The Last She Wolf

Dancing With Demons

The sparring helped Sam clear her mind as she made her way to the house. The dense forest between her house and the gym filled her senses. The smell of pine and dirt wrapped around her like a blanket and the cool breeze kissed her skin. With a content sigh, she pulled her gym bag tighter over her shoulder and walked with a slight skip in her step. Her calm atmosphere was suddenly ripped apart. The constant chirping of birds was gone along with any other sound in the forest.

She stopped dead in her tracks as the feeling of being watched washed over her. Scanning the dense darkness around her she tried to see if someone was truly watching her but came up empty. She could see and hear nothing but the sensation did not pass. Without hesitation, she broke into a full sprint. Dodging trees left and right Sam ran with all her might. She jumped over fallen logs, tree roots and rocks, but the feeling was getting stronger. Whatever was watching her was now chasing...no not chasing, hunting. She thought as she picked up speed. The darkness seemed to grow the further she ran, but she did not stop, could not stop. Whatever was hunting her, also caused her to push all her boundaries and run faster than she had ever thought possible.

Hearing something behind her Sam made a split decision. Making a sharp turn to the right she raced to a large tree and jumped. The speed and force of her jump allowed her to reach the branch and swing herself up. She landed elegantly with both feet on the branch and looked down at the ground.
Nothing, she thought as she tried to look closer at everything around her. The forest seemed calm and almost empty. She stayed in the tree for almost 10 minutes before quietly laughing at herself.
There is nothing in the forest watching you Samantha. She scolded herself as she gradually climbed down from the tree. The moment her feet touched the ground it gave way beneath her.

She was falling down what seemed to be an endless dark pit. She tried to grab onto the sides, but there were no sides. No walls or roots, not even dirt, only dark air. Suddenly images started to fill her mind. Memories of a past she only heard of in a place seems almost familiar. She was a young girl, probably no more than four; playing in the grass with other children. Their parents watching from afar and conversing with other parents. It looked like some sort of family outing. The image changed.
Now the once open park was scattered with the bodies of women and young girls. Men were snapping the necks of babies and throwing them onto heaps.

A woman now stood before her with a smile so calm all panic washed from her young body. The horror in the park forgotten as she stared into blue eyes.
"I love you my dear-" She was cut short by the image changing.
"She was looking at a man and woman kneeling on the ground, facing her and crying softly.
The sound of howling and paws beating against the dirt filled the air around them. Then she has turned away from them.
The image changed again and this time she was standing in front of a large open field. Then realization dawned, she was no longer seeing flashes of the past, but of the future. A battle was raging in the depths of the forest. Creatures of all kinds were ripping and tearing at each other. She looked up and saw that the battle was not only by land but by air as well. Terror filled her every sense as the images changed and she found herself standing in a pool of blood surrounded by heaps of dead bodies. The cries of a child calling for his mother floated to her, along with groans of injured people and the feeling of death.

The images started to fade completely leaving her in complete darkness ones again, but she could no longer feel herself falling. She opened her eyes only to have a star-filled sky and treetops fill her vision. Her chest felt heavy and her legs weak along with every other part of her body.

"Sam!" The voice echoed through her mind like a boom mike. She flinched as someone grabbed onto her arm.
"What happened?" She croaked out only now realizing how dry her throat was.
"Sam. You didn't come home when you said you would. I started getting worried so I came looking for you. Did you fall or something?" Sam looked up at her panicking roommate Lea.
"Sorry, Lea. What time is it?" Lea looked at her friend worried but looked down at her watch.
"It's almost eight, I think we should cancel our girls night." She said pulling out her phone to tell the others.
"No!" Sam almost shouted out. "We've been planning this for weeks now. I'll be fine in a few minutes." She said getting up slowly. The whole world seemed to tilt on its access and she almost fell over but Lea steadied her.
"Are you sure? I'm positive they won't mind if we cancel." Sam smiled up at Lea who was a good 6 inches taller than her.
"I'm sure." Without another word, they started walking back to the apartment.