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The rain had been falling forever. That wasn't an exaggeration, it had been falling non-stop for years and years, as far back as Henrietta could remember. She hadn't ever seen the sun, not even once. The rain was all she knew, but she subconsciously knew that there was something in the sky, something more, something bright. She had never seen it, but she knew it was there. She knew it was there, with the same certainty that she knew They were there. even if They couldn't be seen, They were there. They were always there.
As she ran, she looked ahead of her, looking as far into the distance that the rain would allow. She had gotten far away from the city; it had vanished into the rain long ago. the road she ran on was more gravel than anything, with mud squirting out from under her ragged shoes. the breath in her lungs burned, and her legs ached, but she continued running. Each time her foot hit the ground, she felt them get closer. Each time she stopped to catch her breath, she felt them advance.
Finally, she staggered to a halt. She couldn't move anymore. Her lungs were on fire, and her legs felt like jelly. She would be drenched in sweat, but the rain prevented that. As it was, she was soaked to the bone, chilled to the marrow. She put her hand against a tree and panted, doubled over from exhaustion. Staring at the ground, she saw a small pool of water. It would get hit with a raindrop, and ripples would spread out, only to vanish once they reached the end. could she be a ripple, always moving, fated to meet an ultimate end? No. As long as she could, she'd run. Running was her only freedom. Running was the only way they couldn't catch her. She would run so far that everyone would know she was no ripple.
Standing up, she ran. Moments later, several shadows calmly walked up to where she stopped. They paused for a moment, and looked off in the distance where she'd gone, as if They could still see her. Perhaps they could. They turned as one, and pursued her, walking steadily, inexorably, like the passage of time. Each spot where their shoes hit the ground turned grey and lifeless, like it had all the life sucked out of it. One shoe happened to step int he small pool of water, but when it left, no ripples formed. The pursuit continued.