The trees and underbrush freshly bloomed, the air was filled with the scent of spring. Flowering plants full of colorful blossoms scattered across the ground. She walked at a hurried pace for a few hours, never tiring. The light faded away, limiting Allison’s vision. The forest filled with shadows and noises that sent shivers of fear throughout her body.
She became dizzy again. Water, I need water. Then a faint rumble. Allison froze. The sound grew louder. She recognized that sound. It’s a car! It was in the distance, but it was there. Her heart quickened, and a smile spread across her face. She bolted through the forest in the sound’s direction. Sharp objects jabbed in her feet but she kept running. Every breath burned like fire in her chest as her numb legs carried her closer and closer to the sound.
The ground in front of her dropped into a steep slope. She dug her heels into the earth, leaving deep grooves in the rich dirt, trying to stop her forward motion. The drop-off was too steep. Allison’s feet left the ground as she tumbled down, rolling head over feet toward the pavement at the bottom. She screamed as she fell down the forty-five-degree incline, rolling over the uneven ground. Her head slammed into rocks and logs as her body picked up speed. A cloud of black dirt followed her; stones and twigs rocketed into the air as she rolled. Sharp bits of nature jammed into her flesh, drawing blood, turning her body into a pin cushion. The ground evened out, slowing her momentum. Her body came to an abrupt stop as she hit flat pavement.
The rumble of an engine roared near her. Close, too close. On instinct she rolled the way she had come, back off the pavement. Her hair waved in the rush of air as the car zipped by her, filling her nostrils with exhaust fumes. The breaks squealed as the car came to a stop a few yards up the road.
Allison lay on the side of the road, the beat of her heart filling her ears like metal drums. A fierce heat flamed alight in her belly, swelling up, threatening to spill over. She gritted her teeth as she clenched her hands into tight fists, digging her nails into her palms till she bled. Her face flushed, and she clenched her jaw as a growl escaped her lips. What the fuck was that? She gasped as she tried to push the inner heat back to her center.
This day was just getting better. She was naked, confused, and now had almost been roadkill. Allison took a few deep breaths and pushed down her anger from a fury of hate to a manageable irritation. She sat up, examining her painful body. Her grimy skin was now marred with bleeding scratches, and the purple beginnings of some fresh tender bruises tinted her flesh. Wetness gathered at the nape of her neck. She reached her hand back and found a gash hidden in her hair. She applied pressure to the wound as she glared at the car.
The windows lacked tinting and made the two figures in the front seat clearly visible. They gestured wildly back and forth with raised voices, arguing. Allison, unable to make out what they said, strained to hear their words as anger built inside her. I could have died! And no one is even going to check on me? What is wrong with these people? She tightened her fists again to avoid flipping off the car. They are people and I need people right now. It’s better to not piss them off. She stood up and started walking to the car. She hesitated for a moment. What if they are serial killers or rapists? Allison looked back at the steep hill she had just rolled down, sighed, and began walking toward them again.
The smooth pavement warmed by the sun burned her feet. The people in the car continued to argue. As she approached the side of the gray sedan, they continued to gesture frantically at each other not noticing Allison. A man sat in the driver’s seat with a woman on the passenger side. All that was visible of the woman was her head. Her rosy hair barely grazed her shoulders. Even from a distance the color clearly was not a gift from nature but purchased from a bottle. The man had little hair swept over to one side, scalp peeking through his wispy comb-over. His color was not sold in a bottle because everyone had it, and nobody wanted it. He continued to speak to the woman next to him.
Allison stepped up to the window, preparing to speak to the couple. The round, red-headed woman screamed and the man’s face drained of all color. She jumped, losing her footing as she stumbled back a few paces. Allison and the man stared at each other for what seemed like a long time, while the woman whimpered and prayed, raising her arms toward the heavens in the seat next to him. His sharp, upturned nose separated eyes that were a little too close together.
Allison backed further away from the car to give the couple some space. She did not know why, but they were afraid of her. The man placed his hand on the whimpering woman’s leg and looked in his rearview mirror. He then looked all around as if he was surveying the area for danger. Relief crossed the man’s face, but the woman continued blubbering. At least she had stopped praying, a sign that her fear was lessening. The man’s Kentucky bluegrass-green eyes peered at her from beneath his furrowed brow. Allison took a step toward the car and raised her arms in
