ONE

The worst fear for most humans is darkness. It is the fear of the unknown, not knowing what is in front or behind. That is why in cities there were always bright lights that never went out, because the natural shine of the stars and moon can never be enough to expel the darkness that waited on the edges. As Mia ran through an unfamiliar forest she finally understood that fear.

There was no sign of anyone behind her, but Mia continued to run. It seemed likes he hadbeen running for hours, days even, but Mia had only been running for an hour. She had been found and narrowly escaped from their grasps. Not even the moon could penetrate through the thick canopy that the tall trees created. All Mia could feel was sharp branches slash at her clothes, and scratch her face. She could feel the bushes tug at her dirty t-shirt and jeans and stray roots and forest-floor-debris threaten to trip her.

It was these unknowns that heightened her adrenaline and pushed her forward. She was tired of running, of being the only one left, she was even almost tired enough to surrender to the armed men that were hot on her tail, but she couldn’t stop. Her strong will to live and the want to see the sun rise she took for granted kept pushing her. Suddenly she slammed on breaks, grasping at air to stop herself. Mia was close to running off of a rough cliff that jutted out randomly from the ground. Mia stopped breathing to hear the sounds around her. She couldn’t just go back and she couldn’t just stand there. Should she climb down?

BANG! It was as if all her soul had been knocked out of her. Mia glanced at the source of pain that was ripping its way through her body; she had been shot in the left shoulder. Mia tried her best to stay standing but her body was in shock. Finally she let out a single gasp and plummeted into the darkness. The fall itself was so terrifying that she couldn’t scream; she could only prepare herself for the landing that would surely kill her.

The fall took forever, like an endless free fall. Finally, gravity was kind to her and Mia hit the bottom hard on her back and blacked out instantly. Despite falling on the hard ground—and her wound, there was no pain anymore. Mia was sure this was it.