I will not die today.
The motivation burned deep in her tongue as her heart pounded in her chest, matching the echo of her footsteps.
Panting, heart racing, chest hurting, a young woman ran without looking behind, not caring to settle down and catch her breath. It was obvious she was running for a reason, away from someone… or something.
She didn't care if she stumbled or if her skirt was torn or if her hair was disarranged. She rose to her feet, ripped it loose, and went on, the rocks beneath her feet hurting her but not stopping her.
As she continued pacing into the cold and empty forest, it was just the sounds of her ragged breaths that proved the eeriness and absolute silence around her. But that silence felt unsettling. It felt… wrong.
The moon snarled in clouds and gave an intermittent and filmy light as the stars filled up every quadrant of the heavens.
The breeze drew her skirt and lowered it, and made the pines shiver ever so slightly, as the wind wept down as if trying to urge her onward.
For a long time, she moved on and on in the dark, sometimes stumbling, catching hold of a thick bark to study herself. The frequent turn and turns alone made it obvious that she wasn't sure of her direction.
Just her alone, pacing into an unknown destination as if her whole purpose of existence depended on that escape. Without catching her breath, she inched towards the left side of the path. She knew the stars above even if the clouds tried to obscure them however, they always seemed to deceive her. Or so she thought.
The path descended into a small vale covered with sharp stones that hurt her feet and made her stumble more than once, losing her balance.
Thump… thump… thump… Her heart plummeted as took swerved into a different path; from right to left, left to right, without stopping, in assurance it would be enough distraction—ROAR!
The creature tore through the darkness behind her, and a scream tore her throat when she stumbled into a rock, losing her equilibrium. The side of her face kissed the mud, tarnishing her already sooted face with more, revealing bruises too deep and brutal for a mere scratch.
No, no, no, no…
In a frantic desperate beat, her hands clawed the cold ground as she scrambled ahead, ignorant of the burn on her knees, elbow, ankle… her whole body in general.
The wind whipped past her, carrying the heavy stink of the beast as she glimpsed glowing shapes in the shadows; sharp horns penetrating any obstacles—trees—and its massive teeth dripping with saliva, glaring at her small physique with bloodlust hunger.
It drove with a speed that made running seem easier, and harder for someone as tiny as she was. But the thing is—she wasn't tiny. The creature was just impossibly too big, too large, and too tremendous.
L-Like a giant. Or no… a beast.
ROAR!
And she tripped and fell.
"Ah," The cry ripped from her throat, leaving her face flushed with pain. She groaned, certain something had been dislocated—and she rolled to the side, narrowly escaping the beast's massive foot.
CLASH!
The earth cracked, splintering beneath the impact as dust sprayed into the air and sent jagged fissures racing outward. The shockwave rattled her bones, urging her to scramble farther back before the creature struck again, and its shadow loomed over once more.
I will not— she forced her weight onto one leg—die— her face reddened in agony—today… "AH!" Another agonizing scream tore from her, veins standing out across her forehead.
But she pushed off anyway.
Gritting her teeth, she stumbled forward, half-running, half-limping with her injured leg barely brushing the ground. Each hop sent a jolt up her spine, but she refused to stop.
The world blurred around her as she drove herself onward, her breath ragged and heart hammering. Behind her, the beast roared, chasing her through the shattered earth as she fled on one good leg, determined to stay alive.
But before she had a chance to regain her breath, the creature hurled its tremendous hand in her direction. The young woman quickly ducked low, causing the impact to split the trees beside her.
Her eyes widened in terror for a fleeting moment until its unnerving howl echoed in the forest, followed by heavy thuds that shifted the earth, closing the distance.
W-What in the-?
In alarm, she grunted, struggling to take her weight on the good leg, and picked up her pace, swerving deeper into another path with a beating heart threatening to explode.
Her lungs burned at every shallow ragged breath accompanying the heavy thuds of her boots crunching the leaves in the forest. She dared a glance over her shoulder, noticing how close the monster was. Too freaking close.
