Feb 24, 2014

Hold On

26.09.12
things seem timeless in your mind,
2012 was ages ago!



A streamer of faded caution tape shimmered in the hot wind, its weak attempts to free itself from a sunken line of barbed wire futile.

"I don't want to wait anymore..." she whispered, gently stroking her arms in a solitary embrace.

I couldn't think of anything to say.  I just stood, watching the plastic flutter.

She turned, her movement raising dust from the parched sands, and lifted reluctant eyes to face me.  Dragging my own from the rhythmic streamer I waited, devoid of real feeling or reaction, a faint thought towards the hot morning sun resting on my back. I felt as empty as this wasteland.

"Sam..."

I don't think she knew what to say either, I could tell she had given up, that the strain of misunderstanding and being hunted mercilessly had taken its toll.  She would leave me here.

I set my jaw, waiting to take the hit, as I had so many times before, there would be others to close her absence, others I could pretend with.  It wasn't hard to make friends out here, everyone was so desperately alone.

She shivered in some self created chill, watching me intently, I still stood facing her, my indifference too obvious.

"Say something!" she finally yelled in an exhaustive outburst of frustration.  "Say anything!  Anything to let me know you haven't left me behind while you become some introspective arse!"

For a second it looked as though she were about to crumble in upon herself, her head fell to her chest releasing a curtain of hair to hide her disappointment.

"Tell me what happens now" she mumbled miserably.

I would have taken a step back in surprise had it fully registered through the confusion.  I had never been asked to take the lead, not ever, expected to maybe, but not asked.  People always assumed they knew what they were doing, when they failed they invariably transmitted their outrage onto me and left.  But she wasn't leaving.

She was crying.

Now I was awkwardly uncomfortable, I had no idea what was happening, or what to do, and she wanted me to say something?  I looked to the highway beyond the decaying barbed wire fence and saw the distant red and blue flashing against the hazey horizon.

She started when I moved her hair aside, big eyes gazing at me with such worry and uncertainty.  I was an arse.

"Now, we run."


Hold On - Alabama Shakes


apologies for my virus induced absence,
I'll be smashing out some fresh fiction this week,
from sjp

2 comments:

  1. Gorgeously written. Hints at a post-apocalyptic scenario. Would you be continuing this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not sure yet, this scene has sat in my head since I wrote it but nothing else has really connected with it, might just be my next challenge :)

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