I stood for a while, dazed and disoriented. Something strange was going on. It was…inhuman. I decided to list everything I knew and try to come up with a conclusion. My skin was pale white, as hard as stone, and flawless. Perfect. I traced my face. My lips were full, my eyes were large, and, from what I could tell, I had a perfect complexion. My throat still burned. I shook my head. I didn't want to be…whatever I was. I was something. And it wasn't good.
I heard footsteps, padding quietly and stealthily behind me. I stiffened. Danger, danger, danger, warned my mind, but I turned around anyway. About fifty feet away there was a man. His dark hair was tied loosely in a ponytail. His skin was pale and white, like mine, and he was absolutely still. But the scariest part was his eyes. They were infinitely black in the center, and rimmed with crimson. And they were staring at me.
I bolted, and then stopped immediately. I was much, much too fast. I was already half a mile away from the small park. It couldn't be real, but it got me away from the terrifying man. So I kept running. I ran and ran, but I never got tired. I never slowed down. The forest was no more than a greenish blur beside me. I felt strong, invincible. Finally, I stopped. My breathing would be heavy, my side would hurt, my heart would be pounding, and my brain would be spinning. Nothing happened. I felt fine. I wasn't even sweating. I felt my chest…it was still. Completely still, and frozen. My heart wasn't beating. I wondered if it ever had been.