LJ Idol S11: Week 4: Impossible
"Be brave," he said. And he pushed at the small of my back.
I watched myself put my tiny foot in my tiny black sneaker (tiny compared to his anyway), white laces threatening to unravel, onto the unsteady plank.
A coldness gripped my heart, an icy cold that ran down my legs and froze my foot in place.
"C’mon. You can do it, Junie. Remember what Mom always said? 'You can do anything-'"
"'You set your mind to,'" I finished the sentence with him. The warmth of my Mama's words as they passed through my lips, through time, melted the ice within.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a sharp breath of crisp Autumn air through my nose. Pushed peanutbutter-tinged breath slowly through my lips. And as though it were someone else’s, slung my other foot out in front of the first one. The wood wobbled and wavered, this makeshift narrow bridge between banks. A rushing swollen creek underneath the creaking boards. And then? I ran. I don’t remember how but my feet decided if we were doing this at all we were going now. And fast!
At the end of the plank, I jumped, and landed in the dirt with both feet. A small squish sound as the mud came up around the soles. I knelt and made bunny ears and tied them tight. As I stood up my legs shook. And a smile crept over my lips. I looked at Ethan who nodded approvingly. He came over next. His long legs reached farther, and he made it over in three steps. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.
"Atta girl, Junie, ok, c'mere," Ethan said. He took my elbow gently in his hand and crouched a little as his eyes scanned the forest.
"My feet hurt, Ethan," I said.
"Hush, now. I know. You've been doing real good. We're almost there."
"Will it really be safe there?"
"So long as we stick together, we got this. I heard it hasn't gotten north of the river."
"People aren't sick up there?"
"Right."
"Are we gonna get sick?"
"Not if we just get North, Junie-girl. But that's why we just gotta keep pressing on..."
"I miss Mama," I said.
Ethan stopped scanning and looked me right in the eyes. "Me too." After a beat, he said, "Ok, now, c'mon," and took a few steps. The dry, golden leaves crackled under our feet. We hadn't got far, really, when Ethan stopped and put his hand on me. We ducked down low, and creeped over to the nearest tree. I looked up at him, and he put his finger on his lips to tell me to stay quiet. I nodded, as my heart pounded in my chest, like a rabbit trying to escape.
Still crouching, Ethan reached into his boot, and slid out the shiny pistol. He took the smaller gun out of his hoodie pocket, and placed it in my hand. He wrapped my fingers around it. The sound he'd heard, I could hear now too. The moaning, gurgling hum of them. They were getting closer.
"I can't.." I said softly.
"They're already gone, Junie. They aren't people anymore, not really. C'mon. You remember what else Mama said, right?" he whispered.
I listened to the raspy gurgles, and the swish-swish sounds they made as they walked that funny way through the leaves. Real, regular people sounded like swish..swish..swish.. The.. others? The sick ones... They went swish-swish, because I guess your legs don't work as good once you're dead.
"Junie?" Ethan said. "What did Mama tell us?"
"One to slow 'em down, two in the head, to stop 'em dead."
"Good girl. Ok, let's try to get out of here. Only use that if you have to," his voice was calm, mostly. I heard it shake a little, but pretended I hadn't. "C'mon let's try to get the hell outta here. We got this."
As the rasps and swish-swish sounds got louder, and we creeped silently, gripping the hard metal in the palm of my hand, I heard another sound - the whooosh of rushing water, bigger than before... I stayed right next to my brother, and we pushed on towards the river.
= = =
This has been an entry for therealljidol. Prompt: Impossible
I watched myself put my tiny foot in my tiny black sneaker (tiny compared to his anyway), white laces threatening to unravel, onto the unsteady plank.
A coldness gripped my heart, an icy cold that ran down my legs and froze my foot in place.
"C’mon. You can do it, Junie. Remember what Mom always said? 'You can do anything-'"
"'You set your mind to,'" I finished the sentence with him. The warmth of my Mama's words as they passed through my lips, through time, melted the ice within.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a sharp breath of crisp Autumn air through my nose. Pushed peanutbutter-tinged breath slowly through my lips. And as though it were someone else’s, slung my other foot out in front of the first one. The wood wobbled and wavered, this makeshift narrow bridge between banks. A rushing swollen creek underneath the creaking boards. And then? I ran. I don’t remember how but my feet decided if we were doing this at all we were going now. And fast!
At the end of the plank, I jumped, and landed in the dirt with both feet. A small squish sound as the mud came up around the soles. I knelt and made bunny ears and tied them tight. As I stood up my legs shook. And a smile crept over my lips. I looked at Ethan who nodded approvingly. He came over next. His long legs reached farther, and he made it over in three steps. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.
"Atta girl, Junie, ok, c'mere," Ethan said. He took my elbow gently in his hand and crouched a little as his eyes scanned the forest.
"My feet hurt, Ethan," I said.
"Hush, now. I know. You've been doing real good. We're almost there."
"Will it really be safe there?"
"So long as we stick together, we got this. I heard it hasn't gotten north of the river."
"People aren't sick up there?"
"Right."
"Are we gonna get sick?"
"Not if we just get North, Junie-girl. But that's why we just gotta keep pressing on..."
"I miss Mama," I said.
Ethan stopped scanning and looked me right in the eyes. "Me too." After a beat, he said, "Ok, now, c'mon," and took a few steps. The dry, golden leaves crackled under our feet. We hadn't got far, really, when Ethan stopped and put his hand on me. We ducked down low, and creeped over to the nearest tree. I looked up at him, and he put his finger on his lips to tell me to stay quiet. I nodded, as my heart pounded in my chest, like a rabbit trying to escape.
Still crouching, Ethan reached into his boot, and slid out the shiny pistol. He took the smaller gun out of his hoodie pocket, and placed it in my hand. He wrapped my fingers around it. The sound he'd heard, I could hear now too. The moaning, gurgling hum of them. They were getting closer.
"I can't.." I said softly.
"They're already gone, Junie. They aren't people anymore, not really. C'mon. You remember what else Mama said, right?" he whispered.
I listened to the raspy gurgles, and the swish-swish sounds they made as they walked that funny way through the leaves. Real, regular people sounded like swish..swish..swish.. The.. others? The sick ones... They went swish-swish, because I guess your legs don't work as good once you're dead.
"Junie?" Ethan said. "What did Mama tell us?"
"One to slow 'em down, two in the head, to stop 'em dead."
"Good girl. Ok, let's try to get out of here. Only use that if you have to," his voice was calm, mostly. I heard it shake a little, but pretended I hadn't. "C'mon let's try to get the hell outta here. We got this."
As the rasps and swish-swish sounds got louder, and we creeped silently, gripping the hard metal in the palm of my hand, I heard another sound - the whooosh of rushing water, bigger than before... I stayed right next to my brother, and we pushed on towards the river.
= = =
This has been an entry for therealljidol. Prompt: Impossible