Wild and rustling, the air swoops down on the night and on her incredible flight. Faster and faster she can hear the footsteps pounding behind her. Branches crashing about her face, her hair flying wildly all about her. She screams as she feels the footsteps galloping upon the ground behind her, edging ever closer. Her heart is racing as well, beating heavily against her chest. Her breath is short and shallow and getting harder and harder to catch. But she can’t stop. She can’t be caught. She has to keep running into the cold, dark night.
Her determination not to be caught is only equaled by his determination to catch her. His mind is racing wildly and his legs drive him faster. His hair, too, is flying wildly and his height is proving to be his enemy as well. Tree branches are pulling and slapping at his face. His face is cut and scraped from the sharpening weapons the tree’s needles have now become.
Why is she doing this? Why is she running? Is she afraid of him? What’s wrong with her? How will he get her to stop?
He clears his mind to release his strength. She doesn’t know these woods the way he does. She doesn’t realize the danger that awaits her out here. There are cliffs and ravines around any corner. He knows the edge is nearby, but he can’t seem to catch up to her. Every time he reaches out and almost has her, she seems to get just far enough away for him to impede her flight. Like a hurt forest animal, scampering from a preditor, she runs and runs, not knowing her fate is perilly close to death’s swift hands. The tenacity with which she runs from him could force her into a fate worse than ending up with him.
Todd: Tea!!! Tea!!! (he angrily says through his quick breaths) STOP!!! I won’t hurt you. I would never hurt you. Please stop. It’s not safe around here.
Tea takes no head to his demand. She hears the vituperativeness in his voice and digs down deep inside to continue her hard fought battle, not to be caught by him, or his desperate pleas. No tricks. No trust. She will not be caught by the man, who has once again changed his mind as to what it is he wants at any given moment and that she should obey his commands.
Tea enters a clearing and feels that the last ditch stretch is at hand. She can feel her adrenaline kicking into overdrive and knows now, with this opening, she can out run him. What a foolish thought this was, for the woman in dress shoes to think she could outrun the athlete, the high school superstar quarterback who, in her opinion, hated to loose to her more than almost anything else in the world.
Todd took the clearing as an opportunity to make his move. He reached both hands out in front of him as far as his arms would stretch and he felt the collar of her coat. As his body overtook its frightened prey, the momentum of the occasion took control and spun them both out of control. As if they weren’t already close to that as it was.
His body fell to the ground with her body under his, as they twirled and twisted out of control. Closer and closer they came to the edge of Gilbert’s Run Creek. As their bodies momentum slowed, Todd was on top, then Tea, then Todd and then Tea. Grunts and screaming escaped both of their mouths, from somewhere deep inside their beings. With one last roll, Tea ended up on top of Todd. Their bodies instantaneously came to a halt.
Todd: Tea, what’s wrong with you? What’s the matter? Are you afraid of me?
Tea said nothing. In her haste to not be his captive for even one second more, Tea rolled over in the same direction their bodies had been rolling and let out a blood curdling yell. She screamed for her life. Without blinking an eye, Todd reached out his hand and grabbed her arm, as the rest of her body flew over the edge of Gilbert’s Run Creek, the rocks down below over 80 feet away.
