When He Wakes.

Chapter 5

Damp leaves clung to her bare legs as she walked through the knee high vegetation. Shivering as a cold breeze blew up against her already puckered skin, she was convinced her goosebumps now had goosebumps. Spinning in a small circle, all she could see was the silhouettes of trees in the dark. Swallowing a sob she realized she was lost.

Stumbling forward, she tried to remember why she had marched off into the woods. She had been angry, and embarrassed. She had thought that her boyfriend would have chased after her, instead she had gotten farther and farther away from the lights and the music of the house. Now, in the belly of the forest, only silence encompassed her. The forest had swallowed her whole, and as she fought her way through bushes and brush, she started to realize it had no intention of spitting her out.

Feeling a slight sting, she realized that the small branches of the bushes she had been cutting through had left small cuts all over the naked flesh of her legs. Seeing a circular clearing ahead, she made her way to it. Staggering forward, the weight of her anxiety caused her to sink to her knees near a small pile of stones. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to calm the flood that threatened to break free from her eyes. Unsuccessful, her sweaty face was soon bathed in tears. Balling her hands into fists, she gave into it, letting herself be consumed by the despair of the moment. After a few minutes, she took a few calming breaths, and began to reign in the panic that had run rampant through her mind.

Blinking away the last few tears, she licked away the salty liquid that had trickled down to her lips. She tried to situate herself amongst the trees. A small spark of hope floated through her thoughts. She couldn't have wandered too far away from the party. Listening for any stray notes of the music, and standing on the tips of her toes to try to see any sign of lights through the trees, she only ended up upsetting herself more. She heard nothing, and she saw nothing but darkness. She really was lost. Really lost. Looking up, the stars spun overhead. Her chest still felt heavy from drinking and she was tired.

Sinking back to her knees, she realized that staying put was her best option. She could rest in the clearing until morning, then when she could see, she would try to find her way out. Besides, someone had to have been looking for her by now, right? Surely her boyfriend wouldn't leave the party without her. He had to be worried.

She was just starting to get comfortable when a howl sounded from somewhere deep in the trees. The lonely wail sent shivers down her spine. Eerily, other wails started to join in.Wolves. Looking around, she realized she wasn't alone in the forest. She hadn't thought about the other inhabitants of the forest until now, and now that she did a fresh wave of terror washed over her.

Slowly moving to her feet, she made a small circle, looking for any signs of life in the trees beyond . Staying quiet she tried to acclimate to the sounds around her, hoping to detect any new noise that could alert her to danger. It wasn't long before the small snaps of twigs could be heard somewhere behind her. Spinning to face the noise, a cold sweat started to break across her skin as it grew closer. Taking small steps backwards, she almost screamed as what sounded like the crunch of rocks underfoot, sounded to her left.

Starting to feel surrounded, she shook. Her mind desperately trying to come up with some way to defend herself from whatever was coming. The sudden, violent shaking of the bushes behind her, and the sound of flapping wings as birds took off overhead, had a small scream bursting from her lips. Spinning she took off at top speed, running from the clearing and back into the woods. Tripping over exposed roots and large stones, she repeatedly fell to the forest floor, only to push herself up and continue running.

The thunderous thumping of her frantically beating heart was all she could hear, as she continued to battle her way though the forest. Not even knowing what was behind her, or if she was even being chased, she ran until fire pumped through her veins and black spots started clouding her vision. Slipping as the ground under her feet gave way to a steep incline, she tumbled down the hill. Landing in a small puddle near the bottom. The impact of her chest hitting the ground knocked the air out of her and for a moment, her vision went black. An empty pain spread from her chest to the pit of her stomach, and she groaned. Trying to lift her heavy head from the ground, she groaned again as she barely managed the task.