Hollowed

II: Encounter

Shit. Shit. SHIT. My pace grew quicker as I frantically scanned the gloomy woods around me, my heart pounding. This can't be happening, not on my goddamn first day! My thoughts screamed. I had no idea if I was being followed or if it was just my imagination, but I swore that the sound of footsteps was not just my own. 

All of my previous training went out the window as my fight or flight kicked in, my breathing growing shallow. I was surrounded by darkness. Cold, empty darkness. Get yourself together, Erin. 

After several more moments, I stopped, hand on my heart as I struggled to catch my breath. I gulped, closing my eyes and attempting to take a few deep breathes. "Okay... okay let's see," I huffed, trying to regain my composure.

 My eyes flitted around the area, trying to adjust to the void that was the forest. 

Straining my ears, I attempted to figure out if a wild animal really was following me, but it was silent. You're fine, Erin. I ran a hand through my hair, taking one last deep breath.

 And then I heard it. The sound of slow and steady breathing began to grow louder and louder. In a panic, I spun in a circle, trying to find the source.

 And then I saw it. 

Oh shit. 

It looked like a wolf... no... It was a monster. It stood on it's hind legs, it's huge arms accompanied by huge claws that hung lazily by its side. The creature was covered in wild, white fur that made it almost ghost-like against the dark, but what caught my eye the most was its eyes. Those ice blue eyes.

They all talk about fight or flight. The two things powered by adrenaline that usually save our lives. There is a third one though, and it's called freeze. Fight or flight or freeze. Of course, instead of the first two, my whole body had been taken over by the last. 

I was prey, and I knew there was no way that I could outrun this beast, or even try to fight back. The creature suddenly took a step forward, and then another, and then several more before it was standing right over me, its head leaned down as its eyes ran all over my frozen figure. 

At least make it quick. Please, just do it fast, I pleaded mentally, closing my eyes. My body was trembling uncontrollably as I waited... and waited. After what seemed like forever, I slowly opened my eyes to find that there was nothing in front of me. Whatever had been standing over me was gone. 

I stood frozen there for several more moments before I broke into a sprint. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me before suddenly bursting into a clearing. My house was right there. 

I'm going insane. This isn't happening. My thoughts accompanied me all the way back into the freezing shack, a never ending downpour of theories and fears. I collapsed onto the stiff bed, my body still trembling and my heart still pounding. Go to sleep Erin, this is just a dream, I thought to myself in a desperate attempt to calm myself down, but it wasn't, it couldn't be. 

Finally, my breathing slowed down and I found my body shutting down from exhaustion. It's going to be okay, just breathe. 

                                                                             +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

I let out a gasp as I shot up in bed, my heart palpitating. The sunlight was streaming through the few windows in the cabin, a slight comfort to me before I was hit with the memory of the previous night. It was a dream, right? Wrong. 

I looked down at my arms and legs, realizing that the scratch marks from the brambles I had run through last night were all too real. The eyes of the creature flashed through my mind, making me wince. Stop being a wimp and get on with the goddamn day, my thoughts snapped. "Right," I breathed, standing up from the bed. I needed to question the residents of the town. 

The trip to the village painful, every single noise making me jump. I was terribly on edge. After I reached the town square, relief washed over me when I spotted several residents out and about. As I made my way closer though, many of them stopped and began whispering among themselves, staring me down. Great. 

Suddenly, my eyes landed on a familiar face, causing me to smile hopefully. Ellie waved at me as she waddled over, her expression extremely joyful. "Well hello dear! How are you holding up?" She greeted happily, engulfing me in another unexpected hug. 

"Well- uh, Ellie I actually have a few questions for you," I sputtered, still not used to the physical contact. Is this what it's like to have a mom who- 

No, stop, focus Erin.

Ellie nodded eagerly after breaking away from the hug, showing me that I had all of her attention. "So, I know this is going to sound really random, but have any of the locals here reported sighting of any... monsters? I mean even like- legends?" I cringed at how dumb it sounded. 

Ellie did not seem phased at all though, and in fact, she acted as if I had simply asked about the weather. "Oh of course, I can't believe I forgot to tell you!" She laughed, causing a horrified frown to appear on my face. 

"Yes, yes, there have been stories of something in those woods, we don't know what yet, but bodies have been found and uh, yes oh the missing people..." she trailed off as I stood there horrified. 

"Sorry dear, I should've told you before you got settled in," she laughed, patting me on the back. 

I wanted to scream at this lady for acting like finding bodies in the forest was a normal thing, but I was speechless. 

So why didn't it kill me...? 

                                                                                    +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+

As quick as I had arrived, I was quicker in trying to leave. I can't deal with this, I thought as I grabbed the few things I had unpacked and stuffed them back into my suitcase. I dreaded the expression my mother would give me when I got back home when I told her I failed. I shuddered, pushing the thought away and zipping up my suitcase. Facing my mom is better than facing whatever that thing was. Right?

The train station sat above the village, an hours walk away and currently my legs were begging for a rest. I had only been walking for about ten minutes, but damn, the path was steep. "Excuse me? Miss?" A voice called out, causing me to jump. I looked around nervously before laying eyes on the owner of the voice. A tall figure was quickly making its was toward me. 

I swallowed nervously, setting my suitcase down as the man approached me. As he got closer, my blood ran cold. Stop overthinking Erin, you're so paranoid, I thought as I instinctively stepped back. 

Those ice blue eyes were all too familiar though...