The Exemption of Guilt

Chapter 1: Darkness

I have one hour left to live.

My whole life has been to listen to the one person who provided my security.

Once I reared my head to justice, I turned back on the thing that comforted me the most and betrayed my comfort.

As a result, it's hunting me down and I have only an hour left to live.

My arms move back and forth as I run and I wouldn't stop until I can obtain the light of freedom, whether it is my entrance into Heaven or a new life.

Either way, I will be killed if I cannot decide one from the other.

I can only pray I make it to Heaven.

Or a better place.

Anywhere but here.

My running shoes have given me no restraints, and I can hear my feet hit the muddy road.

Each step becomes heavier, but if I stop now, I will lose my strength.

I run through the trees, carefully avoiding each branch or bush that may stall my path.

But there are even limits of running.

Like the cliff I stumbled upon.

A car's engine roars behind me and I turn my head to the side.

They've come for me.

Kill me.

Torture me.

Drag me back to the comfort I felt once.

They are talking, yelling.

They pull guns from under the pockets of their coats.

There's nowhere else to go.

I take another look over the cliff, turning my back for a second.

It's a long way down and there's a chance I will not survive.

But now I must decide.

The Cliff, which I may survive by chance.

Serious injuries will result and I'll escape death by my father's hands.

Or the Men, in which I will not survive.

Regardless, I will be destroyed Mentally, Emotionally and Psychologically.

And eventually, physically.

By my own father, a comfort and boiling pit to which I will never succumb to.

I want to live and survive.

He taught me how to survive on my own, so the choice now becomes clear.

I take a step back.

My feet can feel the crumbling of the rock underneath me.

My right heel is on the edge of the cliff and the air.

I hear the safety's click on the guns nearby.

Now it's time.

I took the leap of faith and leaned back.

The guns went off, the gunpowder being fired.

But the bullets had missed their target.

I was already feeling the wind slide against me sharply.

I'm falling.

My only hope is that I make the jump.

Alive.

"Damn it…just because I smoked near the school doesn't mean I have to do service hours in the forest. But they won't let me back in because you got caught too, Luke."

"Hehe…I forgot to watch guard. Sorry, Chase." Luke smiles and walks besides Chase. "Well, hopefully, we'll find something interesting."

"Yeah, but when does that ever happen? We're just supposed to pick up trash in the forest. Nothing excited ever happens." Chase pushes the tree bush away and looks at the ground. He sees a small necklace with an emerald charm on it. It held itself on a silver chain and the end of the chain is soaked red. Chase runs his fingers thorough the red liquid and licks the stain on his hand from the liquid. Luke notices Chase crouched down on the floor.

"What's up Chase?"

"This necklace…I've never seen it before. And this stain on it is blood. Something…or someone is injured." Chase looks down on the ground again, seeing a puddle blood leading to the bush. He puts the necklace in his pocket and pushes the bush away. He sees a girl crawling on the ground; her whole back bleached red with blood. Her right foot was elevated slightly and her breathing was irregular.

"Hey, it's a person!" The girl turned around quickly and saw both boys.

I woke up in a huge amount of pain. I was lying on my back and my right foot felt twisted. I slowly got up and as I touched my back, my hand became smeared with red. The pain stung with a thousand knives, never letting up for a single second. Despite my pain, I began to crawl away from the ground I was laying on. My hands brushed against the hard ground, dirty seeping underneath my fingernails. I tried to keep my foot elevated because it still hurt from the fall. I heard footsteps heading towards me, but I didn't dare to turn around. That is, until I hear the voice.

"Hey, it's a person!" The voice did not sound threatening and how the words were spoken that made me drop my guard. I turned around to see two men I was not familiar with. One of them had a light shade of blue hair while the other had a darker shade of orange. I began to back away slowly from both men, but the orange got closer.

"She's injured. From the looks of it, she might have fallen from somewhere. I want Jin to take a look at it." He reached out his hand towards me and I flinched away, even though he didn't touch me.

"Oh, she's scared. How about we give her some food?"

"How would that help, Luke?"

"Well, like at the zoo or with a pet. You give them food and they will come closer to you." I am not a pet or animal, but food does sound good about now.

"Alright, well, let's see what I have." He turns to his backpack and shuffles thorough his backpack. "Oh, I have the herb salad I made this afternoon. Maybe she'll like it?" He took out a bowl and I stare at the scrumptious offering. I took the bowl and take the fork he hands me. I make a disgusted face because it hate the ingredients, but I still stuff it down my throat anyway.

"Wow…she's really eating it. She ate it so much so fast…" Luke smiled.

"Well,…" Chase looks directly at me. "I'd love for you to come with us. There's more food and security…let me take you there." He reached his hand out towards me. I licked the food off my fingers and I watched him unfazed. I look at the hand and his face, my head going back and forth. In a daze, I took his hand and let him carry me bridal style. I snuggled my head closer to his chest, feeling the warmth engulfing me. The loss of blood has begun to impact me, and I begin to lose my consciousness.

I don't know where I'm going.

I don't know how this story will end.

There's only one thing I know.

I have to survive.

I have to live.

And save Julius…from my father.