Part 8: The Final Chapter
For several weeks, Sofia has stretched her leg muscles in a pocket of green grass behind Deluvia’s guarded east gate.
Following the stretch, she would jog through the city’s greenbelt to regain her strength.
Tonight, she will not commence the jog.
She knows she can never leave, but she has to try. She just doesn’t know when. Something deep inside tells her that a sign will come.
Sofia holds the heart-shaped locket in both hands. She closes her eyes, giving the locket the softest of squeezes. When her eyes open, just one gaze tells her -- it's time.
The guards keep all manners of creatures and vagrants out of Deluvia. They also keep citizens in. During the changing of the guard at dusk, several vans stop at the towers, exchanging equipment and uniformed men.
Presently, Sofia finds herself beside a van parked beside the gate. She slips around the corner to the exterior world, slipping between the shadows of two tall, thin cypress trees facing the outer wall. When the van leaves, she waits. A larger truck pulls out, hiding her from view of the guard box.
Sofia bolts down the length of the wall, running north. She remembers with clarity the rolling of the three hills that lead north, and the gullies through which she will make her escape. From her hospital balcony, she chose the open expanse of the north to conduct her final run.
Some runners choose climbing to escape death. Others decide to hide behind objects and walls. But Sofia always feels safest in the wide open. She knows she can outrun the Noh.
She wonders if she can run for the next 24 hours.
She’s done it before.
The first night proves uneventful.
The injections administered by the Deluvian nurses still beat strong within her veins. She runs through to morning, only pausing once to drink from a cold, clear stream by moonlight.
A wind develops during the afternoon, pushing a haze into her mind. She slows to a walk, exhausted from her effort. She hears her name again, whispered by the wind in the bough of trees.
Sofia … Sofia … come to me …
Dusk arrives.
A cold develops.
Buzzing erupts.
Behind her are the Noh, pinschers chittering in anticipation.
A shape takes form.
Sofia runs.
Ahead, the form solidifies, and takes her up in his arms.
“Sofia…”
She detects spindly, sharp claws at her heels.
Sofia feels like a silhouette, covered in a trembling, insectile noise. She melts into the other, bathing him in warm tears.
End
Read the poem celebrating the final reunion of Sofia and Ryan
Start at the beginning:
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven
"Escape from the Noh" is a short-story that is a combination of sci-fi and horror. As a writer, I enjoy deconstructing genres to see where I can mix them for a synergistic effect. I welcome feedback and will be publishing my 300,000 word epic novel "The Messiah" on Steemit in 2017.
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For 20 years I have written hundreds of stories, poems, and a novel, and Steemit has finally made sharing this work possible. Thank you all for your support and encouragement.
Image Credits: stevebidmead | tpsdave | Chetan Menaria | cocoparisienne
