Ella

What Lurks In The Forest

After finishing almost all my chores, I headed to the store to buy lunch.

As I limped through the cold alley, I started getting scared. I felt like someone was watching me. I quickened my pace and I heard footsteps behind me.

My heart was beating a mile a minute as the footsteps got louder and louder. I was tempted to look behind me but it was dark and me being me, I know that I would trip over something.

I started running when I heard a dark laugh come from behind me. Just as you'll expect the unknown person followed.

My heart was pounding and I didn't think I could keep running. I was tired and out of breath. I felt like giving up, but I knew I had to keep running.

I felt a tear fall down my cheek as I kept running. Soon it started getting cold, and I knew the mystery runner was catching up to me. Just as I collapsed on the floor, I heard it. It was a dark and certainly not welcoming voice that coursed through the dark, cold alley.

I am coming for you. You cannot run away from your destiny.

Then everything went dark.

~~~~~~~~~~

I slowly regained consciousness and looked at my surroundings. Trying to ignore the splitting headache that was starting to form in my head.

It was already nightfall and I was in the forest. The moon shown bright in the sky making out hidden shadows of the night theough the trees and bushes.

I thought back to what happened before I passed out and slowly things started coming back to me.

How did I get into the forrest?

I put my hand to my head as a painful sensation went through my head again. My hands were strangly damp and I realised so was my clothing.

Why was I wet ?

I looked down to my arms and saw a thick red substance smeared all over my body. Panic rose slowly as I tried to figure out what it was but unfortunately the answer to the question came dripping right before my eyes. It dripped onto my hand.

Paralyzed with fear I looked up to see a decapitated deer with its organ spewing out of its body, hanging from the tree above me.

I was terrified. I jumped up from where I lay and let out a blood curling scream.

I started running in the other direction trying to figure out whick way was home without stopping to look.

I didn't care whether or not I got to where I needed to go. I just had to get away from the dead body.

I ran and ran faster than I ever had before. Tears threatening to spill but I was not going to let them drop.

Whoosh!

I stop in my tracks at the sound of something flying past me entered my ears.

Whoosh!

There is the sound again.

My heart started poundingin my chest and my mouth became dry. Deciding that I was not going to wait to find out what it was I sturned around to continue my run to freedom when suddenly something flew in my direction.

I closed my eyes as I got knocked down by the heavy weight that was now on my body. I tried to push it off but it didn't budge. I opened my eyes to see another decapitated deer on top of me. Still kicking.

I let out a scream as it thrashed around in my arms beging to be set free from its torture. I used what little strength I had left to push it from my body and it fell onto the hard soft grass. Its thrahes got slower and slower each passing second. I watched In horror as it stopped kicking letting fate take its course.

I turned around as I heard another noise. This time it was different. As I walked towards it, my heart started beating out of my chest. I knew I shouldn't go there. Something told me not to and at the same time a darkness in me told me to go.

I slowly inched towards it. With every step my heart rate escalated. I can feel the hair on my neck stand at high alert. The closer I looked the more I realized what it was.

In front of me was a foul creature, that looked to have no skin. Just torn ul flesh and bone. It looked like a mix between a human and bat.

It had one wing that stuck out in an awkward position in the middle of its hunched back and the other wing looked to have been buried under the dark crimson flesh with only a little bit of wing bone splitting out.  It had dark beady eyes and was feeding on the throat of an animal with its sharp fangs as its teeth. It had stumps on its head that passed for two devil horns but no nose.

I gasped for air at the horrendous site. As quickly as I made that noise my hand shot up to close my mouth.

This was not the time to freak out. I slowly started walking backward. Making sure that there was nothing behind me. I sped up a little but before I knew it there was a loud crack in the air. I looked down to see a snapped tree branch, by the time I looked up it was too late. The animal already noticed me. It sprang for me on its hind legs and I wasted no time to go off running.

My chest was burning and my legs felt like they were gonna give out. I was starting to get dizzy and I couldn't breath all I could feel was the burning sensation on my body. There was a tug at my jeans and I flew forward.

With the creature ontop of me I thrashed around trying to break away from its strong grip as it tried to lift me up into the sky with it. I made my body limp in an attempt to stay on the ground not wanting to be take by the beast.  I moved my head away as it started to snap its teeth towards me.

It was GOING TO KILL ME.
All of a sudden a rock flew past me and hit the creature right in the wing, causing it to fall ontop of me

I smashed into the ground followed by the beast landing on top me. Th air in my lungs were knocked out of my body as it pulled me down with its body weight. I tried to inhale but nothing was coming through.

My body grew tired and limp and I stopped fighting. It was all in slow motion as I watched the creature's
long sharp fanged teeth sink into my skin making my body ignite with a burning pain.

I knew that I was captured by the creature and that this was the end. This was the way I died. I barely noticed as it continued to sink its teeth deeper and deeper into my shoulder.

Strangly I have never felt so calm. At that moment my life flashed before my eyes and I felt like death was calling out to me. It was so close, so welcoming. I couldn't help but smile as the darkness slowly engulfed me.