24 Hours

**Trigger warning (Themes of cannibalism)**

24 hours. Easy. As sweat poured down my temple, I crouched behind a statue of some politician. I gripped the stone tightly with my sweaty hands. I couldn't see very well through the fog, but I didn't see anybody near. My shoulder relaxed a bit and I slid down to the ground to catch my breath. I looked at my surroundings. I was in Washington DC. I’ve lived here my whole life. There were national monuments in every direction. In fact I was sitting under one. But this wasn’t the one I was looking for. My father would be so disappointed I'd chosen this spot to rest. It was too open with no coverage behind me.

My father taught me everything I knew. How to hunt. How to hide. He was actually who I was running from. See, we’ve had this ritual we do ever since I was 6. Once a month, I get 24 hours to run and hide wherever I want. I just can't be caught. You'd think that would be fairly easy. Wrong. I lose every time. His hunting and survival skills are unmatched. It was driving me crazy that I haven't won once. That was about to change. I'm determined to win. 

I pulled out my compass and made sure I was still headed northwest. Great, right on track. That was enough of a break. I began running again toward the Washington Monument. As I neared the large body of water next to it, I pulled out my straw and popped it in my mouth. When I got a few steps away, I closed my eyes tightly and dove into the water. I hatched this plan last night. I would hide here until time was up. Hopefully this straw would allow enough oxygen to keep me alive until I'd won. After running for almost 4 hours, I was exhausted. The cool water felt so good on my skin. I started to relax as I sat huddled in the corner of the pond, hoping I was somewhat concealed. Time went by slowly. It was hard for my body to adapt to being underwater for so long with very little amounts of oxygen coming through the tiny hole in the straw. After being there for a day, hunger assaulted me. But I was careful to keep my mind distracted so that I wouldn't think about the discomfort so much. I would steal a glance at my waterproof digital watch every once in a while. Once I saw I had an hour left, I began to feel victorious. 

My fingers were beyond pruney and my stomach was rumbling something fierce, but that didn't matter. I'd never lasted this long. Most of the time I would get caught halfway into the 24 hour period. My father was excellent at tracking and thinking like his prey. He knew me too well. But this time I decided to stop thinking like me. I thought to myself “what would he do?”. 

I kept myself busy in the last hour by thinking about what I would eat when I returned home. After living with my father in Greenbelt National park since most of the world's population had disappeared, hunger was an ever present companion. It had been 8 years since everyone disappeared. The few that remained left the cities and retreated into the woods. 

Channy took another glance at her watch, which told her she’d made it. She burst out of the water, took a huge gulp of air, and was startled when she saw someone in the fog walking towards her. She laughed loudly and triumphantly. “It’s too late! I won!” She yelled at her father. As it emerged, she made out the figure to see that it wasn’t who she thought it was, but a burly man with a beard and a wide grin on his face. So she ran. 

She was running for only a few minutes when her body slammed into another's. She fell to the ground immediately and her tailbone broke her fall. She cried out in pain and familiar hands reached for her and scooped her up. Her father pulled her tightly to his chest and started running. “What’s going on Channy? Why are we running?” He asked calmly. Her father was an astute man who never lost his composure. She explained how she left her hiding spot to immediately see a man who has since been chasing her. Her father nodded his head understandingly. “He must be a local cannibal.” Yikes. 

Her father ran towards an abandoned building and went inside. He set his daughter down and pulled out his pistol. As they waited for the man to catch up, Heath looked at Channy. The 14 year old girl he’d raised since he found her wandering around DC by herself. He felt a sense of pride well up in him when he remembered that she finally beat him. “You did a great job kiddo. You won.” He said as he grabbed her by the chin and squeezed gently. A smile broke out on her face. “Thanks dad!” He nodded and said “Your hiding is definitely improving and you're much faster than you used to be.” Her smile grew bigger at the affirmation.

The moment ended quickly when they heard footsteps approaching. They ducked down quickly behind a counter. Heath pulled his gun closer to his chest and he readied himself to pull the trigger. He smelled the man before he saw him. He smelt of burnt flesh. His stomach churned as his suspicions were confirmed. Time slowed as he jumped from his hiding spot and shot the man directly in the chest. He immediately fell to the ground and started bleeding out. 

As Heath walked over to the man, he told Channy to stay where she was. He crouched down when he heard the man muttering. It took a few tries to understand what he was saying. Eventually he heard the words “my daughter” and looked down to see his finger straining to point to the young girl he’d found 8 years ago.