Life and other Disasters
10. The chase

Ava ran through the woods. Branches tugged at her clothes, and thornes scraped her skin. She leaped over big muddy pools that swamped the path. Skillfully she ducked underneath low-hanging branches. Her thought bubbles formed a trace, following her in her wild chase.

She skipped, dashed, sprinted, and she wasn’t holding back. But however hard she ran, she couldn’t replace a single trace of David. She called out, making her voice audible by popping the bubbles, but no matter how much noise she made, there was no answer.

The thought bubbles were unavoidable, and she popped the ones that were in her way. She heard the voices and thoughts of other people. Some of them were deep dark secrets that made her blush. Some of them were tiny, guilty pleasures, that made her grin.

How innocent some of the thoughts were, Ava felt uncomfortable. Listening to someone’s thoughts was too intimate. These were the thoughts that were never meant to be heard. These were the thoughts that people tried so hard to keep for themselves. Hearing them out loud felt like she was reading someone’s diary - exciting at first, uncomfortable when you thought about it. After a while, it was a cacophony, and she couldn’t really make out what was said.

Now and then she found a bubble she was sure it was one of David’s. They were in the same shades of blue when they had started to fight. She popped them, hoping she would replace a clue where he was.

“You’re going to lose,” he jabbed at her.

“You’re never going to make it,” he egged her on.

“I’m going to be there first,” she heard him tease, and it worked. It drove her mad that she couldn’t keep up with him, that he was outrunning her by miles.

It was as if the forest was collaborating with David, trying to slow her down as much as possible. Ava gritted her teeth and struggled through the low branches, the high grass, determined to be the first to arrive at the tower.

One thing worried her though. The thick canopy made it impossible to see the tower. She hadn’t seen the landmark for a long time, and she was wondering if she was even going the right way.

Ava thought of climbing up a tree and take a peek, but in the end, she dismissed that idea. It would take too much time, and she was too afraid she would fall.

Once in a while, she noticed a shadow hiding behind a tree, she heard the snapping of a branch and leaves rustling. For a moment, she thought she had caught up with David, but he was never there. She was chasing a ghost.

The chase made Ava forget about time, and to her dismay, shadows became longer, the light became a pale shade of orange. It was getting evening, and panic was creeping in on her. Not a single moment she had paid attention to what time of day it was.

At first, the light became hazy, like the last smoke clouds of a dying fire, or the mists of a waterfall, but she knew this was different. It felt like the air was sticky and there was a strange smell. It was the scent of old attics or cellars, dusty and moldy.

I should have arrived at the tower by now, she thought, remembering how optimistic she had been that morning. How silly she felt right now.

Then the mist started rolling in, like waves during springtide. Ava’s heart sank as the mist slowly ate away her surroundings. She remembered what had happened the night before when Beth had thrown something into the mist. She had heard the sound of a thousand small teeth, tearing the wood apart. Dread filled her mind. Desperately she went over her options to escape her fate that hid the mist.

The inn was too far away; she would never make it in time to the one safe place she knew. When was the last time she had seen other people? She couldn’t remember it. It had been a long time since she had seen the last houses, just before they entered the strange forest.

The only solution she came up with, was keep moving and hoping she would replace shelter, so that was what she did. Her breath was panting, her heart, and mind racing. Her hope to replace a hiding spot faded away. There was no way out. Tears stung her eyes, and with an angry gesture, she wiped them away. Why did they split up? It felt like the stupidest thing they could have done.

The trees were barely visible now. They looked like a mob slowly moving in on Ava. Defeated, she sank at the bottom of a high tree. It didn’t matter anymore that she wasn’t going to be the first to arrive at the tower. It didn’t matter, she told herself, David would have to pause as well. Or maybe he knew a shortcut, and he was laughing at her for her stupidity.

Closer and closer, the tendrils of the mist came. Stretching out its fingers, close enough so Ava could feel the cold it was spreading. She clasped the bark of the giant tree she was sitting next to as if it was a lifebelt keeping her afloat when she noticed a change in the mist.

A soft yellow glow became clearer and clearer. Ava squinted her eyes to see whatever, whoever, was approaching. The light grew brighter and brighter until it was burning and she had to cover her eyes with her hands.

“She’s waking up,” a voice said. “I need some assistance here. It’s too early, I’m still working on her.”

“I’m on it,” another one said. She heard a paper rip and the glass tinkle of an ampul.

“Here you go, back to sleep,” the second voice said. Ava felt a warm spot in her arm. The warmth slowly spread through her whole arm, through her shoulder, through her head, until she was back again, back in the mist.

The light was still there, but it was small and soft - the light of a lantern in the mist.

Someone was there, and Ava’s heart made a small jump. Maybe it was David. Maybe he found a lantern. Maybe he felt guilty for running off, and he came back for her.

“I’m here,” she said, not sure if it was loud enough.

At first, Ava barely saw who stepped out of the mist; the woman who approached her was as white as a ghost. Her hair had the unnatural glow of a winter’s moon, and her skin had the color of bone. Her eyes were pale grey and seemed to spread a spooky light.

“Hello, little one,” she said, a sad smile around her lips, “what are you doing out here?”