Chapter 1
Anna's heart races as she runs as fast as her legs will take her. The trees and green plants seemed to stand still, watching her as her feet sped across the forest floor.
There are several gashes running along the sleeves of her dress, and her skin bleeds, staining the intact part of her sleeves a deep crimson. The expression of pain on her sobbing face reveals that there is something more she is crying about than her blood-stained arms.
But she ran.
And ran.
And ran.
She ran like she was being chased by a monster, and she didn't look back.
Her eyes were so full of tears that she could barely see. Everything was blurred. She bumped into trees and tripped over branches lingering on the forest floor. Finally, she had to stop. Her body capitalized on the chance to cough up blood. She sat there on a tree stump, alone and scared, tears streaming down her face and blood running down her arms.
She shook her head slightly, slowly, and whispered to herself, "No."