A jagged tree branch snagged her sleeve, snapping her attention, and a small painful cry tore her throat when it bruised her flesh. Quickly, she yanked herself free, but her sleeve tore, leaving her one-sleeved.
Driven by panic, she pushed ahead and discovered a tiny cave—slightly big enough for her size—its mouth almost completely concealed by twisted roots and trailing vines. Only a few steps forward, her good foot snagged a root, and she pitched forward, mud splattering across her palms.
When she tried to raise the leg, "AHH!!" The cry burst out before she could stop it. Pain crackled through every bone and muscle, leaving her vision hazy and body whizzing in smoke. Gasping for full breath, she clenched her teeth, swallowing the next scream as she struggled to push her weight using her elbow.
No matter what, she had to reach that cave. It was her only chance of surv—
ROAR!
A low, guttural growl rumbled, shaking the ground beneath her trembling hands, and she snapped her head behind.
Thump… thump… thump… THUD!
The beast lunged with its shadow eclipsing everything, and she scraped herself toward the cave, elbows digging into the earth as she pushed with everything she had left.
She thrust her weight onto her elbows, dragging herself inch by inch toward the cave's dark mouth. Her breath trembled with sweat stinging her eyes, but the promise of shelter pulled her forward.
She was almost there. Almost—
A violent rush of wind swept over her, followed by an unexpected impact when its massive hand slammed down causing claws to rake across her back. They didn't need to pierce deep to send agony exploding through her body.
"AHH!!!" A raw, guttural scream tore from her throat, echoing so fiercely it rattled the trees and sent birds bursting into the sky as the blow spun her, knocking her flat to the ground.
It blinded her so badly that all she could see was this strong pull towards darkness, causing her lids to flutter, and for a heartbeat, she couldn't breathe.
N-No… not today… Her thoughts weakened.
The acrid smell of blood tainted the air, blending with the beast's foul stench as it roared more fiercely and triumphantly. It seemed to revel in its victory because it won. Or so it thought.
She blinked and blinked, but the pain seared through every fiber of her being until nothing was left but her half-agonizing, half-determined cry in the dimly lit forest.
The misery overwhelmed her, and for a moment, she yearned for that darkness.
I… I will not… and her lashes fluttered again as she thought… die today.
Then her eyes opened, revealing those brown eyes alive with perseverance, glowing so bright it dug holes in the trees before her.
"I-I'll… not die… in t-the hands… of a d-damned… creature," And she moved despite the pain. She had to.
With a final desperate shove of her elbows, she dragged herself across the threshold of the cave, struggling to keep her eyes open. It seemed distracted, perhaps careless at its unnerving triumph, until she was just a few inches away.
Just close… just a few-ROAR!
Despite the intensity that shook every living cell in her body, she refused to turn, quickly dragging her weight across the ground. She knew she wouldn't make it, but she believed she would.
Just a little closer...
Before she could take that final step into the cave, its claw tore into the back of her leg, dragging another cry from her throat and sending it trembling through the forest.
Her face flustered in pain, and she clenched her teeth, quickly dragging her feet inside the cavern.
The moment she crossed inside, the ground trembled again as the beast lunged after her, but its shoulders slammed into the cave walls as the passage was too narrow to let it through.
With a deep breath, she collapsed against the cool stone, shaking uncontrollably as her breath came in frantic gasps. The monster clawed and strained from the entrance, its roar booming through the cavern as it fought for leverage it could never gain.
But she was inside. S-She was alive. For now…
And she released a painful sigh of relief as her eyes fluttered closed in a dreamy wave. Perhaps she could pass out here… sleep for a minute or two—
BOOM!
The beast plunged to the mouth of the cave for the nth time, causing a crack on its surface, and her eyes snapped open.
Oh gods… With a loud grunt, she dragged herself deeper inside with her elbow scraping against the cave's floor as she shoved her weight across it, heeding deeper and pressing her weight forward.
She searched desperately for any hint of an escape route but the further she crawled, the clearer it became that there was no second exit.