we were together once.

but together passed us by.

i’ve found a new together.

and it’s here.

and it’s now.

don’t make me pass this already.

let me hold on.

i’ve only just begun to breathe again.

I'm in an abandoned mall with a Tall, Dark, and Handsome man. The lights start to flicker--we're confused, but it's an abandoned mall, what do you expect? A soccer ball comes out of nowhere and nails Tall, Dark, and Handsome in the chest. Turns out there was an arrow connected to the soccer ball. The man is dead. I sob, shaking him to somehow wake him up. A blonde man appears behind me, pulls me into an embrace, and I sob into his chest as he whispers in my ear, "He didn't mean to."

I wake up.

there one minute--

gone the next.

it shouldn’t happen--

it does.

it was meant to happen--

it did.

but i want more time--

you can’t have it.

he’s gone--

yes, he is.

Aching, burning, sinking—the sensations grow in their intensity. My muddy, previously red Converse slap the soft ground as I dart through shadows of greenery. Flames in my throat; this is unbearable. My pale, aching legs; can legs feel misery? Crack, snap—under my feet. It could be branches, it could be bones. I’m oblivious to reality at this point. My rib cage is on the verge of opening its doors to set my palpitating heart free. Full speed ahead, wind smacking into my rosy, freckled face like a whip. Hazel eyes on the lack of road ahead. What I’m running to is unknown to me. But I keep going, burning limbs and all. Tears burn hazel eyes but they’re quickly scrubbed away by calloused fists. Distraction will ruin the all-consuming race I’m running to stay alive. The slapping of Converse transforms into the gliding of legs, reduced to numbness. Breaths become shorter and vision becomes narrower. This must be it—the destination I’m trying so desperately to reach. Trembling legs lose control and I fall to the haven I’ve been seeking.

A place escape.

A place to rest.