Chapter 10

Running.

Once again, steady, even steps propelled me, kicking the ground to dust. Racing the trees over a hidden path that only I could see. A tall forest had swallowed me, left me to chase things that weren't there.

I felt stronger, faster, lighter than I ever had before. Flying over roots and stumps and rocks as if they weren't there. I followed my feet, not knowing where I was or where I wanted to go. I just ran and ran and ran.

*******

I was moving. I don't remember getting out of bed, but it seemed my body wasn't mine to control anymore. I felt wild. I felt caged inside of this room. My body paced back and forth.

I needed to get out.

Light caught my eye. I snapped my head to the window. To an exit. My legs moved for me. I met little resistance as my body smashed through the glass pane of the second floor window.

Wait. The second floor window...

I blacked out before I reached the ground.

*******

I just ran and ran and ran. Until I couldn't.

Until I collapsed, panting and tired. And yet I wanted more; I wanted to keep going, I knew I could. I could run farther and faster, I knew it. But I was still tired, my body not in accordance with my mind, my heart. So, I listened and complied to my body's requests, laying there until I could once again breathe.

*******

I was moving when I opened my eyes.

I was moving fast. Faster than a human should be able to move. The streets were dimly lit as I soared over the pavement. I didn't know where I was going. I couldn't stop moving.

*******

My heart slowed its heavy pounding to a calm beat. I rose to my feet and stood, tall and steady, then started to place one foot in front of the other. I was walking, taking in my surroundings at a leisurely pace. I closed my eyes and turned my ears, trying to catch the sounds of the forest around me. It was a good quiet; the kind of quiet that lulls you to sleep; the kind of quiet that wraps around you like a blanket, letting you savor its warmth. Soon a soft gurgling invaded the quiet, forcing me to open my eyes.

*******

I was nearing the forest at the outskirts of town. Tall trees stood together, creating an imposing wall of nature. It was getting darker the closer I came to the forest. Almost as if it has swallowed all the light, not to let any escape. I didn't want to, but I kept moving.

*******

A small stream lay in front of me, speaking a language that I still didn't know. Despite that, it spoke to me. I stepped closer and it continued to gurgle. I lowered my head to the water and then froze. Staring back at me was me, but at the same time a stranger—a beast. The face staring back at me was covered in dark fur, black as a moonless night sky; a long snout and canines that were meant for tearing flesh and skin. Big, fuzzy ears rested over a pair of bright golden eyes; my eyes. The only thing that remained the same, I realized.

This face looks familiar, I thought. Like I have seen it before....

My head shot up in panic. I know what is going to happen next.

*******

I had been swallowed up right along with the light. But, even without the light, I continued to skillfully make my way over the uneven forest floor. I could feel the exhaustion beginning to wear on my muscles. I will stop soon.

*******

I peered into the darkness, failing to realize that the gurgling stream had gone deathly quiet. Nothing, not even the air, dared to move as I watched the darkness on the other side of the stream. Watched as a man, dressed in black, stepped into my field of view. As he moved closer I saw that his hands were holding things; in his left hand was a blood-covered knife, and the other... I had to swallow the bile that rose in my throat. In his right hand, dangling from his fingers... No. I averted my eyes back to his face. He stopped and smiled at me, before bringing the knife up to his mouth and licking it clean. The action sent shivers down my spine. His smile grew as his body started trembling in large jerking motions. The man opened his mouth, letting loose loud screeching noises, He put one foot in front of the other, over and over again, until he was running towards me. I knew I needed to run, to get away from the monster, but I couldn't. I didn't have to look down to know that the once gurgling stream had turned black and was winding itself around my legs, pinning them to the ground. The screeching grew louder as the man neared the edge of the stream and continued through the black mess easily as if it were land. He halted in front of me, each screech louder than the last, as he raised the knife and I watched.

*******

Sky. A break in the trees allowed faint light to hit the ground. I had finally stopped moving.

*******

I watched as the man brought the knife down into the body of another man. Then a woman; a child following shortly after.

I watched the man kill so many... but they weren't people. Or so I thought. Every being the man killed turned into an animal; their bodies contorting in a gruesome fashion as they changed from man to beast.

I watched as the puddles of blood became pools, and then a sea, threatening to rise over my head.

The last body I watched him kill was that of a woman in an alleyway, a little boy standing in the background. He looked familiar, but I didn't have time to figure it out because the man in black was now staring straight at me.

He opened his mouth.

"You idiot."

*******

"You idiot," I heard a voice say again.

I listened as footsteps neared my body. I was sore, so sore, so tired.

I didn't resist as strong arms picked me up and brought me to a warm chest. I could feel the exhaustion reaching my mind, but I gathered the energy to look up at the face of the person carrying me.

The last thing I remember seeing was a pair of bright blue eyes.