What if the one thing you always wished for, wasn't what you were expecting?
Fantasies, dreams… gone to waste, replaced instead, by loss and grief.
Would you give up? Or would you fight to finally fill the emptiness that's been haunting the very depths of your soul. Would you give up…
Snow covered the many peaks of the massive mountains, sometimes even reaching down to the first few trees of the beautiful forest that was spread throughout the valley.
A light breeze grazed the many treetops here and there, causing them to sway back and forth,
drifting over the long blades of yellow grass on the fields that occasionally interrupted the flowing density of the forest. Little springs quelled here and there, clumsily trickling towards the calm river.
The familiar scenario surrounded her, as she looked down upon the landscape from a higher clearing.
This was the reason why she came here frequently. To get away from life and enjoy the peace and quiet nature provided for whoever needed it.
Breathing in the familiar scent of the forest and listening to the familiar sounds of the forest. The whispering between the trees or the occasional chirps of a bird. She smiled at the sky. If she had her way, she would stay like this forever, relaxing against the big rock and watching the valley.
This was where she would come to, to find peace and feel safe when things were getting too rough back home.
Home. Her smile faded and her gaze drifted down at the yellow blades of grass between her fingers. Home.
Her thoughts were interrupted though by a frantic barking and the familiar response of a squeak. The smile was back immediately as she got up and looked for the familiar scene awaiting her further down the hill.
A black and white Jack Russell Terrier was chasing a black squirrel up a tree, barking in defeat. The dog circled the pine tree occasionally, whining and shooting desperate looks at its owner. The girl grinned at her companion and sighed. This was another hopeless case for the poor animal that just couldn't understand that squirrels were meant to climb trees. After another few whines, the dog finally gave up and trotted towards her in defeat.
Kneeling down, the girl patted the black head and comforted him "Cheer up babe, you'll catch up next time." Standing up again she turned around and made towards her belongings that lay beside the rock. She was going to stay for a while this time, that was why she was in the middle of setting up camp in this secluded spot.
Although she felt safe during the day, the night was different. She wouldn't pretend that the forest didn't have the occasional unwanted visitors, so she had to try and make sure they were safe while they were asleep.
The next day was dawning and the sun slowly crept over the rock, waking the young woman. "George?" She coughed, trying to regain her voice before calling her dog again.
She felt something stir by her legs and smiled. Her gaze drifted over camp, checking if everything was still where it was supposed to be, stopping at the remaining embers of the fire.
She would have to start the fire up again so she could make some tea.
Stretching she got up and walked towards the fire place chucking in some random pieces of wood she had collected the earlier day on her way here.
Waiting for the wood to catch fire she returned to her sleeping bag, airing it before rolling it together again. George was up and about already, sniffing the air and skirting the first of the trees again. He won't go far she told herself as she started to pack her things together.
There wasn't much, but she still preferred to keep her things together rather than forgetting or loosing random implements. After taking the kettle off the fire and waiting for the water to cool off a little, she stretched her legs a bit.
The valley was immerged in the golden morning sun and the many different greens of the trees melted together, giving the observer an unearthly feeling.
Checking the nearby trees for her dog, she was amazed by how beautiful the sunrays shone through the many trees, parting them through the tiniest gap and lighting up various patches of ground.
The now golden grass shone vibrantly and she wished she had brought a camera along to capture the beautiful scene.
She stopped, distracted by something on the ground. There underneath a tree, were some disturbing tracks she hadn't noticed the day before.
Stretching one last time, she went and crouched down next to them. They were quite big. Most probably from some sort of mountain cat. A Puma or a lynx. Maybe a wolf. She wasn't sure.
She loved nature but she didn't grow up learning the different animal tracks in school.
Neither did she join the boy scouts or any other organization that concerned these matters. Right now she wished she did.
What did this mean? Was she safe on the ground or did she have to build something on a tree? Was she even safe on a tree if the predator was a mountain cat? Were there even mountain cats around here? What if the tracks were something absolutely different than what she was expecting?
Sighing, she stood up and turned back, looking forward to her tea.
