Escape

She had run, run far and quickly, away from him, from all of them... but to no avail. Her futile efforts had brought her nothing but fatigue and increased terror. Inescapable, ruthless, heartless, the lot of them.

And she was losing energy. Panting, she raced through the trees. Branches tore at her clothing, her hair. Roots and stones caught her feet, and she stumbled often. Dark clouds covered the moon and stars, leaving an empty blackness above her. She could see nothing in front of her, nothing behind her, nothing.

But she could hear. Their blood chilling chants as they chased her. Their pounding footsteps coming closer and closer. And him. Oh, she could feel him drawing ever nearer. Panic tore through her, icing her veins, scattering any semblance of coherent thought until there was only one word in her mind. Run.

Just run. Run until legs ache, until feet bleed, and keep running. Run until fatigue cripples, and then hope, no, pray for death, death before he catches up.

A new burst of speed brought her to a grove of the largest trees she'd ever seen. So great were they, that their profile against the near black sky caused her to stop short, gasping. Both for air, and in awe. Her weary mind, for a moment only, forgot the evil that hunted her like hell hounds. Shouts behind her, closer than before, brought her suddenly back to reality. Blinking, she knew she had lost her lead by stopping. She looked about her wildly for somewhere, anywhere to hide.

Common sense and survival instinct warred within her. Her instinct was to throw herself into the first place she saw, her sense told her to take stalk of her surroundings, to use them to her advantage. She slowed herself, scanning the area more carefully. One tree nearby had a hollow. Ah, but he would spot that immediately. Over there was a hole in the ground just large enough for her, but that too was obvious, and would not provide decent cover. She huffed in frustration, hopeless, until something caught the corner of her eye... yes, there, a fallen tree. It too had a hallow in it, yet it would not be so visible as the others. All these careful thoughts took but a moment to come together, and she raced to the spot. Taking a moment to conceal the entrance slightly, she curled up and waited.

He came, finally, a figure in robes walking through the tall, swaying trees, making scarcely a sound. His feet tread softly on the moss, moving ever closer to her... Though his footsteps fell silently, she knew he was here. The air seemed to thicken, as though the darkness had become tangible. He was evil incarnate. And he had found her grove.

She sent a desperate plea to the Gods that he would not find her. Squeezing her eyes shut, she held her breath and hoped. Hearing a voice in her mind that was not her own, she trembled, Do you think me so foolish, so blind. Did you really dare to hope? A cruel laugh. You are mine. Coldness crept into her bones, a darkness overtook her mind and she knew she had lost. Dread. And then nothing but overwhelming agony, nothing but burning and freezing, throbbing and aching. Nothing but him. Her tortured screams filled the grove. She shrieked with every new pain until her throat bled, until her voice would let her make sound no longer, and yet even this was nothing compared to all the other suffering.

Worse of all, his laugh. Cold and constant, pleasured by her torment.

A new thought, through the pain, took her mind. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. All light, hope, memory, was gone from her. All she knew was pain, and all she wanted was death. But this she could not have, for he would not give it. There was no mercy in him. I will not allow your death, and this shall be your existence for eternity.

Something sparked then, a rebellion.

"That is my choice" she whispered through bloody lips, the effort of it exhausting. Her final fight would end in her death, and she would be victorious. Closing her eyes, she let go, releasing her own spirit from the battered body that trapped it in hell.

Vaguely, she heard someone screaming, and it occurred to her that that must mean something. That the sound she heard, the single drawn out syllable, the one high-pitched and ragged note

Nooooo

She smiled. I win. And then nothing.