Page 21 of Brody
I still wasn’t sure, but I filed that information away for a closer examination later.
After a couple of hours of easy walking, the path began to tilt into a more drastic elevation. Soon enough, we were staring at an almost vertical cliff. It was traversable. There were obvious signs of people climbing it before, including several rungs that had been permanently hammered into the stone, but we wouldn’t be able to scale it on our own.
“I thought as much,” Brody said as he peered up at the top of the cliff. “Mountain terrain is treacherous even under the best conditions. A lot of hiking paths around here require some form of climbing gear to traverse. Well, it’s good timing at least. We would have needed to turn back soon anyway in order to get back to town before nightfall.”
“Uh huh,” I nodded, though I wasn’t really listening.
My mind was split into two places at once. I was here, with Brody, but at the same time I was also lost to the memory of facing the cliff wall for the first time. The two memories superimposed over each other until I couldn’t differentiate between past and present.
A sense of urgency struck me, just short of true panic.
I needed to move. I needed to keep going or they would…
They would what?
It didn’t matter. I had to keep going. The cliff required climbing gear, which I didn’t have, so that only left me one option. I’d have to go around.
I looked left and right. To the right, the land angled downward. It wasn’t steep, but it also wouldn’t help me get past the cliff.
I’d have to go left.
Without warning, I darted off the path and into the trees, using the rock wall as my guide and sticking close to the cliff. Sticks and leaf litter crunched under my feet as I ran. I didn’t know where I was going, yet at the same time it felt like a destination waited for me just ahead.
The sight of a particular rock formation brought my feet to a sudden stop. It looked no different than the rest of the rocks around me, but something about it filled me with fear. I could almost see someone appearing around the rock, lunging at me like they meant to attack. It was just a shadow, a figment of what was no longer there, but I reared back in fear all the same. My back hit the cliff wall, and I raised my arms to shield myself from an attack that never came.
It wasn’t real. These were just memories of what had already happened. They couldn’t hurt me.
The sound of approaching footsteps shattered my moment of clarity.
Someone was calling my name. They sounded angry. I really was being pursued.
Pushing off of the cliff wall, I kept running, this time heading straight into the forest away from the ominous rock formation. With each step I took, the air grew darker around me until the air under the forest canopy looked like dusk in the middle of the day. Small golden sunbeams occasionally broke through the leaves, illuminating roots and stones I needed to avoid. It was like the forest itself was spurring me on, helping me keep running and put space between me and my pursuers.
There was no telling how long I ran. Minutes or hours, it all felt the same.
I began to grow tired. My breathing faltered and my steps slowed. I thought I was safe. I’d left my pursuers far behind and was safe within the labyrinth of the forest.
So, it was a surprise when, the moment I stopped running, something grabbed me from behind and forced me to my knees.
“What are you doing?” a familiar voice shouted in my ear. “Ellis. God damn it. You are the most self-destructive person I’ve ever met. Now answer me.”
I knew that voice. That voice was safe. The hand gripping the back of my neck was also familiar, and although it should have been threatening, it only brought a feeling of safety.
“B… Brody?”
The moment I spoke, all the anger left his body, and he crushed me to his chest in a tight hug.
“Hey. It’s all right. Whatever that memory was, it’s over now. I’m sorry I yelled. You just scared me.”
My cheek pressed against his chest and I automatically wrapped my arms around him to return the hug. Every inch of my bodywas shaking, and I panted so harshly I could taste blood. The scent of him, fresh cut cedar and bergamot aftershave, filled my nose and calmed my nerves with each breath.
“Someone was chasing me.”
“That was me. I’m sorry I scared you, but I couldn’t just let you run off alone.”
“No, I mean…” I pulled back just enough to look up at him. “I remembered someone chasing me. Before. They were bad people. I was… I was afraid, so I just kept running. Being back here, it was so similar that I couldn’t tell the difference between then and now.”
Brody’s arms around me tightened for a moment, before relaxing enough to let me pull away. “And I’m guessing that me chasing you at the same time didn’t help.”
