Her heart thundered as her legs carried her higher up the mountain. She refused to look back hearing them gaining on her. The rubbery feeling was settling down, especially in her tired legs. She kept telling herself to move forward, but her legs wined wanting to stop. Her chest heaved trying to catch as her lungs could hold. She felt hallow, tired and afraid. The terror had built inside her and finally her legs responding, propelling her into the dark forest its arms scratching her as she penetrated deeper into its dark soul. She wished for a moment that she had wings and could spread them out, gliding up into the wind… rising high above the forest and those who followed her. Her mind struggled with the realization that this time… this time she was truly in trouble and there was no knight in shinning armor out there going to rescue her this time. This time… she was on her own.

Her foot slipped on the leave stern floor. She started to fall and then righted herself, leaving a little more skin behind on the rough body of the tree. Each new step cost her body more than she had. She desperately looked around herself, knowing that she would be unable to continue. She needed to stop and rest. What she needed was a good hiding place. She stopped abruptly in a glade and looked around herself. She saw an old rotted tree several yards away and hurried to it. Without being concerned about spiders, or other insects that may have chosen the hallowed darkness as their home, she squeezed her self into the small opening. She tried to calm her breathing, trying not to gag on the dead air. Dead… her mind struggled with the realization that something indeed had died inside the bowels of the tree. And that something, may be close to her… next to her… waiting for the right moment to…

Her mind had no more time to wonder down its dark dreary path… for real fear was approaching and approaching fast. She heard their muffled angry voices.