Her heart pounded as her feet crushed the fragile leaves beneath her. The only noise to disrupt the silence of the forest was the echo of her shoes. Neither birds nor animals lacked the instinct to run, and being forest dwellers all their lives, immediately slunk back into their sanctuaries, cutting themselves off from the dangers of the forest. This human, however, had no such luck. She was alone and disorientated in the deep recesses of the forest. Every tree looked the same, every rock identical. It was only her impulse for survival that forced her to continue running.
Her shoe snagged on a root and she fell, face first, hitting her head on a nearby trunk and coming to rest on the forest floor. Her breath came in loud, sharp gasps as she fought with enclosing darkness. She took one deep breath, filling her lungs with the earthy scent of a soil hundreds of years old. The heavy scent calmed her somewhat, reminding her of her role to play. It was of the upmost importance that she fulfilled her part of the plan.
Again her mind screamed at her to run, to escape. Yet, no matter how much she wished she could, her body betrayed her and she lay there unmoving, just waiting. All she could hear was her own heavy breathing; acting like a beacon to the hunter she was running from. She lay there, listening to her breath echo around her, until finally there was another noise.
Although she almost missed it, she knew enough by now to recognise a predator when she heard one. She turned her body onto its back, leaving the calming smell of the earth behind her and searched the camouflaging forest around her.
A haunting laugh reverberated off every tree and every rock until it was all she could hear and feel. Suddenly, her body agreed to the mind's command to run, and she scrambled to her feet, turning away from the laugh.
"Not so fast, I haven't finished with you."
The predator's words barely even registered with her terrified mind before a cold hand was around her neck and she was pressed roughly against a tree. Her horrified scream was cut short as the hunter squeezed against her windpipe, cutting off the vital airflow.
Red eyes bore into her soul as the hunter searched for the fear in her eyes. Once found, a sinister smile spread over its face and it leaned its head down to her neck, sniffing and smelling. The simply act of touching the predator's nose to her throat sent waves of pain throughout her body and the reality of the situation finally had its full impact. She didn't care that the hunter controlled her air supply, and she didn't care that no one could possibly hear her this deep in the woods. Her bloodcurdling scream resounded all around her.
No one came. She was on her own.
