She didn’t know where she would go, she just had to leave. She knew it wasn’t really her fault, but in a way, it was. Sweat ran down her body, probably to stay for a few days at least. A new name, she’d need that. Favorite colour, favorite animal: Burgundy Wolf. It was obviously fake and no one could track that. If they tried to find her. Burgundy, Burgundy Wolf… Wolf, just Wolf she guessed.
Hop on a train, the best bet. She was jogging although she didn’t know why. If someone was coming to find her, they’d be slower than her. It was so late and the only light came from streetlights that left aged, eerie polka dots on the concrete. Wolf stayed in the dark, just to be safe. It was odd thinking that the dark could be safer now, but it would hide her. Soon everything would be black and she thought it was best that she take the old path through the woods to the old train station. There would be no traffic that way and no one would be walking their dog at this hour. The train station at the end of that path was out of use now, but freight trains passed by it slowly. Slow enough for her to jump on one she hoped.
She slipped off the suburban street into the cool, sweet darkness. The gravel was scratching under her tennis shoes and she side-stepped onto the grass, becoming silent. Andrea- Whoops, Wolf, couldn’t keep her mind from racing. She had to be strong since she was alone now. That meant she couldn’t cry. It was so difficult not to cry when you couldn’t stop thinking about it. Her backpack was already feeling heavy and her body was still too warm under the layers of old sweatshirts. She didn’t want to take anything off because of the cool night air. She didn’t even know if she could get a chill anymore.
The trees were towering and she felt like a two year old who had done something bad and needed scolding. She didn’t like it; she swore they were laughing at her. Wait, they were. No, someone was. Some people, up ahead, were loudly laughing. Wolf held her breath and stopped. They couldn’t have heard her, but were they waiting for her?
Survival took over, or maybe it was panic. Wolf crept as quietly as possible into the woods that lined both sides of the path. She didn’t want to go too far in but she didn’t want to be heard either. Pine needles made her flat-treaded shoes slip; the ground was still damp. Wolf thought she could see their outlines on the path. Men, obviously, maybe just barely. They stood hunched close together like a pair of malicious hyenas. They had stopped laughing and were whispering. She was passing them inside the trees, she was closer to the station now. Then she was beyond them and she could breath a little easier. She stayed within the trees but inched a bit closer to the path. Someone else was coming, a lithe shadow gliding down the path. Wolf sucked in an gulp of air and jumped back into the woods. Crouching she peered out. It was just a young girl, like herself. She had a stack of books in her arms and she seemed wary of the darkness. The library. This trail was a shortcut to it from the suburbs. Wolf stayed low and waited for her to pass then began her trek to the station again.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad on her own. No rules, she could travel anywhere. As long as I don’t get caught her mind whispered within itself. Sure, living with her family hadn’t been that bad, but things were different now. She was different. Wolf shook her head, dislodging that thought. Now was not the time to analyze herself. New York City could have possibilities. She could get lost there, make a new life. She could become something that she was not, at least not these days. She could be an architect and design large buildings. Buildings so big that other runaways could get lost in them? She laughed at herself out loud. Buildings weren’t really her thing. She toyed with other ideas as she walked. A model, that would be an extravagant lif…
A sharp scream pierced the night, making her senses jump awake. Wolf instinctively crouched low, looking around her for a source. Pitch black, but still she sensed nothing near her. The girl! Wolf’s mind yelled at her. That new ripple ran through her body, like a shiver after a good kiss. The feeling was becoming familiar. Without thinking she ran back the way she had come, dropping her pack as if marking her place. The girl and those guys, I should have said something to her! She knew it was pointless regretting the past but she could save her now.
Trees whipped by in a steady stream and she could smell their cigarette smoke coming closer. She was surprisingly silent and it felt like each step she took was a leap through the air. Their backs were to her and she could see their grease-stained hoodies. One still wore his mechanics overalls and steel toed boots. They had the girl pinned against a tree, her books were fallen tombstones at her feet. Fear rolled off her like the stench of a pig farm. Her eyes were clenched fists on her face and her body hung like a limp fish. Wolf didn’t really know what took over her, just that since she was different now, she could save her. Taking one last leap through the air to close the gap, she pounced like an animal onto the first guy’s back. Shouting in surprise he fell forward, hitting his face on the trail’s packed gravel. The other guy, who had been holding the girl by her neck against the tree looked surprised. Before he could turn to run she launched herself on him. He twisted back to throw her off. Wolf used the momentum to jump to the ground near his feet and kicked his legs out from under him. Grabbing his hoodie by the front she impulsively shoved a fist into his eye. Thinking he would need another, she pulled her fist back once more. He was out cold. Lowering her fist, she looked around surprised. The other was knocked out as well and the blood coming from his nose was mixing in with the dirt under it.
“ Are you okay?” She stepped toward the girl, bending down to pick up her books for her.
“ Ya, I’m fine. Thank you so much. I thought they were going to… well you know.” She also bent down, shakily though, to pick up the last few books.
“ Are you okay to walk back home? You might want to report these guys too.”
“ That’s probably a good idea, I’d hate to think they were loose around town still… Oh My God!” Dropping her books again, the girl threw her hand up to her mouth. Fear began flowing from her pores again. “What?! Are they awake?” Wolf looked down at them. They hadn’t moved.“ What are you?!” Screaming once more, in a very horror film manner, the girl took off running.
“What’s wrong?!” Burgundy Wolf sighed, “Oh bloody hell!”
Wolf could still see the vague outline of the running girl against the horizon of the trail. She turned on her heel and began her trek back to the old train station. Passing one of the guys she gave him a swift kick and not feeling fully satisfied, swiped at a nearby tree. The damaged tree wept sticky tears from the fresh, jagged lines and watched as Wolf’s back disappeared into the dark.
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