My legs finally give out, and my knees hit the ground. It’s been hours since I stopped running for my life, and the forest has turned into an endless maze. I had hoped I would come across another house, but I’ve had no such luck. Every turn I take seems to lead me further and further into the dark woods. There’s no telling how far I’ve made it, but the howls of the werewolves faded long ago.
I crawl to the closest tree and rest my back against its thick trunk. My feet are covered in blood and cuts from running barefoot. I had to ditch my heels not long after I crossed the treeline, and every step I’ve taken since has torn up the bottoms of my feet. Every part of me continues to ache even when I’m no longer moving.
I only allow myself a few minutes of rest before I begin tearing strips of fabric from my dress that has been shredded from being raked across the forest floor. What was once a beautiful gown fit for a dark princess now looks like it was thrown into a lion’s den and ripped apart by claws of greed. Part of me wonders if that will be my fate, only with werewolves instead.
No, I can’t think like that.
Thoughts like that are what get you killed. I learned long ago that the only way to survive is to believe you can.
I finish tearing the makeshift bandages and wrap each of my feet as best I can. It’s not much, but at least the fabric will help protect them a little bit.
A harsh breeze sweeps over me, and I shiver as the cold injects itself into my bones. Judging by the position of the moon, it’s probably two or three in the morning, and although I know I should get up and continue on, my body just won’t allow it. The exhaustion from the past several hours has completely taken over. I lean my head back against the tree and try to come up with a game plan for surviving, but each thought that comes seems to blur as the sweet promise of sleep calls to me.
Just as I escape one nightmare, I’m greeted by another. The sun has begun to break through the trees, but it must still be early morning judging by the dew glistening in the golden light. Between the cold of night and the wounds that cover me, my body has stiffened to the point I feel like a corpse.
If it had been a zombie apocalypse, I’d blend right in, but unfortunately for me, the only walking dead are those with sharp fangs and a thirst for blood.
A loud groan climbs up my throat as I stretch my half-frozen body, gearing up for another long trek. It’s been two days since I ran into the woods, and I have yet to find any food or water. I’ve survived years in the forests, but this is different. I have no idea where I am. For all I know, I could be back in Washington.No one ever told me where the mansion was located, and all I was able to make out was the treeline that wrapped around the back. It could be miles before I come across another house, and even that would require luck without a map.
With no source of water, I won’t last long. Starvation is one thing, but dehydration is another. Even if I eventually come across a lake or stream, I have no way of boiling the water. How long can I make it before my body starts to shut down? Another day? Two if I’m lucky?
The air seems to deflate from my lungs as the feeling of panic spikes, but I do my best to take all of the fear welling up inside me and turn it into motivation. Every minute counts now.
Each hour that passes, I continue to pray that I’ll come across a road, or house, or gas station, but I never do. It doesn’t matter which direction I take. All I’m met with is a dense wall of trees. By nightfall, the hope and determination I had started the day with has dwindled to a small flicker in my heart. I know that if I sit for just a moment, I won’t be able to get back up, but each step takes more effort. Each breath grows more shallow, and each time I blink, it feels like my eyelids are being weighed down by overwhelming exhaustion.
It’s only a matter of time until I collapse, but I have to keep going. I have to keep pushing. If I don’t, I’ll die. And for some unknown reason, I want to live. I want to feel the warmth of the summer sun on my skin again. I want to bathe in the salty ocean water. I want to start a new day not knowing where it will take me. I want to survive this, because surviving is what I do. It’s who I am, and I’m not ready to give that up just yet.
My face kisses the ground when my foot catches a root, and I’m almost positive my nose is broken as blood streams down my face onto the dirt in front of me.
Get up, Fallon. You have to get up.
I wince the moment my fingers touch my nose, and tears fall from the corners of my eyes. As if the pain coming from my nose wasn’t bad enough, it feels like a hammer is pounding against my skull every two seconds. I try to crawl to the nearest tree, but shadows begin to emerge around the outskirts of my vision, making it impossible to see.
While a cloud of blackness settles over me, a wave of dizziness crashes down, forcing me to the ground. I clutch a fistful of dirt like it’s my consciousness as a quiet hum beckons me deeper into the void.
I jolt awake, breathless, as the ghost of Thane lingers in my head. His soulless eyes burn into the back of my mind like he’s watching my every move.
Even though I couldn’t have been out long, I scurry to my feet, ignoring the throbbing coming from my nose. All that matters right now is finding water. Rest and sleep will have to wait.
There’s no rhyme or reason to the path I take. Once in a while, I stop to listen for any threatening monsters who might be lurking nearby, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Despite vampires and werewolves being my main concern, there are still other predators living within these woods who could attack.
“You’re a freak, Fallon!”
I turn on my heel to find three of my old foster siblings huddled next to a tree, looking at me with disgust.
“Alex, what are you doing here?” I shout back, as a tornado of confusion whirls around in my mind.
“There’s no way you’ll ever get adopted with eyes like those,” the eight-year-old snickers.
“Fostering her was a mistake. We can’t do it anymore. She’s just too much.”
I turn back around and see my foster parents from when I was seven, standing with their arms crossed.
“What’s happening?” I ask to no one in particular.
When I look back at Alex and the others, they’re already gone.
“Did you really think you could outrun me, Grey?”
