Salvation or Destruction
Salvation or Destruction
Time crawled. The men’s boots shifted, radios crackled, but the guards stayed close, always too close. Hours seemed to slip by, the heavy rain stopped leaving only wet ground and flood. Night fell heavy and absolute, wrapping them in black.
Sophie’s body sagged with exhaustion. Her legs ached, and her head dipped before jerking up again. She shifted restlessly, almost knocking against the wall. Talia reacted fast, guiding her gently down until Sophie’s head rested on her shoulder.
“Stay still,” Talia whispered, stroking damp strands of hair from her forehead. “You’ll be fine. We’ll get out of here, I promised. Let’s wait till night grows deeper until they’re tired , then I will figure out a way for us to leave here .”
Sophie swallowed hard, then let her head settle against Talia’s shoulder.
Talia kept watch, her heartbeat steady despite the pounding threat in the night. Her gaze flicked back to the men. Through a crack in the wall, she studied the three men , they position themselves well in front, middle, back leaving no way for an escape .
And Behind them , is only an endless, tangled bush that might lead nowhere.
Leaning close, she whispered into Sophie’s ear, her voice low but certain
“We can’t stay here forever. We can’t go front or back either. I think we have to enter that bush. What if it leads somewhere? It might not be as thick as it looks.”
Sophie’s eyes flew open, wide with fear. “No… it’s too dangerous. Too thick to enter.”
Talia’s tone was calm, soothing, though her own pulse thundered. “It’s more dangerous to stay. Trust me. We can’t attack they’re armed, and we have nothing only ourselves . Sometimes the path that looks most dangerous… might be the safest one.” She said holding Sophie’s shoulder tightly
Sophie hesitated, torn between terror and the strange comfort of Talia’s presence. At last, she gave a tiny nod.
Slowly, they pressed against the wall, ready to move. The wall was slick from the storm, the bush ahead a black maze. Sophie’s hand tightened around Talia’s sleeve. One step forward could mean freedom or ruin. The night waited to see which it would be….Hand in hand, they slipped into the night, uncertain of what awaited them… salvation or destruction.