Freedom

Dazzling traffic lights flickered all around, mesmerising me. I couldn’t quite believe I was actually here. I’d really done it. My biggest dream – well, it had come true. I pressed down on the pedal, butterflies tingling in my stomach as the car rode forward, up the busy street, past the grand houses, the proud trees, dotted with the few golden autumn leaves that were left dangling from the branches. The mountain stood humbly on the horizon, covering parts, just parts, of the glistening orange sunset. As I watched the magic happen around me, my mind flashed back to three months ago, when I was living in my aunt’s basement, practically locked away from the rest of the world, caged in, desperate for some sort of escape, a chance to become somebody, to do something with my life. Fast forward a month and I’d fled the cage; I was free, free to do anything I pleased. I had big plans. The blurry amber light threw me off as my mind blanked, my vision hazy. I rapidly shifted forward, completely unaware that the light had now turned a vivid scarlet. And that’s when it hit me. Quite literally. All I saw was the glass shatter in front of me. All I heard were the deafening honks and screeches around the vehicle. All I tasted was the bitter blood that flowed instantly from the back of my throat. All I felt was my heartbeat slow, my eyes flutter and eventually shut.