Home (Original Flash Fiction)

By Connor MacDonald

My mouth is dry. I try to see, but everything is blurred. I reach my hand out and feel what I believe to be brick. Why is my head pulsating? I can barely think. I don’t even know if I can hear until the noise of a loud thump comes from behind me. Thud. Thud. What could that be? As my bearings become more familiar to me, I see what appears to be something moving in front of me. I call out to the being, “Hello?” but it moves quickly around the corner. The sky is red, and there are large orange cracks within the sky.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Whatever that is, it is coming closer to me. I have to get out of here! My pace quickens, and I begin to chase after the being in front of me. This place is a labyrinth. The walls are made of brick, and graffiti litters the walls. The tight alleyway almost seems to shrink as I move forward.

Who am I? I don’t even know who I am! What is my name? I do not know. What am I? I don’t even have the time to look down at myself as I run throughout this maze. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Whatever it is that is behind me, it is picking up its pace. I quickly turn yet another corner and see the figure I have been following, but was there ever a choice? It is a little girl, or at least some vague representation of one. Her eyes meet mine, and there is a deep sadness in her eyes.

Why am I frightening this young girl? She takes off to the left; I run to the right. Whatever it is that is chasing us, it is following me. Was I chasing the girl? My thoughts are confused. I can barely think. Thud. Thud. Thud. What? The steps are getting lighter. Oh God, it is following the little girl. What could make such a noise as that?

A thought flashes in my head: should I help the girl? I have this notion that I should help her; she is younger than me. She is unable to defend herself. Isn’t she? What makes ME think I can defend her? I notice that, as I have this argument with myself, I continue to run further away from the sound. Am I a bad person?

I hear a scream. It is unlike anything I have ever heard. But then I realize I have never heard a scream. What am I doing here? Oh God, the screams don’t stop! Why is my head pounding so much? I CAN BARELY THINK. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. Whatever it is, it is right behind me. I imagine all sorts of horrors; it could be so many things. It could be all things, or nothing.

I run; I run as fast as I can. I don’t even look behind me. The graffiti gets more and more common the deeper I go into this maze. I stumble over some bones. Small bones. The bones of children. A face flashes in my mind. The face of a young girl, blonde with green eyes. How do I know her? I cannot dwell on it. I push forward. I always must push forward. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD. My legs feel like jelly. I fall. I look down and see more bones. Where am I? What is this graveyard? I push forward. Another face appears in my mind, another girl. Am I a girl? I don’t think I am. No, I’m a man. An older man. Are these girls related to me? I pick myself up and continue to run, but my breath becomes more and more hoarse and heavy.

What I can best describe as a loud CRACK rings throughout the entire maze as I look up and see those orange cracks in the red sky beginning to fall apart. The sky is obliterating. This is not my home. This is somewhere far away.

But it is your home.

I shake that voice out of my head as fast as it appears. No, no, this is not my home. This is some terrible dream. Hands reach out and begin to swipe at me as I run down the alley, the hands of little girls. Oh my God, what have I done? More faces appear in my mind. Oh, the crimes I have committed.

I collapse on the ground. My mouth is dry. I try to see, but everything is blurred. I reach my hand out and feel what I believe to be brick. Why is my head pulsating? I can barely think…