RUN! FASTER! HE’S COMING!

Her brain kept shouting at her as she ran through the pitch blackness of night, frigid air biting at her skin, sharp jagged rocks slicing into her bare feet. Branches she couldn’t see whipping her in the face, arms and legs, stinging her skin. The horrid stench of death and decay was all around her, burning her nostrils. She wanted to stop and throw up, but she couldn’t stop. She could never stop. Behind her evil lurked, gaining on her with ease as she ran with everything she had in her. He not only wanted to hurt her physically but to take control of her soul. To turn her into one of them.

Pain surged through her. She didn’t remember how she got here or why she was in nothing but a long T-shirt or where the hell she was going. She just knew she had to keep moving.  She felt pulls of energy or whispers in her head telling her which way to go, and she followed, hoping it wasn’t the sinister force behind her luring her into his trap. The crunching sound of heavy footsteps gaining on her made her heart race faster and push harder. She shouldn’t be able to hear his footsteps, but he wanted her to know he was coming closer.

So close.

She felt his bloodlust and the darkness that surrounded him. Pure evil consuming everything in its path. Turned everything good and living into evil and rot. Everything light to dark. She hated the dark. And the darkness was right behind her.

She ignored the pain surging through her legs and pushed harder, but it wasn’t enough. A hard force slammed against her, knocking her to the ground. Her face smashed into leaves and branches, dirt suffocating her as sharp, claw-like nails dug into her scalp, and his weight pinned against her back. She tried screaming out, clawing her way out from under him, but it was futile.

“Got you.” He growled into her ear before digging claws into her scalp and yanking her head back, sinking sharp fangs into her neck. She tried screaming again, clawing at the ground to get away, trying to fight with every ounce of life in her but couldn’t move under his crushing weight. He was too strong. She tried to go for a knife at her waist, but there wasn’t one there.  That’s odd. She thought. She always had a knife. Other questions like how did she get here in the first place?’  and where she started running from? were quickly forgotten as the pain of what was happening overtook any other thought. She struggled with every ounce of life she had in her, but it was a wasted effort. His strength surpassed hers, and she was going to die staring down at a pool of her own blood oozing into the dead rotten leaves as they soaked it up in ravishment. She could deal with pain, death, but she didn’t want to die alone. Not like this. Not with a savage murderer ripping out her throat. Alone and scared. She was never scared, but she was terrified right now.

The evil moved so his thighs pinned hers from the outside, as he sucked her of her life force. She felt her soul leaving her body and what was left of her strength fading away. She could feel his pleasure over her pain and taking her life away. She wanted to fight him. Stab him a thousand times but all she could do now as go limp under him. He was so unbelievably strong, and he tore her throat like a ravaged animal. She tried keeping her eyes open, afraid if she shut them then it was for sure over. She still couldn’t see anything through the darkness but a faint glow along the ground. Dead forest all around her, and then…boots. There was a pair of black boots approaching. Whose boots were those if he was already on top of her? Was there more coming to join in? A feast for all?

“Son of…” She heard a man’s voice just as the boots disappeared and the weight was lifted off of her and what sounded like a boulder slamming against a tree. She wanted to look and see what was happening, but she couldn’t move as her blood drained out into the decaying leaves around her. She tried to keep her heavy eyelids open but blurry darkness surrounded her. Just sounds of what sounded like fighting. And then she was being turned over and picked up.

“I’m sorry I’m late sweetheart.” A man’s voice said. Familiar. Safe. Did she know that voice? She couldn’t open her eyes still. This man wasn’t the one trying take her life her moments ago though. She felt strong arms hold and carry her, protecting her from more branches lashing out at her skin. She tried to speak, but nothing but a gurgling sound came out and then she started choking on her own blood. She wanted to reach up and feel how bad her neck was, but she didn’t have the strength.

“Hold on.” The voice said again as he sat her down gently, leaning her back against a tree as bark scratched her back. But then she felt warm liquid going down her throat. “This is just a dream. You won’t turn but you can die if that makes sense. I’m so sorry I was late.” He said again. She felt the liquid send warmth through her veins as his wrist pressed against her mouth with his other hand stroking her hair back. She finally was able to open her eyes some, but her vision was blurry. But she saw a set of eyes. Eyes she did know very well. At least she used to. How can he be here? Was this a dream? Why did it feel so real though? How could she die if it wasn’t real?

As she felt life start to flare up inside her, sucking on his wrist on her own accord. She opened her eyes once more and saw that small smirk right before he leaned over and kissed her forehead.

“Time to wake up, love. I’ll be seeing you soon. For real.” And he disappeared right as the world around her disappeared, and she was in her room, a heavy pounding at her door.

“Goddamn it Letti!” Her friend called out. “Open the fucking door!”

“I’m fine! I’m sorry. Go back to bed!” She yelled out. Her brain was trying to process all that just happened. Who was that hunting her? How could he kill her for real in a dream? Why was he there? Was he really there or just her imagination? She hadn’t seen him in so long…

“Woman, open this damn door now!” More pounding on her door. She jumped up and unlocked the door and swung it open to see her friend Kage seething at her. “What the hell? You were screaming like you were being murdered, and you tell me to go back to bed?”

“I’m sorry. It was just a nightmare.”

“Some nightmare.” He said crossing his arms and looking at her room behind her to make sure she was alone and okay. Always the protector.

“I’m fine. Go back to bed. But thank you.”

“Fine. Goodnight.” She shut the door as he walked away. She stood there, taking a few breaths in and out, still trying to process all those so real feelings from her dream. And what her new guest was going to bring into her life.

Biography:

I started back at Aims after a 20-year hiatus because of life detours. I came back to get a degree and my books published. As a child, art, music, and books were my escapes from reality. Then I enjoyed them more and more, enjoying all the arts and artists of the world. I have been afraid to put myself out there artistically but with Aims’ support, I finally felt confident to do so. I have had some painted works displayed and now the prologue to one of my books accepted, and it’s been very rewarding. I graduate this May and then off to UNC, joining the creative writing club and making connections and new friendships.

Art in all its forms can help express us as humans, our feelings, how we see the world, or how it sees us. I like to write supernatural, romance, action, and fiction with happy endings. I feel life has so much turmoil, and so do my characters, but at least they get the happy endings and journeys many of us do not.