Just Keep Running

Chapter 21 There's no light at the end of the tunnel

I woke up the next morning to the sounds of birds chirping and frogs croaking. I fell asleep against the tree. When I tried to stand up I immediately sat back down. My legs and feet hurt from running, and my back hurt from sleeping against the tree. I sat back down slumping against the tree thinking about where I am. My leg still hurts like hell. I put my head in my hands and pulled my knees to my chest. "Where the hell am I!" I shouted into the woods. Of course I didn't expect a response from the limited birds and frogs that were here. I am hungry and thirsty, with no water or food. Then I think to myself. Frogs. Frogs like to be around water so there must be some hopefully nearby. I stood up using the tree as support, I then pushed off the tree and caught my balance and started limping away as fast as I could towards the sound of the frogs. I was walking for what seemed like days but I finally found a small river just out of the forest. The sun was out and shining down on the water and across the river was a small doe of a deer drinking the water out of the river. There were fish swimming in the river, and frogs along the riverbank. I stepped on the river bank and put my hands together and collected some of the water in my hands then brought it up to my mouth and drank it. I continued to drink the water until my thirst was quenched. I stood at the riverbank looking out at the water for a while before a voice came from behind me, making me jump at the sudden sound. "What's a girl like you doing out here all alone?" A soft voice says. I turn around to see an old lady about seventy standing behind me looking at me curiously. "Oh I uh, I came from the woods and I was thirsty so I followed the sound of the frogs to the water." I explained to the old woman. "Well you're a smart girl then, here come inside I can give you some food too, you must be starving." The old lady states, as I slowly walk towards her. There was a small home made of stone that I never noticed before it was just a few feet away from the river. The lady opened the door and I followed her inside. "Please sit down honey." She told me, and gentured to a small couch next to a stone fireplace to the left of the door. I sat down on the couch and shortly after the lady came over and gave me a glass of water and a bowl of soup, setting it down on the table and smiling at me. "Thank you." I told her, honestly happy I've met one nice person within the last few days. "You're welcome honey, now what were you out in the woods for?" The lady asked, sitting down next to me still smiling. "Oh I was playing a game of hide and seek with my brother and got lost in the woods." I replied lying, but I kept a straight face and I think she bought it. "Oh honey, I'm sorry I could drive you to your house if you'd like." She offered. I shook my head. "No, that won't be necessary. If you could just tell me the direction of where the road is, that would be just fine, I don't live far from the road." I replied, lying like a rug. The lady nodded and I ate the soup fast because I was starving and I finished the water too. The lady smiled and stood up, taking the now empty bowl and glass of water, bringing them to the kitchen and placing them into her small sink before walking towards the front door and gesturing to me to follow her. I stood up and followed her out of the house trying to hide my limp. "The road is about a mile down there." She said, pointing in the direction the river was flowing. "Just follow the river and you should be just fine." She added and gave me a pat on the shoulder. "Thank you so much." I replied, with much honesty. "It's no problem honey." She said then walked back into her house and shut the door. I sighed and started limping slightly down the riverbank, in the direction of the road. If I could get to the road maybe I could get back to the city and find Luke. I refused the lady's help because if I was found with her on the road or something Daniel would kill her no questions asked, and I can't bear to see someone else die because of me.

Luke hobbled out of the cabin and shut the door so no one could see the lifeless body on the floor. Once he got to the front porch he looked out into the forest that surrounded him and sighed. "Damn it! She could be anywhere right now." He mumbled to himself then started to limp down the steps trying not to fall using the railing for support. He managed to walk a good distance before having to stop and tend to his leg, but in the middle of the woods there wasn't much he could do to help himself. He stopped and sat down on the ground against a tree. He put his head back until it hit the back of the tree. "Maddie!" He yelled out, hoping for a response. "Maddie!" He yelled again, but it was no use, I couldn't hear him. "Come on Maddie!" He yelled, his voice getting raspy the more he yelled. "I'll find you Maddie, I promise." Luke said out loud but mainly just to himself and the very few birds that were listening. He looked at the ground for a moment, hanging his head in shame when something in the dirt caught his eye. It was a white shoelace my shoelace. Luke picked it up out of the dirt and sighed in relief that I had gotten away. He now knew that he was on the right path to finding me. "Oh thank god Maddie." He sighed and chuckled a bit at how I was completely unaware of my lost shoelace. Luke then stood up using the tree for support then put the shoelace in his pocket and started to follow the very faint shoe prints that were made in the dirt, he smiled to himself knowing that they were the pattern on the bottom of my shoes. He walked until dark where he heard the sounds of running water coming from not too far away from where he was now. He followed the sounds and it led him to the same river that I was at. When he got there Luke looked around and saw the old lady's house and knocked on the door. The lady opened the door and smiled. "Well hello there sir, to what do I owe the pleasure?" She asked. "I'm uh looking for my daughter she was um playing hide and seek and I think she got lost, is there any chance you've seen her?" Luke asked hopefully. "Well yes, I think so. I saw a girl earlier today come out of the woods. I invited her inside and gave her some soup and water." The lady said recalling when she met me earlier. "What did she look like?" Luke asked, even though he already knew it was me. "Well um, she had dirty blonde hair, and uh a red sweatshirt on too. That's all I can remember." She said truthfully. Luke nodded and smiled. "Yes that's her, that's my daughter, is she still here?" He asked, hoping I was. The old lady shook her head. "No I'm sorry she left about an hour ago I think." The lady said, trying to recall the time. "Do you know where she went?" Luke asked, trying to figure out where I was. "Yes she wanted to know the direction of the road so I showed her and she went on her way." She replied, and pointed in the direction of the road. "Thank you so much Ma'am, you don't know how much you've helped me." Luke replied, trying not to sound as tired as he was, he had taken his hat off and covered his leg with it so the lady wouldn't see the bullet wound. The old lady smiled and shut the door as Luke then put his hat back on and walked in the direction of the road where the lady pointed to hoping to find me before anyone else did. He only stopped a few times on the way to drink some water from the river. He then continued his walk down to the road where as he got closer he started to hear cars in the distance and lights up ahead.

I kept walking and walking for what felt like forever and not just a mile but then again I have been walking and running for the past few days which reminds me, I have no Idea what day it is or what time it is. All I know is that it is dark and I hate the dark especially in these past few days. I finally made it out to the road and saw a tunnel with graffiti on its walls. As I walked through the tunnel I realized that there was only one street lamp outside the tunnel for light; the rest of the lamps were turned off. I decided that I would spend the night as close to the light as possible. I sat underneath the lamp and tried to sleep. I sat there looking up at the light thinking that maybe it was a sign of hope. Just as I was thinking about how it could be a sigh the light flickered and went out. I sighed in sadness. "Nevermind." I mumbled to myself before eventually falling asleep against the dark street lamp. 

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