Prologue

I have had more than my fair share of near-death experiences; in reality, it's just not something one would call routine. For me, though, it was infuriating, strenuous, and oddly inevitable – facing death for what seemed like the hundredth time – as if I really was marked for disaster. My escapes were repetitive with very little to spare but no matter what I did or who/what I sacrificed - it always came back for me.

Either way – this time was still so different from the others.

Although I'd enough reason in the last couple of years, I never really gave much thought to how I would die and even if I had, I would never have imagined it quite like this.

Out of breath, I stared through the thick, dark forest and directly into the bloodthirsty eyes of the hunter as he looked hungrily back into mine. Hearing nothing more than the sound of my own heart pounding wildly in my chest, I stood, petrified, as the hunter drew nearer – standing less than a foot from me now. Quickly, I backed away from the hunter until I stumbled upon a nearby tree trunk; the abrasive bark, which grazed my skin, had cut it more than it already was – though I dare not look away from the hunter to aid my wound.

Surely, this was a good way to die, in the place of someone else – someone I loved – maybe even noble of me. That ought to count for something.

As a child, I learned that you could either run from those you feared or you could suck it up and try to fight them instead. However, it doesn't really matter how terrified or brave you may think you are – sometimes you just feel like you can't fight the good fight; that you're too weak to make the slightest move. Therefore, in the end it doesn't really matter which decision was best because somehow, all the decisions I've made geared toward those kinds of monsters – the enemies.

When the people you love most eradicate any and/or all opportunities in making your own decisions, it kills you – leaving you no options. How can one possibly attempt to run in fear or fight back when doing so only hurts those people? If your life and love was all you had to give to those dearly adored, how could you not provide it? If I stayed in Boston, I knew I probably wouldn't be facing death right now – at least not so... bizarrely. However, terrified as I was, I couldn't bring myself to regret leaving. If and whenever my life offered me anything so far beyond any of my expectations, it's almost acceptable to grieve when it ends.

With his eyes still locked on mine, the hungry hunter grinned in a pleasant way as he slowly sauntered closer toward me. I pressed my back further into the tree trunk and tried to cry out but the terrifyingly icy-cold hands quickly muffled my cries as they wrapped tightly around my neck, weakening me slowly...