Enslaved to Zion

  I awake in utter terror. My legs throb and my ears are ringing. As I inhale deeply through my dry and cracking lips, my surroundings come into view. I must have fainted at some point but everything is hazy. The sound of dogs barking in the distance is enough to pull me out of my semi-conscious state, ready to run. There is no sun in the sky, yet the night is lit with orange dots, getting bigger with every passing second.

  I look around, trying to get my bearings straight. What is all this? Where am I? I wonder for only a second before a flashback of waking up from a dead sleep to a banging on the door plays through my memory. Then I recall my father's face as he appeared in the doorway of my bedroom yelling, 'Quickly, Euroah! Don't worry about me! Just run!' That scene sears through my mind like wildfire, and I push myself off the ground.

  How long have I been running? It seems like it's been days, but I know that isn't possible. Who are these men and why are they even chasing me? What in the world could they possibly want from my father or I? It's not like we ever visit the city or cross paths with other people, besides the odd traveling merchant from time to time, so how did they come to know of our existence? Where is my father? And where am I even going? Questions flood my brain like raging waters in the wet season, but for now, all I know is that I have to keep running.

  Dear heavens, I'm so tired and thirsty, but I don't know what will happen if these awful men catch me. I want to just give in to the exhaustion and melt back into the ground, like a drop of morning dew, but I have to carry on. They've got to have the wrong person. I mean, what reason would they have to burst into a humble little farm house in the middle of the night, especially one so far from the nearest civilization? It just doesn't make sense how they could have even stumbled upon us. Have they mistaken me for someone who's wronged them?

  There has to be some sort of misunderstanding! For a fraction of a second, I consider surrendering in order to explain to them that there's no way I could be the person they're looking for. That should clear things up, right? If we can talk things over like grown folk, we can reach an understanding. Once they realize they've made a mistake, they might just leave me be and go after whoever it is they're really chasing... No! What am I thinking? Get your head out of the clouds, Euroah! The look in Father's eyes told me he knew something I didn't. 'Just run!'

  Already out of breath, I scan the horizon for any semblance of a place to hide away. There's no way I can keep this up much longer. My stamina is quickly draining. I'm absolutely exhausted and I haven't had any food or water since lunch. I had fallen asleep while daydreaming under the willow tree on the fateful day my home was invaded. Father must have put me to bed without waking me, as he has done so many times before. I'd slept straight through dinner and tea and now I wish I weren't such a heavy sleeper.

  Pushing my body to the limit like this much longer will definitely cause me to pass out again. I know I've got to find a place to seek refuge, but where? There is nowhere to hide in this open field. I have to keep running, keep putting one foot in front of the other or I'm bound to be captured. Far off to my left, the welcome sight of a tree line begins to appear along the tops of the tall blades of grass, flowing like waves in the breeze. Maybe there's a cave to hide in, a tall limb to climb and conceal myself amongst the leaves, anything to get me out of these terrible people's sights.

  If I can make it there, if I can just find somewhere to stow away, maybe these men will pass right by me and I can return home, back to safety, back to my father. Father always knows what to do! With a glimpse of salvation on the horizon, I make a sharp turn for the forest and as I get closer to the rustling of the trees, a feeling of hope rushes over my soul, bathing me in ultraviolet determination. A chance to rest is so close I can taste it. This is it! I'm going to be okay!

  No more chest pounding and panting through parched lips as my aching feet pound the dirt again and again. I'm almost free! This thought barely finishes crossing my mind when I feel a steady thumping on the ground behind me, shaking the earth beneath me violently. I push forward with everything I have, but it grows ever closer. Though I tell myself not to look, desperately trying to convince myself that I don't want to know where the sound is coming from, I can not resist the urge to turn my head. At the exact moment my eyes attempt to get a view of my pursuer, I'm grabbed by the shoulder of my tattered dress.

  A burly man on horseback scoops me up and drapes me over his saddle, his calloused hand now holding me by the throat. Pain sears through my spine. What now? How can I escape his grasp? I look around for something to grab on to, but there's nothing. As he slows the horse to a stop, I gather the courage to look up at him. He can clearly see my terror, and seemingly amused by it, he smiles the most wicked, vile display of satisfaction I have ever seen on a person's lips.

  "Let me go! I'm not who you think I am! You're mistaken!", I scream at the top of my lungs.

  "Of course not. They never are.", he grunts as his giant hand on my neck turns my head left and right for him to look me over thoroughly.

  "Please don't kill me! I haven't done anything wrong! Please!"

  The man lets out a boisterous laugh that bellows out of him and echoes through the night. His yellow, crooked teeth are illuminated by the torches carried by his equally ugly companions, who have now caught up with us and stopped to watch the scene of me pleading for my life. He looks around at the lot of rugged men and they all begin to laugh along with him. Then, his face changes to a grimace as he leans in close enough to nearly make me gag at the stench of his foul breath.

  "You're gonna fetch a pretty penny, you are.", he says with a growl. "We'll get more than enough outta you to cover your uncle's debts."

  Debts? Uncle? What is he saying? I have no uncle. I knew this was all a huge mistake! But wait, what is he talking about? How am I supposed to fetch a penny? With the thoughts of all the horrible things that could await me in the near future, my heart begins beating out of my chest and panic takes over me. Without even thinking, I turn to violence instead of trying my hand at words to rectify the situation. I viciously bite his arm and kick with all my remaining might, in a futile attempt to get away. I fight and push against him with every single drop of energy my body has left to offer, but it does me no good.

  I'm puny in comparison to this behemoth of a man. He swiftly grabs me by the hair and yanks my head back so hard I feel like it may no longer be connected to my neck. Visibly annoyed by my weak show of defiance, he lifts his bitten arm, draws it back, and the last thing I see is his fist coming down at me. Thunder rolls in the back of my head, crackling through my skull, and then all of existence turns black in the cruel world around me. I see nothing, resist no longer, all is silent, and I feel no more pain.