Freezing.

It was cold that night.

It seeped through her clothes, soaking into her skin and slithering into the very marrow of her bones. But the cold inside was worse, and maybe that was what made everything hurt so much. Maybe that was what made it hard to keep running, made her legs freeze up and only became more unbearable once she was falling, falling, fallen.

Then the cold forced its way up her throat and burst out into a cacophony of sobs that rocked her whole body. She hurt so, so much, and the weight of her present circumstances crushed her to the point where she doubted she could get up.

The mist in the air and the tears in her eyes almost obscured the stars shining down on her– but not quite. Stars were usually comforting, but tonight, they mocked her, indicating a higher power that saw her pain and refused to help. She was alone, afraid, hurting, and empty, and no one would come. No one would ever come. Not for her.

But she needed to move. They would be looking for her soon. It took every ounce of what was left of her strength to drag herself up and quell the dizzying cries still seizing her. She began to walk again, one foot in front of the other, blinking tears away, and then she was running, and the act cleared her mind somewhat. The pain was still there, still throbbed in every quickened beat of her heart, but adrenaline-laced strength flowed through her veins now, and so, she ran. For the first time, she never looked back.

And then she was gone.