Tid Bits - 1. I Was Running

I was running. Everything seemed to blur around the edges. It all seems like a dream…but it’s so real. I could feel the wind’s teeth nipping at me as the trees tried and failed to grab me, leaving only little scratches. I felt my leg muscles roll, pulse, and throb as I pushed them to go faster. My lungs burned for oxygen. He wasn’t gonna catch me as long I still lived. I could hear him catching up as I lost stamina. I was close to the escape. That light shined so brightly…I could hear its call. Then I tripped…one of the trees caught me. I fell face first into the soil. I could hear the trees cackling as I gasped and choked on the dirt. I tried to scramble up as the footsteps came closer. I couldn’t feel my let leg…I probably broke it…but then again it has been bleeding for the last ten miles. I grabbed a tree trunk and yanked myself up and began running again. He was really close to me now…I could almost feel his breath on the back of my neck. I made it so close to the end…but I tripped again and bashed my head against a tree. I felt the sluggish, warm trail of blood as it slithered from a cut on my head and tasted the coppery tang as it dripped into my mouth. He caught up to me and stepped on my hand as I tried to drag myself forward. I heard a sickening crunch as I screamed in agony. I was wrenched up by my hair into a standing position. All the pain was too much…I blacked out.

**

I woke up screaming and gasping for air as I clutched my palpitating chest. I ran my shaky hands around my clammy face and body. No scars. No pain.

I tried to swallow a few times as my breathing calmed, but my throat was so dry. I got of the bed slowly and stumbled through my pea-sized studio to my little kitchenette, turning on all the lights as I went. The darkness of my home was making my skin crawl. I got a little bottle of water and leaned against my counter, listening to the clock tick. It was four A.M.