Running.
That was all I'd been doing for countless hours.
Running.
They can't get me.
They mustn't get me.
My legs were exhausted. My heart was pounding, lungs struggling to hold oxygen. My muscles screamed for me to stop but my brain urged me to keep going. To find shelter. I couldn't stop.
They mustn't get me.
The otherwise ethereal forest seemed sinister at this time of the night. There was no moon to illuminate the path for me. How big was the forest? I should've been out of it ages ago. Something was wrong. But I couldn't stop to observe my surroundings. I couldn't stop running.
They mustn't get me.
Fatigue forced me to slow my pace. Images of the things flashed through my mind over and over. Tall creatures with hides dark as the night itself, hunched over, arms dragging in the ground, claws longer than their hands leaving scores in the dirt. Their faces; they lacked eyes, but had mouths filled with teeth longer human fingers and sharper than razor blades. Tails so powerful, one whip could break every bone in a man's body. I had to keep going.
They mustn't get me.
These were beasts that had the aura of being around far longer than any creature on earth; almost as old as the earth itself. Primitive creatures driven by insane bloodlust. I could see them rip apart my neighborhood before my eyes again. Throats torn, organs punctured; crimson everywhere. Not a single part went to waste. They devoured everything down to the bone. The memories gave me a brief surge of adrenaline and I started to run faster.
They mustn't get me.
It was not long before I started to slow again. I could not stop but my legs would take me no further. Tears welled in my eyes. The forest was unfamiliar and unending. Was I caught in their trap? Was this an illusion created by them? I knew not what bounds their powers reached. I climbed up the tallest tree I could find. Their footsteps approached the area I was hiding; they had had no trouble catching up. Perhaps they were toying with me.
They might get me.
One of the creatures let out an unnatural sound, one that cannot be compared to anything a human has ever heard. It resonated in my head even after there was silence. It stood under the branch I was desperately clinging to. I prayed the thick foliage would hide me. It screeched again and two others joined it. Did they have an impeccable sense of smell? If so, there was no way I was safe.
Without warning, one of the creatures swiped it's claws against the trunk of my tree with immense speed. There was the deafening sound of wood splintering and I felt the tree along with myself falling. The ground rushed up at me. I was in excruciating pain. My arm was twisted in a horrible angle, I could see the broken bone jutting out of my skin. My legs were stuck under a network of thick branches, blood oozing out from several cuts. If they hadn't smelled me before, they definitely did now. The scent of blood must have reached them, for their cries turned to excitement. They began scrabbling at the foliage, eager to get at their prey, ripping away branches like they were mere twigs. I closed my eyes and waited. They were going to get me. I felt the hot, putrid breaths on the skin of my face.
They had me.
That was all I'd been doing for countless hours.
Running.
They can't get me.
They mustn't get me.
My legs were exhausted. My heart was pounding, lungs struggling to hold oxygen. My muscles screamed for me to stop but my brain urged me to keep going. To find shelter. I couldn't stop.
They mustn't get me.
The otherwise ethereal forest seemed sinister at this time of the night. There was no moon to illuminate the path for me. How big was the forest? I should've been out of it ages ago. Something was wrong. But I couldn't stop to observe my surroundings. I couldn't stop running.
They mustn't get me.
Fatigue forced me to slow my pace. Images of the things flashed through my mind over and over. Tall creatures with hides dark as the night itself, hunched over, arms dragging in the ground, claws longer than their hands leaving scores in the dirt. Their faces; they lacked eyes, but had mouths filled with teeth longer human fingers and sharper than razor blades. Tails so powerful, one whip could break every bone in a man's body. I had to keep going.
They mustn't get me.
These were beasts that had the aura of being around far longer than any creature on earth; almost as old as the earth itself. Primitive creatures driven by insane bloodlust. I could see them rip apart my neighborhood before my eyes again. Throats torn, organs punctured; crimson everywhere. Not a single part went to waste. They devoured everything down to the bone. The memories gave me a brief surge of adrenaline and I started to run faster.
They mustn't get me.
It was not long before I started to slow again. I could not stop but my legs would take me no further. Tears welled in my eyes. The forest was unfamiliar and unending. Was I caught in their trap? Was this an illusion created by them? I knew not what bounds their powers reached. I climbed up the tallest tree I could find. Their footsteps approached the area I was hiding; they had had no trouble catching up. Perhaps they were toying with me.
They might get me.
One of the creatures let out an unnatural sound, one that cannot be compared to anything a human has ever heard. It resonated in my head even after there was silence. It stood under the branch I was desperately clinging to. I prayed the thick foliage would hide me. It screeched again and two others joined it. Did they have an impeccable sense of smell? If so, there was no way I was safe.
Without warning, one of the creatures swiped it's claws against the trunk of my tree with immense speed. There was the deafening sound of wood splintering and I felt the tree along with myself falling. The ground rushed up at me. I was in excruciating pain. My arm was twisted in a horrible angle, I could see the broken bone jutting out of my skin. My legs were stuck under a network of thick branches, blood oozing out from several cuts. If they hadn't smelled me before, they definitely did now. The scent of blood must have reached them, for their cries turned to excitement. They began scrabbling at the foliage, eager to get at their prey, ripping away branches like they were mere twigs. I closed my eyes and waited. They were going to get me. I felt the hot, putrid breaths on the skin of my face.
They had me.
