Hello, and welcome back to Blonde Girl Writing, where I talk about writing, God, and reading! Today I thought it would be cool to share a snippet of my writing with you all. So, without further ado, here is my dystopian snippet, tilted Run.
Run.
That’s all the girl could hear, could think, could breathe. The pounding of footsteps on concrete, the rushing of blood in her ears, and the shouts of the soldiers behind her mixed into a cacophony of noises that spurred her further down the darkened road.
Had it really only been a week since she’d watched that newsfeed? Had it only been a week since her whole life had changed—since her father had been executed and her friend forced into the army and she had been exiled to the surface?
And now they had found her.
Run.
The girl wasn’t sure how long she’d been running, though the burning in her lungs gave her a pretty good idea. At least five full-grown soldiers were chasing her, but she had the advantage of agility and knowledge of the streets. She’d been here longer, and so she knew where each street went, which roads led to dead-ends, and what houses held light sleepers. They were things she’d been taught to notice, understand, and memorize her whole life.
“Get back here!” one of the soldiers in the lead yelled. “Stop, by the authority of the Caegen Guard!”
The girl nearly laughed at this ridiculous statement. They both knew that no one from Caegen had authority here—this was the Aboveworld, where mayors and councils ruled. There was no dictatorship to squash the freedoms of these people. And that’s what the girl loved most about this place.
Run.
And run she did, dodging a shadowed figure on the street corner and turning onto another road. Simon lived on this street. If she could just reach his house—
The footsteps grew louder in her ears. She looked over her shoulder to find the soldiers gaining on her. She muttered an Aboveworld curse and tried to get her legs to go faster, to carry her away from this place.
But just like her soul, weary of hiding in the shadows and wandering from place to place like a nomad, her legs were tired. Too tired.
Run.
The girl’s legs gave out suddenly, sending her crashing to the pavement. She grunted as her face scraped against the hard cement and her hands and knees followed suit. Everything hurt, and the girl had to bite down hard on her lip to keep from screaming as the soldiers came to a stop above her, grinning like foxes who had cornered a rabbit.
“Nice try, little girl,” one of the male soldiers taunted her. “No one escapes us.”
Before she could try crawling away, the man lifted her by her dirty shirt and threw her against a nearby house. She cried in pain as her head hit the brick, waking the people in the house.
Great. She’d have an audience as the soldiers dragged her away.
Run.
The girl lifted her head wearily, watching through dazed eyes as people clustered on their porches. They stared at the soldiers in horror but did nothing to stop her punishment. They knew the same thing would happen to them if they tried to interfere.
She caught sight of Simon and his mother, just a few houses down. The lantern hanging from their porch shone faint light on their faces, showing they were just as horrified as everyone else.
The girl reached out to them, her hands trembling with the effort. But at the same time, she knew she could not ask for their help. She could not put in danger the people who helped her survive in the Aboveworld.
There was no escape as the soldiers grabbed her arms and legs and hauled her away. She didn’t even try to put up a fight. There was no use—the soldiers had won.
Run.
But this time, she couldn’t.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this little snippet of my writing! Let me know if you'd like more in the future, and have a great day.
Best wishes,
~ Jonah
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