Friday, February 21, 2014

the blanket Run

I first remember it was late, there were three of us including her, and my friend who is a he, both of which will be unnamed.  We were among the rocks and trees somewhere, it was humid and cloudy, then the breeze blew gentle sprinkles on us.  We were looking for a safe spot to put up some tents, there were only two tents. I put ours up and realized my backpack was without the blanket I meant to take.  My friend, who had just finished his tent told me he forgot some things as well.  She said it's okay I'll wait here, I remember feeling bad about leaving, I had to go but just walking away made me anxious, as well as the rain.  I started jogging, back to the car, with my friend close behind.  We went through a cave, like a tunnel, that had a campfire lighting it that I don't know where came from.  We flew by that and across some rocks, in the dimness there were city lights on the horizon, which was where we had parked.  There was an area we had to go through, it had a dirt road between two very steep hills  covered in jagged rocks that looked soapy and slick in the moonlight, like a kitchen sink soaking a thousand dirty razor blades in dish soap.  The road was clear of the cluttered sharpness, but tiring and slowed me to a crawl climbing up and over.  We got to the parking lot, dig through the trunk and head out.  It felt like we accomplished what we needed but there was nothing on our backs.  We started back, and I again started running and I felt anxious to get there.  I decided to take a short cut, which was through a large building complex, and once inside I realized it was the college.  I knew the way, but it was late and I had to find the way without us being seen and kicked out, as well as reaching dead ends because I expected a few doors to be locked already.  It was dark, only emergency lights on, then we came across a lit door just as a class was letting out.  They saw us, and a security officer told us to stay put, then the instructor came out, who I knew.  He said it's okay (instructor to the security dude), they're with me, and he made my friend and I carry some things from the class to his car, which turned out to be four twenty pound boxes of  framing nails each.  He asked the security guard if he didn't mind unlocking the doors for us towards the area he parked in, which turned out to be our way out, which could not be any faster than the guard fumbling with his damn keys.  When we left the campus it was already dawn, yet it felt like a five minute night.  I felt sick, and I ran.  I didn't pace myself to my friend who is shorter and heftier than I, but I ran for her, besides I was sure he knew his way there.  I was running along a chain link fence on a path of gravel, a thousand tumbleweeds caught along it.  I felt my thighs and my chest grow hot, and a tight pulling pain sensation behind my collar bones with each deep breath.  In the back of my mind I was debating another shortcut that would take me to the cave tunnel quicker, but it would lead me far from the dirt road and I would have to climb through the soapy razor blade rocks.  I thought no, I should be safe, but then that thought led to thoughts of her safety.  A thousand scenarios flipped through my head and the urgency made me panicked.  I took my shirt off and wrapped it around my hands to protect them from the razor rocks, which I also thought would be hot in the Sun by now.  I felt thankful that the rain the night before and my sweat had soaked the shirt, then I woke up.

No comments:

Post a Comment