Phoenix
Member
The buildings seemed to blur together as Sam moved as quickly as she could down never ending alleys. There were no breaks in the buildings, which were all taller than she could scale. No fire escapes to jump up to, no ledges outside windows to climb, nothing. She had yet to see a road as she ran, leaning into walls where she could to take weight off her leg. Every time she tried to fly, her heat sputtered out mere feet above the ground. And with an already broken knee, she couldn’t afford another fall.
Falling hadn’t been what had broken her leg, though, not at all. That had been something else entirely. Something far more terrifying than a fall, and far more deadly. It had been the most beautiful thing she’d ever laid eyes on, the most horribly wonderful thing she’d ever known. And it was somewhere behind her, chasing her. She couldn’t look back to see where it was, to see how close it had gotten in the last few turns. She needed to keep moving, even as the ground faded from asphalt to gravel to dirt and back again. She needed to keep moving, even as it started to get so dark that she could barely see where she was even going.
If she didn’t, the Hunt Song would catch her.
The Hunt Song, with its beautiful smile and its soft calls. The faint and happy laughter that seemed to echo through the alleyways to fall on her ears. She could hear it, somewhere behind her, though the distance was ever-changing. Calling her Sammy, calling her Songbird, calling her Apple Pie. Telling her that he was looking for her, that he was going to find her, to come out and come back to him.
“Don’t you want me to touch you? Don’t you want me to hold you? Weren’t you just asking?” His voice carried through the air, soft and gentle and almost sing-song in tone.
A violent shiver ran through her body. Sam wanted to turn around, to have him take her into his arms. She wanted that happiness and that joy to be focused on her. But she couldn’t. That happiness and joy only led to terrible things, things she promised Todd she wouldn’t let happen. She couldn’t give in, no matter how badly her chest ached for it. No matter the shaking in her core, the longing that ran through her, she had to keep running.
The Hunt Song couldn’t have her.
She turned a corner again, pushing herself to keep running even as she leaned into the wall and used it to support her weight for brief moments. Her knee screamed, and she continuously stumbled forward. She could barely move. The pain was radiating up through her thigh and down through her shin, and her knee kept collapsing under her weight. Sam was nothing if not stubborn, however, so she pushed on, trying her best to keep up speed. Her and Todd were evenly matched on speed on a good day, which meant the Hunt Song had an advantage here if it really wanted to catch up to her.
It was just a matter of time.
Falling hadn’t been what had broken her leg, though, not at all. That had been something else entirely. Something far more terrifying than a fall, and far more deadly. It had been the most beautiful thing she’d ever laid eyes on, the most horribly wonderful thing she’d ever known. And it was somewhere behind her, chasing her. She couldn’t look back to see where it was, to see how close it had gotten in the last few turns. She needed to keep moving, even as the ground faded from asphalt to gravel to dirt and back again. She needed to keep moving, even as it started to get so dark that she could barely see where she was even going.
If she didn’t, the Hunt Song would catch her.
The Hunt Song, with its beautiful smile and its soft calls. The faint and happy laughter that seemed to echo through the alleyways to fall on her ears. She could hear it, somewhere behind her, though the distance was ever-changing. Calling her Sammy, calling her Songbird, calling her Apple Pie. Telling her that he was looking for her, that he was going to find her, to come out and come back to him.
“Don’t you want me to touch you? Don’t you want me to hold you? Weren’t you just asking?” His voice carried through the air, soft and gentle and almost sing-song in tone.
A violent shiver ran through her body. Sam wanted to turn around, to have him take her into his arms. She wanted that happiness and that joy to be focused on her. But she couldn’t. That happiness and joy only led to terrible things, things she promised Todd she wouldn’t let happen. She couldn’t give in, no matter how badly her chest ached for it. No matter the shaking in her core, the longing that ran through her, she had to keep running.
The Hunt Song couldn’t have her.
She turned a corner again, pushing herself to keep running even as she leaned into the wall and used it to support her weight for brief moments. Her knee screamed, and she continuously stumbled forward. She could barely move. The pain was radiating up through her thigh and down through her shin, and her knee kept collapsing under her weight. Sam was nothing if not stubborn, however, so she pushed on, trying her best to keep up speed. Her and Todd were evenly matched on speed on a good day, which meant the Hunt Song had an advantage here if it really wanted to catch up to her.
It was just a matter of time.