Running From Insanity

Hey Everyone! This is my first post to the Creative Writing Club! It was a free write that I did when I had some spare time. I haven't planned for it to really go anywhere. As you probably gathered from the post title it doesn't have a name yet. So if you have any suggestions for a title after reading the story, feel free to tell me them!!!!


Thanks so much,
bgjings




I don’t know why I was running. I couldn’t remember why, or what from. All I knew was I couldn’t stop . Adrenaline wouldn’t let me. I ran into the woods. The setting sun burned through the shadow burdened trees, making the forest look like it was on fire. Branches caught my dress as I ran, leaving small bits of white lace behind. My breath was becoming more raspy as the cold November wind ripped at my body and lungs.

Panic started to rise in me as the sun set and the forest became darker. I felt myself starting to slow. I felt like I had been running for an hour. My breath started to catch in my throat with every breath I took. I was becoming harder, and harder to breathe. I had to stop running. “Stop” I said to myself but nothing stopped. Not my hearts rapid beating, not my legs running. Nothing stopped. “Stop” I said again this time in a whisper. Again, nothing stopped. “Stop!” I screamed into the fading light. Hearing my own voice scared me back to reality and made me fall, exhausted, to the ground. I sat there in the fallen leaves. My dress spread out around me, my hair windblown and hanging in limp ringlets around my face. I was shaking. My breath coming in ragged gasps. I couldn’t remember anything. It was getting cold. Goose bumps were creeping up my arms and across my bare shoulders.

Every noise, every whisper of the wind dancing through the dark trees, every animals soft foot step made me turn to see what was the cause of the noise. As my breathing slowed, I began to regain what little sanity I still had. I looked up at the sky hoping to see some sort of answer up there. The stars shined down like a deep blue ocean of silver holes in the sky, but the stars spelled nothing out for me. Suddenly the forest seemed small, and oppressive. The panic started to rise in my throat again along with the ache of weariness.

All I wanted to do was lay down in the leaves and fall asleep as the forest closed in. I have to go home. I thought desperately. I have to go home. Fear gripped me as I tried to remember how to get home. I can’t run anymore! My brain screamed at me. I can’t run! I tried to get up as the forest became still smaller, but my legs wouldn’t move. I tried again and again to stand. I couldn’t do it! Tears of anger and frustration stung my eyes. “Why? Why can’t I get up?” I said wearily into the emptiness. Suddenly all the energy left my body and I fell into the leaves. The last thing that crossed my mind before I fell head first into a nightmarish sleep was, Will I ever get home?

WOW. Just... wow. That was incredible! I could picture everything in my head, which is in my mind the best thing you can get from a story. You wrote this so eloquently, if you'd put this beside a passage from a bestselling novel I couldn't have told the difference! The descriptions, emotions, & writing were all fabulous. Write more ASAP.

I have absolutely no titles for you though. Sorry.

D. R.

Thank you so much Delilah Roze!

Oh and don't worry about the title . I'm sure I will think of something .

Love Nice job! for a title... I cannot even come up with titles for my own works! Sorry, I feel like I am so unhelpful haha.

Thank you!

This is really good. I can feel my heart rate increasing as I read it! You could call it it Running from... Insanity? or Running for Sanity or something like that.

Thank you Lillie! I really like those names!