Adam Jenna

Breathe Adam. Breathe.

My legs wouldn't stop burning. My ribs were threatening to tear out of my skin. My lung burned from lack of oxygen.

Breathe Adam Breathe.

My vision was blurred with tears. My throat was dry and dehydrated. My whole body was covered in sweat.

Breathe Adam Breathe.

They were coming. They were behind me. They were naturally faster but I couldn't stop. Even when the angels of death were just behind.

Breathe Adam Breathe.

They were just discovering I was gone. It would only take seconds for them to catch me. Nothing could outrun them.

Hide. Hide. Hide.

I reached for the oil in my sachel and applied it quickly on my body. Holding on to the nearest tree branch, I forced myself up.

Breathe Adam Breathe.

The sudden rush of wind told me they were closeby. Branch by branch, I pushed into the canopy of leaves. I settled at the top, hiding among the leaves. I glanced down.

Breathe.....no don't breathe. Don't breathe...

They stopped just below me, squinting their eyes to see beyond the night. Ears peaked to pick up to the slightest sound. Skin tamed to feel the slightest displacement of air.

Don't breathe. Don't breathe.

"I can't pick his scent, commander" One spoke. My heart kept pounding a million times harder.

"I know. The scent might be gone but he's still here. Comb the entire forest. He's here somewhere" The Commander's cold voice made every hair on my skin stand.

I know him. I know all of them.

Traitors. Traitors. Traitors.

Gaziah, my father's second-in-command. The others were soldiers. Soldiers who took an oath of loyalty to the kingdom and my father.

You're not one of them. They're all traitors. Traitors.

I glanced down in disdain as more arrived and spread into the forest. I remembered the reason I was running in the first place. The reason I was goin through all these. Tears strolled down my cheeks.

"Commander, you need to return at once" Another voice spoke suddenly. I think he's just arriving. I sighed in relief.

"The palace has been breached. The royal family are under attack" He continued and a gasp escaped my lips.