Make Me a Promise - Intro

BEFORE YOU READ:
okay so, this story will have two parts, alternating every chapter, yo...
its all from the same point of view. don't freak out.
whenever a chapter begins with "after", that means it's after she ran away. whenever it begins with "before", that's memories of her time before she ran away.
it's something different im trying out, it's supposed to make a super deep plot and be all mysterious-like. this is super duper experimental and keep that in mind while you read.
carry on.
after~
I needed to leave.
I can't stay here anymore; I fear I'm infected like the plague. Big, blubbering, shit-talking idiocy, one that roams these streets at every corner, inescapable and always, always there, creeping up on me. I honestly am afraid that if I stay another minute, it'll take me, and I'll become like the rest of them.
The thoughts make my legs run faster, a push of the muscles to their very limits. All I knew right now was, I had to leave. There's nothing left for me there in that rotting shell of a town. It's full of a disease I would rather die than catch.
My laughter rings out like bells as I push past the gates to our community. Hell, even if I tried to see anything good that I once had, I came up completely empty-handed. Every memory, every friend, every birthday, all of the passing times, seemed to crumble away instantly as I poked them. Instead, they're replaced by a feeling I'm not quite used to; one I haven't felt in years. A giddy feeling of pure joy.
I'm not accustomed to this new feeling. It pulses through my veins at an alarmingly fast rate, giving me a high not possible with drugs or drinking. It keeps my eyes open, my mouth twitching into a wide grin. It pushes me to run even farther than before, as I make footprints in the dusty road, my eyes full of stars as another gleeful laugh bubbled up in my throat and escaped, tickling the early fall air with its presence. How long has it been since I've laughed like this? It feels like years ago.
My feet carry me along the worn road with a vengence. Everything was on auto now; I hopped over branches, kept myself moving. A practiced task. I drink in the browning leaves, the little creatures that scurried away from me as I ran past, the full moon, the crisp air. Everything seemed new.
I couldn't quite wrap my mind around it, but that never stopped me from trying. I was gone! I would never have to see that place again. I push myself up the winding road, past the last remaining locusts of summer, wilting greenery, turning golden as the sun set in the west, partly concealed by overgrown foliage.
What is this? I wonder to myself. Why do I feel so alive?
The question is overpowered by a feeling of completeness, that went hand in hand with this newfound happiness. My aching feet slow to a halt when I realize there is no more road for me to run. It stops and steeply gives way to a starry sky and a headache-inducing drop, leaving me on my knees and breathless. The sun is sinking into the sky, making the pink and orange slowly fade into a deep blue hue that stretched above me.
I stood in a grassy plain all by myself. Trees still towered on every side except the one that held the majestic view of the sunset; with tall grass swaying all around as the soft breeze rolled through the area. I could hear nothing but the soft rustle of leaves and crickets now, the locusts are long gone, and I feel tension leave me as I sink to the ground. I guess I would sleep here tonight.
I am free.