Saving Me

I continued running as fast as I could, ignoring the leaves that dug into the skin of my feet and dried branches that scratched at my ankles as I ran past them. My feet hurt but I just ignored the pain. I pushed tree branches away from my face to clear the path before me. Honestly, I didn’t know how long I had been running or how far I had gotten. 

Suddenly, I heard the sound of someone calling out to me and I knew without looking back that it was Hayden. So, he had decided to come after me after all. It wasn’t that I cared. This just meant that I had to run even faster. I knew well that Hayden was much fitter and faster than I am, and I couldn’t afford to have him catch up with me. 

“Malissa!” Hayden continued calling my name loudly, his voice rang out loud and clear as it echoed through the woods. 

I couldn’t tell how close he was to me, but each call felt louder and closer than the one before. He was catching