The Fire Burning Within

Chapter 1

Amara POV 

I clamp a hand over my mouth, cowering underneath my bed. Flashbacks of my childhood fill my mind, when I hid from my father after he'd had a little too much to drink and went on a rage-filled rampage. Except, now I'm 27 and the man I'm hiding from is my husband. I listen to the thump of Alex's steel toe boots as he makes his way to our bedroom. We'd had an argument the night before, and naturally he'd stormed off to the local bar. When I saw his truck knock out our picket fence I knew he was far from sober, and immediately sought out a hiding place. I hold my breath, waiting as his boots emerge at the door and pause. 

"Amara? Where are you baby? I just want to talk," he slurred as he stumbled over to the bed. He dropped down on the mattress and I winced at the weight pressing on me. I remain hidden for 15 minutes, sure he had finally passed out, when the weight shifts and suddenly he's on his knees next to me, gripping my ankle. I fight and try to crawl out the other side, but even in his inebriated state he's stronger than me. His clammy hands tear through my hair as he drags me across the room. 

"Now, what kind of wife hides from her own husband after a fight, huh? Don't you wanna apologize and forget you ever said anything?" He drags me from the room as he speaks, and flings me toward the fireplace at the edge of our living room. My scalp burns, but I ignore it, snapping back at him, "Why would I apologize? You're right, I am your wife, and you should have the guts to stick around and work things out rather than slither off to that hole you're always in!"

Alex advances on me, "You ungrateful little-." I grab the poker from the fireplace and put all my strength into driving it through Alex's thigh. "Ahh, you bitch!" He tries to sit up, but I am already sprinting out the door. I make a break for the woods beyond our home, hoping the trees will be too thick for him to find me. 

"I can hear you baby. Just come on back and we'll talk this out, just like you wanted. I promise I won't hurt you." I know they are empty words, and continue pushing myself harder, as he shouts furiously, "AMARA! I WILL FIND YOU!" 

I hear his staggering footsteps not far behind me, and I quickly drop down a hill, seeing two enormous oak trees about 5 feet apart, with vines stretching between them, forming a natural arch. Without much thought, I run through the trees, feeling an immediate change in temperature, and then I'm falling. I tumble head first over a ravine, luckily missing the large boulders scattered down the terrain, until finally my luck runs out. At the base of the hill I strike a large tree, cracking at least four of my ribs, and my head whips back into the solid trunk. The pain envelopes me and then there's nothing but darkness. 

The first thing I notice upon waking is pain. Pure, excruciating pain. I use my arm to guard my ribs as I attempt to work into a sitting position. My head swims and my vision blurs for a moment, but I am finally able to concentrate and observe my surroundings. I'm still in the forest obviously, but something is off. The tree "arch" that I had passed through, before making my rapid descent, is no longer at the top of the cliff, and there is a peaceful quiet that I hadn't noticed before. 

Suddenly, a deer walks out into the clearing, no more than 10 feet from my position. Well, it has the body of a deer, but instead of the normal tan hide, this animal is black as oil with a silver pattern swirling down from head to flank. It's beautiful and I stare in awe as it feeds on berries nearby. Suddenly, an arrow whistles past me, jolting me out of my admiration. I've hunted since I was a child, and clearly, whoever shot the arrow was no different, because they had struck it perfectly where the heart and lungs would be pierced simultaneously. 

Ignoring the pain in my ribs, I rise to my knees and strain to find the hidden archer. "Are you insane? If the wind changed even a little you could have shot me in the damn head!" I hear a startled, "Motherf-"then a bow is suddenly drawn, arrow notched, and aiming directly at my face. Well, shit.