Wednesday, April 06, 2005

I want a perfect body, I want a perfect soul.

My heart felt like it was beating in my head. I could feel each pump of my pulse as if it were a shockwave of energy radiating through my entire body. The sound of crunching leaves and heavy breathing surrounded us as we ran.

We were trying to get away, to hide. I look back now and realize that trying to run and sneak in the forrest in autumn is almost damned impossible. We could hear their staggered shuffle, not too far away from us. I had my dad's remington shotgun. When he died, it was all he left to me. Funny, at the time, I was so angry with him. I deserved so much more. But at that precise moment, I clung to that gun as if it was my very life itself.

My brother had my grandfather's service revolver. I asked him how many rounds he had left. He signaled for me to shut up, and then rasied four fingers. Great. Four shots. I had only two 12-guage shells left. We'd only run about a half-mile away from our father's childhood home. A shabby little gray house. It didn't resemble a house anymore, it has been nearly 25 years since anyone had even been in the place. Or so we thought.

I nodded over to my brother and we got ready to run again. The closer that shuffle got, the more my heart pounded in my ears. My nerves, my entire body was screaming "RUN YOU STUPID FUCK.", but at the same time, I was simply paralyzed with fear.

What were they? I'd never seen anything like them. I'd never been so frightened in my life.

It was as we started running to the dirt trail that led back to the main highway about three miles out. When we reached the dirt trail, we ran as hard as we could.

Suddenly, on my right, a voice managed to screech out my name. "Micheal." I stopped dead in my tracks, sliding slightly forward on the dry earth, as I whipped to my right. There, for the first time, I saw them for what they really were.

And it wretched a fear so deep out of me, I nearly fainted.