💯 STORY CHALLENGE (26/100)
An Unlikely Escape
A young woman runs for her life. Before her pursuers can reach her, she finds an unexpected chance to get away.
Cezanne stumbles through the dark forest, her pursuers and viciously gnarling bloodhounds close behind. She can picture their red eyes and foaming snouts. She has to find a hiding place soon, or Cezanne will likely perish.
A sound nearby catches her attention. Afraid that one of the bloodhounds might jump at her right that second, she looks over her shoulder. Cezanne doesn’t realise her mistake in time. Still distracted, she reacts too late when her foot gets caught in a root. She falls, rolling over an edge and down the hard rock. Her back hits something hard, pressing the air out of her lungs.
Wincing from the pain and covered in dirt, Cezanne lies there catching her breath, but the hounds are closing in. She gets up on her knees and looks at a primitive archway made from long branches. The air seems to flicker within the makeshift frame.
Cezanne closes her eyes a few times, trying to blink the illusion away. Instead, she sees hints of a world beyond that mystic veil and hears silent music. One of the bloodhounds breaks through the undergrowth, dashing towards her. She gets a grip on herself and jumps through the archway.
Gone is the dark forest, replaced by a lush green clearing. Cezanne races through flowers in all colours of the rainbow toward the treeline. She is so close but stumbles again, falling and rolling over.
Before she has time to act, the bloodhound is over her, ready to go for her throat. Cezanne closes her eyes and raises her arms for protection. But there is no bite, and none of her blood is spilt. All she hears is a whimper. When she looks up, Cezanne sees the beast cramping and bursting into blue flames.
Her gaze meets her sister’s malicious eyes at the other end of the clearing. Langlee lifts her right arm to command two of the hounds to attack. When they jump through the portal, a ring of blue fire forms around the clearing, it leaves the grass and plants untouched but engulfs and burns the creatures.
“Come to me, child,” a calm and distant voice whispers, “come to safety.”
Cezanne turns around and sees an opening in the blue flames. While she walks through it, Cezanne looks back at her twin. She can see the blind anger and frustration in her sister’s beautiful face and knows that safety is an illusion. Her twin will never give up hunting Cezanne until Langlee devours her powers or dies trying.
© Jay C Wells, 2022
💯 Story Challenge (26/100)
When I am not walking through the forest searching for inspiration, I am working on realising my writing dream. Why don’t you support that journey by reading my other fictional tales, subscribing to my email list or joining Medium with my referral link?
I got inspired writing this story while preparing a writing prompt featuring this story’s title and the original picture. Please, check out my writing prompt if you like, and amaze me with your imagination.
Are you interested in the 💯 Story Challenge? Check this story by Zane Dickens in Microcosm to learn more.
Like always, I finish by leading you to a personal pick from the 💯 Story Challenge. Here is “An Afternoon Tea to Die For” by Cathylouise. This is her 100th story, the end of the challenge, and the beginning of so much more. I can’t wait to see what you got up your sleeve next. ;)
