Knowing The Unknown

Her legs were swallow after all the time running. The leaves had hurt her skin, leaving bruises and small signs of blood here and there. She didn't feel them. She couldn't feel them, she just had no time for such foolishness. They were after her for about ten minutes already, and wouldn't let her go, not after what she'd done. No. She had gotten nuts, for sure, and the price to pay for it was high. Really high.
She couldn't see the way inside the dark forest, neither could them. But God, she could listen them, this small quit noises of footsteps and the swish of leves being moved aside gently. They knew she could hear them. Most of them grew up with her. Or trained her. And she was the best they could have in ages.
Trick move, for both sides. Being the best gave her the possibility of putting them down. And gave them the opportunity of knowing her work. Damn it, they did know her. Or at least they thought so.
She was too smart to be let known. That was her best shot.
Her feet slipped on something and she momentarily lost her foot. Damn it. Rocks. Damn rocks. Bloody rocks. She ws close. She felt her knee falling and blood coming down her leg. Blood fuck rocks.
Sucking the air in, she pressed her knee back in place, not allowing the pain to blind her for over a second and using it to clear her mind.
"Pain can be a friend or an enemy", she heard his voice in her head. "That's your choice.".
She let the air out and stood up. There was no time for memories. She started running, sweat turning her body in a ball of ice over her blood in fire. That's good. She needed it. She ws really close, and so were them. Precious seconds, she lost. Damn.
She continued as fast as she could. Her really skinny and small figure could barely be seen, only a shadow in middle of the forest shadows. She had chosen the night carefully so then there was no moon. Not a glimpse of it. Just dark storm clouds above the island. The rocks became more and more common, and she had to slow down a little. Good thing though, they also had to.
Then, she started going down. And down, and down. Like a mountain goat, she jumped from a place to another, ignoring the excruciating pain going up her knee and using the pain to clear her mind.
Clear the mind. Clear the mind. That was all she thought. He would be proud. No time for this, not now, damn.
She was close, but could listen to them, a little bit noisier. They were lost. They were searching. And if they found her, she was dead like a vampire. They would burn her, torture her, impale her and all the cruelties she could think of. No, she thought, don't think. Just don't.
She started to listen the waves, loud and clear due to the storm coming. She had to be fast and jump before the rain starts, otherwise there would be no room for escaping. She knew how hard it was to swim those waters. They made her do it until she mastered every wave and weather and then made her practice every other day. She knew that place like her own body.
She stopped for a second, on the tip of her toes, spine curled in like a fetus, head down, took a deep breath and jumped. Her falling was like a needle falling on the floor. Almost no water splashed. Almost no sound. She felt proud, even though she wasn't free yet.
Avoiding the waves on the surface, she went deep. She could hold her breath for minutes, thanks for the training they gave her, so underwater ws much better even though she couldn't actually see the reef that surrounded the island. She had to rely on her senses. And her body was the best one to feel it, she knew, not her eyes. The difference on the ocean's water direction, the fish coming and going, all of these signs were important. Really important.
She stroked the water, looking up here and there. Three miles to the end of the breaking waves. Three kilometers to be free. She focused, listening to the sounds of the ocean around her, not allowing the feelings to take her heart and mind away. Centimeter after centimeter, she gained space, fast and steady like a shark, moving against the stream, feeling every muscle and pushing herself to the limit. And there she was. Up, deep breath, a fast look behind. No one. The shore seemed very far away. They wouldn't look for her, the continent was just too far, she would never get there. They would let her die and transform into shark food. Yeah, think like that, bitches. She was free.
And exhausted. She swan to the closest reef and took deep breaths, thinking about the last hours. She did it. He would be proud. Certainly would.
She could see something on the shore, some movement, which made her afraid and awake again. Back to the ocean, girl, she told herself. Back and strong.
And back she went.

*****

The sun was burning the salt on her already burned skin. She would need a hospital when she gets to the continent. To freedom. Darn fucking freedom. After so long. So much pain. So much darkness. She knew she would never be free. No. They would hunt her forever all around the world. They would try to grab her and kill her the slowest way they could find. They would drink her blood in some ritual and eat her heart.
She couldn't allow them. No. Not after everything. She had to turn they in. To clear the world from their madness and villainess.
Or it would be all for nothing.
Stroke after stroke, she went on, stopping here and there, floating a little and then, down deep again, sharp and beautiful, ignoring the pain, ignoring the salt in her body and tongue.
Again and again, ahead and ahead.

****

It was almost midnight, but he didn't want to go back. The fire was on, the moon was bright, and that girl clinging on him, God, she was the best he could find there. It would be a fun night.
He stood up, stretching and looking to the girl. What was her name again? Sarah? Laura? Something like this. He couldn't remember. Would it be a problem? He thought not. It was never a problem till the next morning. And then he would be far.
He looked at the ocean again. He loved the ocean, all its imperfection and the waves making it so rough and dangerous though you couldn't see it at first. No, it's beauty would make you attracted to it and then the next thing you see is a corpse.
Like that one on the shoreline. Yeah, like that one.
Wait, what?
He looked again. Yeah, definitely there was something there. Damn it. He ran into there as fast as he could, screaming: "Call the police!" to the girl, who actually seemed too dumb to know the number. Damn it, it was a kid. A girl.
Naked and full of scars. She was lying down in a weird position. He took his own phone and dialed the police, looking to the narrow face and pale but charming lips. A damn kid. Or at least she looked like. Small and skinny, full of edges and ugly, if not for the lips and the now closed eyes in shape if a sea shell, he could see.
He sit by her waiting for the police or somebody, the dumb girl screaming and trying to pull him away, then running back to her house. He could easily carry that body to the nearest hospital but was afraid to be incriminated of raping her or worse. Who was she? What happened to her? That he would probably never know.