Dawn Haze

As she continued down the highway towards the city, she didn't even feel her feet anymore. They had stopped hurting miles ago. Back when her skin couldn't take anymore friction - when the blisters popped and her socks began to soak through with blood. For a while, each step had been a struggle. Her shoes had felt like lead weights, pulling her legs down towards the asphalt. Not wanting to let her continue forward. But she had to keep going.

No one in the lab had seen her leave. For months she had put in the time. Done her duties, her chores. Gotten on the good side of all the nurses and guards. Kept under the radar.  She quickly became one of the trusted ones. Allowed to go out and night for a cigarette, soak in some of the fresh air. Depending on the guard, she was even allowed to stroll the perimeter. Each night she waited. Watched their routines. Made mental notes of when each guard took a bathroom break - when the nurses switched shifts. Each night that passed begged for her to flee. But she had to be patient. There was a brief window in the early morning hours when she could slip out, go for one of her strolls and hop the fence. Finally, one night, she did it. When the nurses were busy talking to one another and the guard had gone to grab his nightly coffee, she slipped outside, around the corner of the building, and nimbly climbed over the fence.

Once she was in the woods - she had no idea where to go. Her plan hadn't stretched that far. So she just walked. Eventually making to the highway she was dragging herself down now. One she recognized. Up ahead the city shown brightly. Her city. A beacon. She hoped her family was still there. Asleep in their beds, waiting for her return. It wouldn't be long until she was right outside their door - ready for their embrace.

As she continued forward, she had trouble focusing. For the last year she had been kept as a prisoner against her own will. Stolen from her bed at home. Force fed a slurry of pills every night. Sedating her. Keeping her in line. But now, her muscles were calling for the meds. Yearning for the numbness and salvation they brought. She had not expected this. The shakes. The cold sweat.

She no longer could tell if the haze ahead was just the early morning fog rolling in or the withdrawals.