My footsteps echo down the hall
One after the other endlessly
Heart thumping, blood rushing
I am running.

The doors burst open
I stumble down steps
Escape.

Past the fields of dead and dried-up grass
Past my longtime home that used to promise safety
Toward my one and only hideout.

I rap upon the secret door
It creaks open and I slip through
Relieved; safe at last.