02 Dec 2011 1 Comment
The Run
It was not dark in the tent when she woke up. Sun was gleaming from the holes. The ground was cold but soft underneath her.
Ilienna shifted her body slowly and she realized she was under a pile of hide. When she pushed the pile away, she saw her dress was swapped for a smelling dirty rag that barely covered most of her body.
Suddenly in got brighter and when she turned towards the source, Ilienna saw a man standing at what looked like the tent entrance. He was a filthy man. It looked like he had a hump although he was very lean.
He smiled when he saw her. But it was not so much a smile than a toothless mouth-twisting filled with self satisfaction. He looked at her as an animal would look at a pray.
“I won”, he said. “I won to be the first with you.” He hissed and threw himself on top of her before she could escape or even scream.
So close to her, Ilienna felt his breath which she thought was of someone who probably never washed his mouth. His hands moved fast on her body, rubbing her clumsily as if he didn’t know how to use them. He started squeezing her with his bony fingers.
Ilienna was trying to fight him, to push him, but he had his whole body weight on her. Then she felt him shift, probably trying to adjust himself on top of her so she pushed with all the power and will she could find. She managed to throw him off her enough to crawl out of his grip. He tried to grab her again, but she kicked him while trying to get further away from him. The man howled quietly and stayed in one place, so Ilienna thought she probably got him in the stomach or groins.
Not looking back, Ilienna headed straight for one of the holes in the tent. It was one of the many big enough for her to pass through. When she got out, she stopped only for a second blinded by the sudden brightness. She wasn’t sure where she was and which way would be the safest, so she chose to run straight.
Ilienna heard screams behind her. The other must have seen her. She quickly glanced back and saw a pack of men just as horrible looking as the first one. She turned forward again and put all her strength into the run.
Ilienna was barefoot which didn’t make it easy for her to run fast. Although the land was fairly flat and the grass was soft, she hasn’t been barefoot recently which put her in a slight disadvantage compared to her persuaders.
Then the scenery suddenly changed from bushes and rare almost dried trees to sand and sea. Ilienna knew how to swim so she thought her salvation was there and headed towards the sea. She hoped these savages were too busy surviving to learn how to swim. “It’s either that or I’ll drown of exhaustion.” she thought.
Ilienna was a less than a hundred meters from the water when she felt her strength was quickly dropping. She slowed and started struggling to make every step.
Almost out of breath with her eyes on the sea, Ilienna could hear her persuaders getting closer. Her legs felt so weak she couldn’t move or control them; she tripped and fell on the sand. She tried to stand, but even her hands felt weak and she couldn’t lift herself.
Now she could only pray. Pray that her death was fast.
She waited. She could hear the voices getting closer. They were like animals growling after their pray.
Suddenly she could hear another sound. “Horses!” Men were screaming threats. Swords were coming out of their scabbards. Screams of protest, then screams of death.
Ilienna, still lying on the sand, managed to turn. She saw two men on horses and many ragged bodies on the ground. She could see few of them running away, possibly back to the tent. One if the men gestured towards them with his sword and the other one spurred his horse after them.
The first one walked towards her while putting his sword back on its place and got off his horse. His white shirt had a few blood drops from the fight. Ilienna didn’t really see him as her eyes were still fixed on the corpses.
“Are you alright?”, he asked softly. It is then when she looked at him. Straight into his face and for a moment her heart stopped. He as young and with the concerned look on his face he was the most beautiful man Ilienna had seen. Her eyes were still wide open filled with fear from seeing the dead pile of people because he said: “Don’t be afraid. No one will hurt you anymore. I promise.”
And then he smiled. Her heart skipped a beat again. She tried to say something but her mouth wouldn’t move.
“Do you need help to stand up?”. She couldn’t say anything but she managed to nod.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her so she could stand on her feet, but she was so tired that they gave up under her weigh and she fell again. But before she could hit the ground again he caught her and picked her up effortlessly.
And the warmed of his body was the last thing she felt before she passed out in his arms.
Recent Comments