CHAPTER 1
I felt the chill in the air smother my skin. It was late December, and the weather refused to settle for the past few days. Snow laced the ground, and everything was blanketed in sheets of white. I cupped my hands and breathed into them. Then I heard a noise that stirred my senses. Wheeling around, I scanned my vicinity with a focused eye. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Pocketing my hands, I quickened my pace. Mist shot out from my lips as I panted. I looked up, there were black clouds spread out all the way from the horizon, signaling an imminent snowstorm. My eyes darted to the ground, and immediately I gave notice to the readable boot prints that led up to me, its edges lined with some residual dirt. I cursed under my breath and kicked in some snow to cover the evidence.
Still cursing my stupidity, I leapt over a fence and surged off into the snow-capped bushes. This time I made sure I was well ensconced among the thickets. I proceed with my journey, running past pine trees with its tops deluged in white.
Suddenly I heard faint smudges from behind. It pricked my senses as I immediately sink myself into the darkness among the thick trees. I placed both of my knees onto the ground and lightened my breathing. My hand instinctively slid into my back pocket, my fingers closing around the handle of a knife. The smudges gradually became louder, causing my eyes to flash everywhere. I could feel adrenaline reaching a pinnacle in my body as I continued to remain immersed in darkness.
Then for a brief moment, I felt something uninvited wrap around my waist. I noticed it a second too late. My whole body was violently pulled back, and a scream tore from my lips. I threw my head back, and I felt it painfully collide with another. Immediately the grip loosened. Taking advantage of this, I pulled my knife out. I flung it at the dark figure behind me and it slashed across what I assume to be his forehead. An angry scream escaped his lips as I drove my foot into the abductor. His body jolted back and crashed into the snow. As soon as our short combat ended in debacle, I knew my surreptitious escape was compromised.
I tightened my grip on the knife and carefully emerge from the pine trees. With my other five fingers I massaged the back of my head. Slowly the lingering pain began to fade. Run. A disembodied voice pierced my mind. Just run. Don't look back.
My whole body was impaled with apprehension, and with one last glance of my surroundings, I finally allow my feet to gather speed. My journey stretched on, but no dangers of any kind pursued me. Even so, I refused to let my awareness crumble. I could feel the vibration of my rhythmic heart beat grow stronger as I ran past the insubstantial piles of snow.
