Part One
'Sarah...'
She was cold.
The ground was hard and uncomfortable beneath her, but those sensations were secondary.
A blinding pain dominated her world right now, pulsing against her temple.
Slowly she opened her eyes and wished she hadn't. The light hurt and it was hard to focus, but she persevered. Allowing her sight to adjust she fixated on what was above her, an unfamiliar wooden ceiling and stone beneath her fingertips.
Leaning on her arm she lifted herself up and was overcome by sudden nausea. She felt like retching but fought to keep it down.
The silence of her surroundings filled her with dread and she shivered. A sense of urgency crept into her conscience.
Get out.
You need to get away.
Slowly, as she got to her feet, the vertigo subsided and the world stilled. Vaguely she could make out that she was in some sort of cabin. There was no need to explore further, she needed to get out.
She was starting to remember.
"C'mon, Sarah, stay. Please?" Puppy eyes on a grown woman were just too disturbing she thought but arranged her expression to one of regret. "I would love to, Jenny, but I promised Toby I would be home at least an hour before midnight to celebrate the New Year together".
"Aren't you too old to be hanging with your kid brother? I mean he's what, 12?"
Sarah smiled and shook her head.
"You are never too old to be spending time with family."
"Hello there, sweetheart, need help with changing the tyre?" A clean-shaven face smiled at her pleasantly. Thank God the truck had passed by on an otherwise deserted road, she would have been stuck out here in the cold. There was no signal on her phone too. "You get out the spare tyre, darling. I'm going to fetch the jack from my truck." She opened her car boot.
Something struck her from behind.
She ran to the entrance but it was too late. The door opened from the outside. "Oh hello there darling, you are awake."
He smiled at her kindly.
"You won't be for long."
The words chilled her to the bone.
Desperation clung to her like a second skin.
"No."
She was surprised. She didn't realise she had spoken aloud. "No." She said now louder with determination. She wouldn't go down without a struggle.
Her head still pounding and her limbs aching she ran at him. He struck her down; ignoring the pain she kicked and clawed at him blindly. The bastard didn't expect her to fight back. Through sheer luck she stumbled past him and just ran.
"You are not getting away, sweetheart. I do like a good chase."
She heard footfall behind her but didn't dare look back. Heart pounding she kept running. She was drowning in fear.
Trees. Nothing but trees.
Oh God. Where am I?
I am going to get lost.
No one will find me.
Dad.
Toby.
Mum.
Help please.
"Don't make it harder on you, sweetheart." echoed the voice from further away.
She slipped and fell. Her hands were wet with mud and she had scraped her knee. She got up and kept running. The fear that he would catch up with her kept her going but she was so incredibly exhausted. And she felt sick.
'Sarah'
She ground to a halt. "Who...?"
This was a different voice. It was somewhat familiar. She looked around. There was no one.
'Sarah'
The voice seemed to flow with the wind. She couldn't discern which direction it came from. It was commanding but yet there was a slightly desperate undertone.
She was going mad.
She was feeling faint.
Oh no. Not now.
She couldn't black out now.
'Make a wish, precious.'
The world went black.
I wish...