I moved frantically, not knowing who pursued. Time in prison had left me weak. A side cramp pierced under my ribcage as I ran. I lacked nutrition and exercise... and oxygen. Damn, I need more air. I took breath after breath, embracing the pain.

My sprint came to a sudden, unexpected halt. One of those spiny branches gripped my cape and pulled me backward, ripping a hole. The cape wasn't the only thing entangled.  The cords of anxiety gripped me and I couldn't shake it off.  My nervous fingers fumbled to remove the snag. I forgot I was wearing the red target on my back. Pretty dumb mistake. I tore it off and threw it down. A second later, I picked it up again and put it in my pack. Leave no evidence behind. Gotta keep moving.

I ran from the psychopath and his hunters, determined not to look back. The great system that was supposed to protect us imprisoned us instead, leaving us to die. On occasion, I snapped twigs and stumbled over the uneven ground.

Whoops.  I had slipped again and this time I’d fallen with a thud.  It was that large rock’s fault.  That deceptive sucker was hidden under the slippery leaves.  I grabbed my scraped knee and a drop of blood trickled out onto my thin jeans.  I brushed the dirt off, picked myself up, and kept going.  I won’t stop until I collapse.

Once I had gotten far enough away from prison, I felt safe enough to slow down.  Even then, I kept my guard up, walking as fast as I could.  You could never be too cautious. 

Apparently, I was not cautious enough. This time, a low-hanging branch snagged at my matted hair.  The twig came away and pulled a clump of hair with it.  Stupid nature.

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I looked ahead and recalled the spider’s map image.  It might have been detailed for my home, Steel, but it was not so helpful right now.  I knew I wouldn’t make it to Steel tonight.  There were too many obstacles.  I just hoped I was on the right track.

During my brisk walk, I opted to take some time to look around at the grassy areas, using my sharp eyes to spot any gross insects to avoid first. 

My stomach grumbled.  Where are the edible dandelion, clover, and pineapple weeds at?  Why settle for weeds?  Steak.  Yeah, I’d sell my kidney for a steak.  And potatoes.  Roasted.

Thick bristles blocked my southwest path towards Steel. I wavered, listening for pursuers. Spiderzilla was true to her word.  I wonder how many captors she'd stopped.  I’d kill to see the guards suffer while tangled in her death trap. Jerks. I hope you get eaten. I spat the dust that coated the inside of my mouth.

My initial desperate escape drained me to a sluggish, heavy pace. The only noises I heard were my own, giving me a sense of security.  I assured myself there were no pursuers and allowed myself a turtle’s pace. I worried if I stopped just once, I would not keep going.

The ground turned from dry and hard to a muddy slip zone. I stepped carefully.

The staff turned into a glorified walking stick. It was a bad idea to put my full weight on the metal rod. The bar sunk in deeper and was hard to remove. I used it on rocks, so it wouldn’t stick too hard in the mud.

The broken jewel, set atop the staff with a metal nest, kept me focused. This staff was bound to be worth something. In the meantime, my third leg supported me as I hobbled my way through the mud.

All the mud was making me miserable. Dry ground was hard enough, but now it was like wearing cement shoes. I wanted to cheer when there was a group of rocks to hop on. Any way to get out of this sludgy mess was welcome at this point.