Page 2 of Remember, Love

No.

I roar and yank my broken foot, ripping it through the manacle. Free. I’m free. I drag the chains behind me and grab the man’s gun from the ground. Slowly, I crawl toward the entrance. Fleeing the hole that has been my prison for years.

Finally, there’s light. Hell has broken loose. The jungle burns, men run, machine-gun fire fills the air. I pull myself through the thick smoke, hiding in the underbrush. I am darkness. I am shadow.

I melt deeper into the jungle. Now that I’ve escaped the cave, my only focus is finding her. For the first time, I wonder, will she be afraid when she sees me? The darkness that I am?

But I must go to her. She’s my soul. My light. Her picture. Her words: Remember, love. For thousands of days, across thousands of miles, she’s kept me tethered to life. Now I have to tether her to me. I wonder if she can help save me, help me remember the stars?

Finally, the gunshots recede, the explosions stop. I’ve dragged myself far from the attack and my captors. I’ve been given one last chance. I’ll tear down the world to find her.

I pull myself up and lean against a vine-covered tree trunk. Staring up at the sky, I try to steady my breathing. I’m free. I’m finally free.

A click sounds.

I look up into the barrel of a gun.

My eyes fill with tears and I let out a roar. The darkness weeps.

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