Chapter 15/17 Excerpts

Chapter 17: Real Freedom

I force myself up and out of my room before the sun rises. Following the river below that flows on the other side of the fence I find a hole that’s big enough for me to fit through, and escape. As soon as I’m free I take off into a full sprint, it feels good to be free again. Of course, not in the sense of real freedom, but for now, this will do. I don’t know where I am going exactly, but I find it easier to breathe today, my legs hurt less, and my body explodes with the endorphins that have been absent for too long. 

The hints of summer

The sky is dark and clouded over. I grab my fair share of bags and toss a few more pieces of jerky to the dog in hopes that he’ll follow us, which he does at his own discretion. We move into the canyons that are deep and narrow, the river below us runs rapidly. The hints of summer are on the horizon as the yellow weeds thin out into fields of green. I lick my lips when the first few drops of rain drizzle down. Soon my limbs begin to tremble as the rain smashes into me. My desire and courage evaporate into nothing as lightening cracks in the sky, the river below us crashing violently against its rock walls. All I want to do is crawl into a hole and wait out the storm.