Learning to Bow

Bound

Across the river, through the cattails and weeds, I could barely make out the shape of a huge black wolf.

I screamed.

I fell backwards onto my butt and scrambled out of the river. Already I was soaked from the waist down. I tried to get up, to move from the river, but my legs felt weak and my breathing was already ragged.

"Ara!" I heard Jack yell. I glanced behind me, fear gripping me. I saw Jack break through the trees and suddenly his body began to rip apart. First from his chin, a tear that ripped through his clothes and through his body as something expanded from within. I gasped as a creature, covered in blood and fur, emerged from Jack. My breath caught in my throat and I ducked down and screamed as the thing lunged towards me, jumping over and rammed into the black wolf in the center of the river. Stunned, I clambered out of the bank and tried to run for the trees. A pain shot through my ankle and I stumbled. The creatures tearing at each other had moved closer to me and I was graced with a sharp claw mark to the back of my heel.

The sound of several howls rang through the forest and I felt myself start to hyperventilate. Jack was dead and more monsters were coming. I tried to get away from the river, away from the things trying to rip each other apart. I didn't make it far before three more bear sized wolves burst from the woods I was trying to escape too. I lunged for a tree and curled up afraid. The sounds of snapping and snarling echoed around me, and then it all fell silent.

I couldn't stop shaking. I couldn't understand how I got into this situation. I knew if I stayed still I had a chance of surviving and explaining to Cassidy and James what happened. The bark of the tree behind me dug into my back, grounding me in that moment. Whichever creature survived was going to find me.

I felt something suddenly on my shoulder and I snapped my head up in panic induced fear. There, naked and covered in blood, was Cassidy. Her hair slicked back and tinged red. I screamed and pushed her away, my heart beating too rapidly, my chest burned.

Sounding as if underwater, I could hear Cassidy try to speak to me, "Honey, it's alright," I thought she said. But I couldn't hear anything after that, my vision went black and I sloped to the floor.

"Ara?" I heard a voice call out, "Ara, are you okay?" My eyes fluttered open. Jack was there, but hardly recognizable. He was bathed in blood and his clothes were missing. I gasped again and felt tears prickle in my eyes.

"Get away from me!" I shouted and tried to push him away. He didn't fight me and backed away with his hands up. I started gasping, trying to get my breathing under control. I looked back at Jack, his bloodied face scrunched in a pained expression and I realized he shouldn't be alive. My eyebrows knitted together as I gaped at him, my breath still coming out unevenly.

"I saw that creature tear straight through you!" I shouted. I wiped liquid from my face and looked down at the blood on my hand. "Oh my -" Jack spoke quickly, cutting off my exclamation.

"It's not your blood, don't panic," he said, "But your foot is hurt." I stared back at him, my expression fearful and confused. I had forgotten about my ankle.

"We need to go now, before he returns with others. We can't phase twice." Cassidy said. My eyes snapped to her. She was still covered in blood, and still very naked. I wasn't dreaming.

"What's going on?" I cried. I'd just walked into a nightmare. Cassidy glanced behind her at the river, worried.

"Jack, grab her, we need to get out of here," she ordered. I shook my head.

"No," I said. But Jack leaned down to my level and tried to wrap an arm around my waist. "No," I repeated, more quietly this time. He heaved me up into his grasp and with Cassidy he began jogging through the forest. I realized I was still shaking. My thoughts wouldn't stop, I couldn't get my mind to work. None of this made sense. Jack should be dead. I should be dead. How did Cassidy get here and why was she and Jack covered in blood? Nothing made sense.