The Revenants by Alec Dunn

Author:Alec Dunn [Dunn, Alec]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2012-08-11T16:00:00+00:00

Thirteen : On the Road to Nowhere

Tristan’s feet pounded the pavement. The steady rhythm of running feet beat down, step after step, road after road. Max ran beside him, a constant presence.

Tristan’s breaths were loud and strained, but still controlled, rhythmical like his feet. Apart from the thud, thud, thud of quickly stepping feet, he couldn’t even hear Max beside him. Tristan could feel the heat of movement and exercise spread warmth through his body. His muscles were relaxed. They felt tuned and ready.

He felt alive.

The strength flowing through his limbs and the regular beat was very different to the first runs Max had forced him on. He could still remember dragging the sorry, unresponsive weight of his own body around the dark morning streets. His runs used to range from weakness to dizziness and all the time he was embarrassed. And then, slowly, hardly noticeably, imperceptibly, each step had become easier. Day after day, week after week, road after road, he had got stronger and fitter. He was leaner and harder. Each painful step had brought him to here, to now, to where he was running, step by step, almost beside Max, almost comfortably, almost as strong as Max. Almost.

They ran through the yawning empty streets in the half light of morning. It was their routine, a ritual of strained breathing – for Tristan – and effort. Each morning Max arrived at his front door, they exchanged few words and started running. They used to run until Tristan thought he could run no more, and then Max had made him run more. Now they ran faster. They ran for longer and Tristan no longer reached the point where his legs felt like wet string and his body felt like a cows stomach filled with wind and pain and vomit.

Now he felt confident, strong. He ran almost level with Max.

He was one of the group now and he knew why he was running.

He had a mission, a purpose.

He had killed a monster. He had not hesitated, just waited for the opening and dispatched the evil creature. And he would be ready to do the same to the next. He would do the same to the demon.

Max was running faster than usual today. That was fine. Good.

Tristan knew now. They had to train hard, be ready.

He knew what waited in the darkness. He knew why he had nightmares.

They ran street after road after street, approaching the park which had become their usual half way marker, around which they ran a loop outside the flaking metal fence before heading for home. Max suddenly moved away from him. The rhythm of his footsteps increased and he outpaced Tristan. Max took a clear lead and rather than taking their customary path, turned into the park. Tristan followed him with surprise.

This was new.

Tristan followed Max in the muted colours of the early morning light. He followed Max into the twilight green park, step after step, under the long, elongated shadows of the trees, over the wet, dew stained grass.

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