A few hours later, the fire was put out and everything was packed to go. Making sure there wasn't much to give away her having been here, she made towards the river.
Kneeling by the calmer water she washed up and filled up her thermos with fresh water. The mysterious prints were still bothering her. They stole an important part of her feeling secure here.
Frowning, she dried her hands and decided to turn back to her car and go back home. She wasn't prepared for any major wild life. She would need more knowledge and different equipment before daring to come face to face with one of them. Whatever it was.
That was her other worry. What was it?
Absolutely convinced of turning back home, or at least back to civilization, she called George and followed the river for a while.
She didn't notice the prying eyes in the dense forest.
Back at her car she started to unpack and load her things for her return. There was a slight breeze and her map slipped from the open trunk and landed next to a tire.
She stopped breathing. Her gaze was fixed on her tire and she felt the familiar feeling of fear weighing down on her chest. Her tire had been cut open. All four of them were in fact, demolished.
He couldn't have known…He wouldn't know.-
Feeling her cheeks burn up she rummaged through her backpack looking for her knife, when she heard something behind her.
Closing her grip around the hilt she waited for another sound. This time it was clearer and she was sure that she was being followed now.
Counting to three she turned around holding the knife out at her attacker.
A laugh.
Her arm started to tremble after recognizing that laugh that haunted her dreams frequently. Panicking, she turned to all directions pointing the simple knife everywhere.
The laughing started again and she backed up towards her car. She was trapped. There wasn't anyone around here for miles who could hear her distress calls or come for help.
He would come here and finish what he started and all she had to defend herself with was a silly knife she bought at some hardware store for 5 dollars.
She could run. But he'd outrun her. She could try to fight him. But he was stronger than her.
There was another rustle and then, finally, the man stepped out from the underbrush revealing himself.
She couldn't hold back a horrified gasp as she recognized the features of Matt, her attempted murderer and reason why she kept fleeing from civilization.
She had loved him once, but those feelings were lost beneath fear, angst and disgust.
"You were hard to trace, Sydney." The man looked very satisfied and was smiling at his victim.
"Just like hunting you need to know your preys resources, its habits and its surroundings. I think I've fulfilled those requirements, don't you? All I need to do now is kill you. You'll be my greatest trophy." He smirked, coming uncomfortably closer towards the vehicle.
Sydney heard a familiar sound but before she could react George had jumped out of the truck and gone after her former lover. Something made her re-grip her knife and run for it.
But her senses returned shortly after and she picked up a stone and managed to bruise Matt's skull after throwing it at him, making him sink to his knees.
Picking up George who had done a fairly well job ruining Matt's pants she ran back where she came from.
After a while she set the dog down and continued running blindly through the woods.
Her hopes of thinking she'd escaped him were diminished when she heard several twigs snap not far behind her and heard his ragged breathing.
Tears made her sight almost impossible but she kept going, fervently trying to escape him.
To her horror she was forced to stop abruptly. Fifty feet below her was a canyon and a very rough river. Her dog was nowhere in sight.
She looked back towards the forest in panic, waiting for the moment he would emerge.
Just then Matt appeared from the thicket, catching his breath. The look on his face was terrifying. His eyes were void of all emotion and Sydney was convinced that he wouldn't hesitate any longer. This was it.
Matt pulled out a dagger from its hold on his belt and approached her slowly.
"This is all your fault Syd. It wouldn't have had to be this way."
" No Mathew. It was yours." Sydney suddenly felt courageous enough to contradict him.
"It was yours and you know it. Me leaving you is your fault and probably the biggest mistake you've ever made. I think I suffered enough. You know you can't blame me for leaving you."
Sydney knew Matt was determined to do what he came here for. He wasn't a man that could be influenced easily. He did what he liked, and got what he wanted.
Sydney stared at him not noticing the tear running down her cheek.
Where the hell was George? She couldn't wait for him any longer. She had to act fast, and this was not how she was going to die. Clenching her teeth she pulled her courage together one last time.
"Goodbye Matt." She whispered before taking one step back and plunged into the ice cold water and vanished beneath the surface.