Keep running.
She repeated this to herself until it had become the beat of her pace. She knew she couldn't afford to stop or even slow down; if she paused for even a moment he would catch her, and then…
Don't think about it. It won't happen if you keep running.
She could hear his laughter behind her. It was a sound she had once strived to merely force it from his lips. Musical and light, it had once filled her with warmth and glee to know she had changed his gloomy disposition with a phrase or joke he'd never heard before.
No more. The laughter chilled her bones to their cores, froze her blood and shook her brain. The sound filled her with fear and longing for the comforting pair of arms she had abandoned…for him.
"It won't be long now, Hermione," he called from behind. "You're a scholar, not an athlete. You're already beginning to tire…but isn't this odd? You told me once you enjoyed this game.
"What did you call it? Tag? I admit, I normally consider such simple Muggle games to be boorish and uncivilised. This particular game, however, I find to be quite stimulating…"
I wish I had my wand!
"Look up ahead, Hermione. The forest is about to end. Oh, and now you can see the tree by the lake! I'll let you make that home-base. That's what it's called, is it not? The spot where the prey—I mean, players are safe?"
Run, you silly girl, run!
Her chest was heaving heavily. Her blood pounded in her ears, and she began to sob dry tears. This only made it harder to run, and, though she was determined, she knew instinctively that she would not make it to the tree by the lake.
She ran and ran and ran…and suddenly she was five feet from the edge of the forest…now exiting the dark, enclosed trees…twenty yards from freedom…ten yards from survival…five yards from safety…
…If she could just stretch out far enough…dread filled her stomach…
"What made you think I would let you get away so easily?"
His grey-blue eyes flashed in the moonlight over her, her fingers one foot from the base of the tree. The shiny blade of his dagger filled her vision, and then there was no more sight.
Only sound…touch…screams…and the tree.
***
Fin
***