@Dances_with_Shadows-has-writers-blocksry
It was a pretty odd sight. Cold night, cold as all hell and then some, and it wasn't getting warmer anytime soon. The road that winded and weaved its way through the dense forest, lit up occasionally by a streetlights that glowed dim, bored-looking yellows that illuminated an area of 6 feet around the pole and nothing else. It was isolated, it was dark, and it was sketchy, yet Runner walked casually on the right shoulder of the asphalt, following the solid white line that set the firm boundaries on the road. He wore a thick sweatshirt with the word "Clemson" printed across the chest in bolded orange letters. A pair of jeans and sneakers capped off the unassuming outfit, but that wasn't the odd part of him. He held a thick, cast iron skillet loosely in his left hand, his upper body leaned slightly because of the weight. It didn't seem to be too uncomfortable, nor did it hinder his gait at all. But it was still weird, especially in the middle of nowhere.
Cold. So cold. And dark. So dark. No, there—a spot of light. He could run there. He should. But the yawning shadows between them was the problem. The slumbering darkness along the strange road was best to let lie. He didn't know what was out there, and he didn't want to anger anything. He was the trespasser, after all—a stranger of these swaying and drowsy woods. He wrapped his small wings around his frail body, the tips and shafts of the glaringly white feathers a dull bronze. His sharp cheek had a square bandage tightly taped to his skin, pulling painfully whenever he moved the wrong way. That was nothing, however, compared to the stabbing loneliness and fear. His bones rattled with his trembling. His wide amber eyes shied away from the world, using tufts of dirty blonde hair as a curtain from reality. Knobby fingers and wrists intertwined, hugging numb legs to a skinny chest. Had it not been for the wings, the boy would've been relatively inconspicuous in his oversized garb—a dull gray hoodie paired with black sweats. He went barefoot, his cold feet and toes tucked into his pants.
He dared not break the silence of this eerie place.
