen year old self. The notion was frightening and drove her forward. How many more years would they confine her for if they caught her? How much more pain would they inflict?
She stopped after seven minutes, grasping onto the nearest tree as a dizziness washed over her. Her already poor sight began to blur and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to calm it. She couldn't stop, not yet. There was still too little distance between her and that place.
A noise sounded to her left and her head shot up. Were their animals in these woods? The barman hadn't warned her about any and fear began to suddenly creep into her gut.
"I really must commend you for being able to hide for all this time," his voice came, making her snap her head frantically from side to side. "I never knew that you were so good at hide and seek."
"No, I won't go back!"
"Now, now, let's not prolong the inevitable."
Though her sight was still blurry, she roughly gauged that he was stood to the left of her. But if her time there taught her anything, it was that she was bound to have someone to the right of her as well as directly in front of her. "Just kill me already, please," she begged.
She heard him tsking before a hand touched her cheek, making her give a startled cry and stumble backwards before falling over a root. "Being out here has truly done some damage," he said. His voice was still close to her but she couldn't work out where he was anymore. The dark and the blur covering her eyes was just too much.
"Now, Aurora, let's do this with as little fuss as possible."
"That's not my name!" she shouted, lashing out at the air in front of her.
There was silence as she held her breath, keenly aware of the punishment of refuting her given identity. There had been many beatings until she'd stopped insisting her name was Briar and started to respond to Aurora. Any mention of the name Briar would earn her more punishment, even if it was a simple mumble heard by a keen ear.
Fingers on her chin made her jump and she couldn't pull away as her head was raised, the blur darkening slightly. "You can't see," he said, moving his fingers slightly to secure his hold before she felt his other hand on her eye, peeling back her eyelids. "How long has this been like it?"
When she didn't give him a reply, he tightened his fingers on her chin. "I'd rather die," she spat.
Suddenly she was released and she blinked several times, disheartened when her sight didn't return. "We have to get her back as soon as possible," the man announced. She attempted to crawl backwards only for her hand to land on the boot of the man who was stood behind her.
"Is now the time to use this?" another man asked, making her fear rise. She might not be able to see, but she had a guess at what was being spoken about.
There was no reply before the man behind her bent down and grabbed her shoulders, wrestling her to the ground in order to expose the small of her back. She began to scream as the needle was inserted.
In less than a minute, she was silent.