Tony Smith

I was running. I could feel their cold shadowy fingers clawing at my back. I ran faster. I rounded the corner, my feet scrambling to find purchase on the loose gravelly ground. When I saw what was around the corner I stopped. Ahead I could see a great big wall. There’s always a wall. I turned to see them closing in. A scream caught in my throat as I backed into the corner, no way to escape. I could hear them now, a loud dark rustling. And then out of the blackness I heard a yell.

“Tony!”

I sat up gasping in my sorry excuse of a bed. I was drenched in sweat and trembling. I looked around at my familiar surroundings. Well, not too familiar considering we had to shift again last week. All was well in the small concealed alley. I could just make out the slumbering form on Neil, just a few feet away, in the misty dusk light. I lay back down, my heart still hammering in my chest, and wondered about my dream. It was the same each night, sprinting through the alleys with no crowds to hide in, my pursuers masked in darkness. It always ends with that brick wall. I can never escape.

“That dream again huh, Tony.” Neil whispered. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was always nice to have somebody to talk to, especially Neil. Neil was such a leader that when you were around him, it felt like you didn’t have to worry about a thing. I could always count on him.

I replied to the inquiry with a double thumbs up and I heard him shift back into a comfortable position. Soon after heard the sounds of his deep heavy breathing as he quickly fell back asleep. I couldn’t fall back to sleep though. Not with the shadowy faces still imprinted in mind. After a while of just sitting listening to the world around me I got up to do the daily rounds. It...

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... two miles away but with frequent rest breaks we managed. We finally arrived at the buildings front stairs. Neil paused a moment before mounting the cement steps.

“It’s been great knowing you Tony.” Neil said, his voice cracking, “You know, I’ve always thought of you as my brother.” He started hugging me, hard. It hurt my leg but didn’t mind. I hugged back as hard as I could.

“We’ll see each other again” I said, Even though I knew it was probably a lie.

We walked up those dreary gray steps and, at the top, I saw the same woman that approached me at the market. Her face was creased with concern as I limped to her. She called a few nurses in and they quickly pulled me in, all of them talking gibberish about casts, splints, and infections. I barely heard any of it. I was too busy watching Neil, through the door frame, already disappearing into the shadows.