Day 298 - Abigail

 Abigail

Matthew Ryan Fischer

 

Abigail ran. She was scared and overwhelmed and forgot her friends and ran. Karla and Delania were probably dead. They had been separated in the chaos after the dead began to arrive. If they weren’t dead yet, they would be soon. There was no surviving this night. Not in battle anyway. So, she turned and ran.

There was a path that led to the forest. She knew it was there. She had to get away from the village. As fast as possible. She would head for the coast. There would be a boat, going somewhere, anywhere. Anywhere was better than here. She would go where it took her.

But the path was missing. The forest had grown. The abandoned village had been surrounded. The forest had come and swallowed them. She had to run. Had to escape. But there was nowhere to go.

The path was missing, but she had no other choice. Abigail ran into the woods. The path was gone, but she knew her directions. She coast was east. She would go east.

There was no east. No north or south or west or any other way. The branches closed the sky, the darkness fell as the moon was lost. The ground grew uneven. The trees grew close. The wind whipped across her face, and Abigail had no idea where she was, or which was she was headed.

 A figure approached.

“Hello! Who’s there?”

The figure said nothing.

It was Doctor Manning. Abigail had known him her entire life. But his life had ended several hours ago.

Abigail knew she should fight, but she had no way to win. She should scream, but there was no one to hear Doctor Manning had been her friend, a mentor, a caretaker. But this was no longer the same man. Now, Doctor Manning would be her end.