As I put some distance between myself and the mob, beaten down and out of breath, I felt the air shift. Beneath my feet, the concrete began to crack, breaking apart in jagged lines. Dirt kicked up around me like I was running through the old woods of my youth—only this time, scattered garbage and shards of concrete tore through my leather-hard feet.
Eventually, trees sprouted up between me and the road. The mob began to fade into the background of my stride. The sidewalk I was running on was slowly overtaken by the roots of the trees along it, and its concrete slabs broke and stuck out from the ground in a chaotic culmination of earth reclaiming its territory. Despite the growing challenge, I kept moving. The faster I went the further the storm got from me. My gaze tunneled toward the red light until it consumed everything.
…then I tripped…
My head hit the ground like a plane at full speed, and my world went black.
My eyes fluttered open slowly.
When I looked up, the smoke had cleared. The sky was blue again—not that deathly dark blue that had petrified me, what felt like, just moments ago, but a softer, living blue. As I took in my surroundings, I realized I was no longer on that dark bridge. I had arrived somewhere new. Somewhere familiar. It felt close to my childhood home, yet colder, less green, less soft.
Mountains towered the valley, their peaks heavy with lost souls. I found myself returning most to a small mountain named ‘Royal’ by the locals. It was there that I met 3 humans, ‘Patrick,’ ‘Leah,’ & ‘Dylan.’ Patrick and Leah were kind enough to offer me a place to rest my injured head, while their son, Dylan, prepared for his first venture beyond the valley. They fed me, taught me of the new world, and offered me guidance for navigating this disorienting era.
I walked through these woods with a subtle frown. The feeling of home lingered here, but the fear of those who resided in this place rang much clearer. I felt safe enough, yet I couldn’t shake the worry of where I might end up next.
I wondered if the blue storm would reach me, if that warm red light might reappear. Now, a new fear took hold—that I might never see that BMX rider again, that I was trapped in yet another endless forest, or worse, that I would never find my way back to the bridge of my youth.
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