Hunted

It was never supposed to happen like this, but it had, and I couldn’t change a thing. I was in the forest. The forest. The one father told me not to enter, but it didn’t matter now. He was dead. As was my mother and sisters. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see the fiery tongues of the flames, swallowing my home, turning it to dust. I hear the cries of soldiers, jeering at my unsuspecting family. Salty tears flew silently down my cheeks, as I watched the chaotic scene. One man caught sight of my dress, silhouetted against the night sky, and shouted orders. I was being hunted. Flashes of light zoomed over my head as I began to run. I could hear the heavy thud of the soldiers boots echo through my ears. I ran faster, and faster, the ghostly figures of the trees rushed past as I ran for my life. Then I stopped. I couldn’t hear the soldiers running, nor the heavy breathing as their leather armour weighed them down. The airy silence began its descent from the heavens, and caressed me with its icy fingers. Then the snap of twigs broke its captivating hold and my senses screamed in hopeless despair. Surrounding me they trudged out of the bushes in semicircle formation. Swords drawn and pointing at my chest, I did what any girl would do. RUN.

I ran on and on, until I reached the canyon. I couldn’t run anymore. Falling to the ground, heavy sobs stuck in my throat. All I wanted was to leave, to escape this god-forsaken place. But I couldn’t. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled, and I knew I wasn’t alone. Turning to my face my attacker, my body tensed and leaving wasn’t such a good idea anymore. I wanted to kill every one of those soldiers, who had pulled my life to pieces. A ghostly figure was leaning against a tree, his sword hanging casually from his hand. A flash of lightning lit the sky, as if there was a bloody battle raging on above. He stepped out so he was directly in front of me, and I turned my features to stone. This man wasn’t going to best me. Not after he’d murdered my family. He raised his sword, swinging it in a curve meant to slice through my belly. I stepped to the side, and the sword grazed my leg. He stared at me, not sure what to do. Then, to my surprise, he dropped his sword, and pushed his hard, white hands out towards my shoulders. Pushing me hard, the man sneered at the surprise playing across my face. I fell over the canyon, my arms flaying to get a hold. A terrorised scream shook the night, and my body fell like a rag doll, limp and useless. The darkness took over, pulling me towards a glowing light that led to the void beyond.

Alannah M.