(Please note: This story contains swearing)
My heart raced as I ran into the night. As I ran through the forest, I could barely see what was ahead of me unless lightning flashed brightly through the gaps in the trees above, followed by the loud clap of thunder.
I don't know how long I was down in that bunker. No light showed through. Not even the tiniest crack allowed me to see out of my jail. I suspect I have been there for at least four days. My theory was that they brought me a meal once a day. It could be more or less. I'm not sure.
I managed to escape when they came to leave food. Except for this time, I was ready. Generally, they would open the slot, check that I was there and throw some bread in. But today, I hid to the side. When they opened the slot, they couldn't see me. From the muffles, it was clear they were panicking. They opened the door and came rushing in. I managed to blend into the wall and quietly walk out the door. They had their backs to me as I ran up the stairs. It wasn't until I opened the door at the top did they realise I had pulled a fast one and escaped.
Now here we are. Running through the bushes barefoot, with scraps on my arms and legs and tears appearing in my clothes as I fight my way through. In the distance, I could hear them yelling. At times I could hear gunshots or thunder. I guess I'm not sure which it was. But I wasn't going to stop to find out.
The rain was starting to get heavy now. The puddles of water grow beneath my feet, making it harder to move quietly and quickly. I had to think of something, a way to lose them. The thunderstorm was proving useful. Hiding the sounds my feet made, hitting twigs and leaves on the ground, but, at the same time, it meant I couldn't hear them. I didn't even know if they were beside me or ahead. At any moment, I could run right into one of them and not even realise till it was too late.
But I didn't stop. I had to think on the go. Any extra distance I could gain meant they were less likely to catch me. I was so lost in my thoughts and the sounds of the storm I didn't see it coming. I stopped abruptly and quickly catch my balance to stop myself from falling over the sheer drop down the side of the cliff and into the river below. I took two steps back and grabbed hold of the tree behind me with one hand and with the other, I grabbed my heart. Trying to slow it down along with my breathing. I had been running for a while and was out of breath. I really needed to exercise more. I closed my eyes and listened as hard as I could. Between the cracks of thunder and the rain I couldn't hear anyone from behind me. But I heard something else. Faint. It was gushing water. The drop I just hit must have a river below, which meant that somewhere along the ledge, there was a waterfall. I don't know what I was hoping for if I found it, but either way, there had to be something. I walked back to the ledge and tried to listen for water falling. I wasn't sure if I was hearing it right, but I opened my eyes and ran along the edge. I had been standing still long enough. Thankfully it wasn't before long that I found what I was looking for. The waterfall was powerful. With the amount of rain falling, the water was gushing like the rough seas I used to hear about from my father when he returned from his travels. As I looked for a way to cross, I jumped when I heard a gunshot hit the tree to my left.
"There she is!" one yelled.
"Quick, grab her! If we get her back before morning, the boss doesn't need to know what happened!" Said another.
I didn't know what to do. There was nowhere to go. I could feel that I was surrounded. The only way left was forward over the cliff. I knew if I jumped the likelihood of living was extremely low. But going back with them was about the same odds. I went back to the edge and looked down. I couldn't see anything. I couldn't even tell had far down it was.
I heard another gunshot as it whizzed past me making me duck.
"Don't kill her you, idiot! The boss wants her alive!"
I had to jump. It was better than going back with them. Whoever they were. As I stood up to turn lightning cracked through the sky lighting up the night. I looked down and saw not the bottom of the waterfall but a ledge. If I could hit the ledge I could potentially hide from my captors. Let them believe I jumped down below. Without thinking any more about it, I took two steps back. I took off taking two huge strides and launched myself into the air.
"Shit, she jumped!"
I had no idea if I was going to land it however, I suddenly felt myself collapse onto the hard ground below me. I quickly cried out, feeling my ankle give way. Thankfully it was covered by the loud thunderclap that followed the lightning. I pushed myself up again the wall and tried to blend in like I had done earlier in the bunker.
So far, the thunderstorm had saved me from being caught. Now I prayed like hell it wouldn't reveal where I was hiding.
