She stepped into the forest. It was dark; no light could penetrate through the lush trees. She heard a dry twig snap behind her. Her heart skipped a beat. It was coming for her.
Too afraid to turn around, she rushed forward, through the trees, seeking a place to hide from the terror followed. Had always followed her. Until she paid for what she had done.
It followed her still, tormenting her, feeding on her fear. She crashed forward blindly. Her muscles ached, but still she ran on. Stopping was a risk she wasn't willing to take.
For minutes hours, she could not tell. She could hear it pursuing her, one step behind. Turning to glance at her tormenter, she tripped on a stray root in her path. Her breath caught in her throat. She longed to rest, but a deep, rasping breath caused her to jump up andbegin running again.
How long will it take it to catch me? she wondered sadly. Whether she knew it or not, she was going to die. But how many others?
She stumbled on, sensing the presense of evil behind her. Or am I the evil one? she could no longer think straight.
Onward she ran, her breath coming in short gasps. Her lungs burned with an intense fire. But ahead! Light! The end of the forest! The sunlight! The hope!
She almost made it. A tug from behind made her stop. No!
It was holding her. She started to cry in short, pathetic sobs. It reached out, its long spindly fingers reaching around her neck. She struggled weakly. The fingers tightened. Icy tendrils of pain gripped her heart. She wheezed, then tried pulling at the fingers. They only squeezed harder. Spots of light clouded her vision. She blinked. She felt her heart slow, slow. She blinked again. For the last time. It dropped her and disappeared into the shadows of the undergrowth. Its work here was done.