It wasn't as dark as I had been expecting. It was fairly gloomy but I think that was more reflective of the atmosphere than the lighting. And there was nothing but silence all around. I called for the others but my voice carried out unheard. I listened for a reply, when none came it confirmed what I had been thinking all along. This was one part of the journey we had to do alone. I shivered and took a step forward. Something crunched beneath my feet. I looked down and wished I hadn't. The ground beneath me looked suspiciously like old and brittle bones. I looked sharply back up again, braced myself and moved on. As I moved further on the leaves on the trees around me started to glisten. At first I thought it was just dew, but when my hand brushed against a wet branch and came away stained red I realised that it was blood. I shuddered. The voice of the dog creature came from the air around me.

"Run rabbit, run," he told me. I looked for him.

"Where are you?"

I heard the smile in his voice, "Oh… around."

I clenched my teeth. I did not want to play his little games. "Around where?"

"Somewhere… everywhere… nowhere all at once," he said in his sing-song tones.

"Right."

"Run little rabbit. Run."

I felt a little uneasy, but thought it was best not to ask him what he was talking about. "Where are the others?" I asked, knowing that none of the answers he gave me were likely to be the right one, or even a slightly coherent one.

"With me."

"But you're with me…"

"Am I?"

"Well yes, I can hear you."

"But can you see me?"

I looked around, "…No…"

"Then how do you know where I am, little rabbit?" he chuckled. Why was he calling me that? "I told you, I'm somewhere, everywhere, nowhere all at once. I'm with you all but you are not together. Or maybe you are together but not physically in the same place."

"I'll never understand you," I sighed.

"Do you know what I don't understand, little rabbit?"

"What?" I asked tentatively.

"Why you won't run, run, run."

"Why would I need to run?" I couldn't put off the question any longer, but a huge part of me didn't want to know the answer. I felt myself tense and prickle. The muscles in my legs tightened, ready for action but something felt wrong.

"Run rabbit, run rabbit run, run, run," he began to chant and then out of nowhere came a series of loud bangs. A bullet shot past me and I sprang forward away from the source of them. As I did so I realised the leap I had taken was impossible. My heartbeat was faster, my eyesight and hearing had drastically improved.

"What have you done to me?" I screamed as I ran although it was becoming increasingly more obvious that he had changed my form completely. I really was a little rabbit on the run, run, run. There was a dark chuckle from all around me.

"Here comes the farmer with his gun, gun, gun."

The explosions around me intensified and there was no room for thought. Only run, run, running for my life. Forward. I had to go forward. Low to the ground. Keep going and going. Don't stop or look. Don't pause or run in the same way for too long. Dart around, weave across the path. Always going forward. Forward. Ahead of me I saw a split in the path. I swerved right and then bolted down the left-hand fork. The level of gunfire increased and then died away for a brief moment as I sped down the new path. Then it came back louder than before and accompanied by the sound of heavy boots running. I was doing my best to dodge bullets left, right and centre. Blind luck handed me another corner to escape the gun blasts for few fractions of a second and gain a little lead on them. I looked for every turn possible. Right. Left. Left. Left. Right. Left again. Right twice more and then-

Oh no.

I froze. Dead end. Glancing back I saw huge tall shapes rounding the corner. My heart drummed. Gap in the hedge. I slid under it. The branches clawed and scraped at me. The gunfire stopped all together as I emerged out of the other side. I shook as I pulled my knees up to my chin. My human knees.

"Oh thank God," I said out loud, choking back a sob. I ran a hand through my hair, it was matted and tangled with blood from the hedges. I screamed and moved away from the hedge, scrambling forward without enough energy to stand up. I trembled. I had been shaken by such pure and genuine fear. Did this mean it was all over?

"No, Isabel," said a voice I was getting sick of hearing. I almost started crying. "We're only just getting started."

I lay my head down for a second out of exhaustion and despair. Something prickled my face. I opened my eyes to see the carpet of bones. I sat straight back up again, fighting the sick threatening to rise up in my throat. I wished more than ever that Jack was with me. For now, everything around me was silent again. I wasn't sure which was worse, the gunfire or this lonely silence. I looked up. There was a door in the hedge in front of me. I looked at it long and hard. Was I meant to go through? Was it a trap? This whole maze seemed like one giant trap.

Something rattled. I looked for it but it fell silent again. A few heartbeats later and I heard it again. It sounded louder, closer, from beneath me. There was a pause. I sensed it wouldn't last long and that I should move but then it came again. It was a deep rumble now. I looked at the carpet of bones. Some of them were moving. Fear and adrenaline pushed me to my feet. I stumbled away from the bones I had seen move but I didn't get far. A skeletal hand shot out of the ground and fixed itself around my ankle.

Alright, my lovelies? Hope you're all enjoying the holidays, however you spend them.

I'd like to recommend PirateNinjaCJS's fic "We Each Left Our Mark On The Other". It's from Jack's POV and rather brilliant, not to meantion that she is a lovely person to boot. I can see from my Emails that she's recently uploaded two new Chapters which I'll be off to read once this has been safely stowed away and I hope you lot will do the same.

Reviews greatly apreciated to both stories.
Love you guys :)

LV xx