Chronicles of Araxx - Forever Broken

The ground under her feet was covered with soft grass.

She remembered the feeling of nothing nicer than grass between her toes, the dew from the morning still wet and cold on her skin, and it was the nicest thought she had in years.

This was the first time she’d been out of the cell by her own choice since she could remember.

She could hear people shouting from behind her, but they were too far away to matter.

A few gunshots flew past her and she was quickly brought back to the present, and focused solely on getting to the forest on the other side of the field she was running through.

The trees grew closer by the second, and the sounds of shouting started to disappear into the distance.

Annaleah looked back at the place she had been a prisoner for most of her life. The building was beautiful. It could only be described as a castle, just like the ones in the fairy tales she used to read as a child, except this one was dark and decaying.

Annaleah’s ran until her lungs started to burn and she could tell her legs were going to be sore, but she was free. The only thing that mattered.

When she stopped running, she looked over her shoulder and could not see the dark building any more. She had to decide what she should do next. She had to find somewhere to hide and some food. Those were her new priorities but she didn’t even know where she was.

The forest was the most beautiful thing Annaleah could ever think to see. The grass that covered the majority of the ground was lush green, peppered with flowers of every colour. She could not remember ever seeing this much colour. There were pink flowers, and purple, and yellow and blue. They swayed gently in the warm breeze. A butterfly hovered in the sky, then found another to dance with.

Allowing herself to feel happy for a second, she stretched her arms out and twirled, looking up at the canopy of green and blue above her. Quickly, she grew dizzy and fell to the ground as the world continued to spin around her.

The tall trees towered over Annaleah, making her feel very small. She breathed in deeply, taking in the many scents of the outside. Up above, between the branches of the tall trees, she could see white, fluffy clouds floating in an azure sky. Annaleah wished she could take a picture with her eyes, and keep the image forever to treasure.

A small tear trickled down her cheek, leaving a trail of porcelain white freckled skin beneath it.

Overwhelmed by the beauty of the outside world, Annaleah allowed the tear to drop to the ground without wiping it away and simply smiled a small smile.

She had never cried with happiness before because she forgot what happiness felt like, and before she was kidnapped and saw her mother die in front of her, she took happiness for granted.

After wandering through the forest for perhaps half an hour, Annaleah spotted a sign. She’d not read anything in such a long time, but she was a good reader when she was little. The wooden sign read, ‘Nature Trail’.

Annaleah decided to follow the sign as she thought it might lead her to a town or village where she could ask where the nearest city was.

A city would definitely be the best place to go, and there would be less chance of Kane or ‘Araxx’ finding her.

It didn’t take long for Annaleah to find civilisation. From what it looked like, a small town was just beyond a large building in front of her.

Annaleah left the Nature Trail and stepped out from the forest and found herself at a small supermarket. There were people around, and all of them stared at her. Some of them even whispered and pointed at her. Annaleah quickly walked past them, keeping her head down until she reached the back of the building. She knew she looked terrible after years of imprisonment. She was barefoot, dirty and wearing clothes that did not fit her. It was no wonder people were staring.

She noticed large bins to the side of her and one of them had pieces of fabric sticking out from a hole near the top of it. She walked over to the green bin and read the words: ‘Salvage Army Donations’.

Annaleah stood on her toes and looked inside the bin. To her delight, she saw clothes, and better yet shoes.

She rummaged around in the clothes until she found enough to dress, and in sizes, she thought might fit her.

. She bundled all the clothes she wanted into a rucksack she also found, then headed for the safety of the forest where she could hide again.

As she took a step towards the trees, a door to the side of her swung open and the smell of freshly baked bread wafted out.

Annaleah breathed in deeply.

It smelled divine, like heaven.

Walking closer to the open door, she could see no-one. She could see the bread, hot steam rising from it, just sitting on the side.

The temptation was too much and Annaleah went for it.

She quickly looked around again, making sure no one was around to see her and nabbed a loaf. The bread was hot in her hand and she quickly thrust it into her rucksack before she swung it onto her back and retreated into the forest.

Annaleah dressed in the clothes she had taken and sat down to enjoy the bread. She found the clothes pleasantly comfortable, although a little tighter than she was used to. She’d come across a pair of black jeans, ripped at the knee but wearable, a black vest which she tucked in, a baggy green jumper, the rucksack, and a pair of grey military style lace up boots in her size. It felt strange wearing shoes after so long.

Annaleah also came across a long, dark green coat, which she would need come night. The clothes smelled funny but a damn sight better than she did, and she was thankful to be warm and almost presentable.

There was nothing she could do about the dirt on her skin, or in her hair, but she was warm, she had food, and better yet, she was free at last.

As she tucked into the fresh bread, Annaleah breathed, “I’ve done it.”

The bread was soft, comforting and just what she needed.