The Haunt

*

I found myself lying on the tree, alone. Sweaty. I do not know if the sweat was my own or of the creature. Wind was blowing over my naked body, and I shivered in the cold. The creature was gone.

Only after a while I started understanding that it was over. How long had I been lying here? Had I fainted again?

Finally my reason awoke:

"If the creatures are gone, if I am alone, I might be able to drag myself out of this forest. Maybe it is not too far, maybe I can find people that help me, that can take me to a hospital?"

Maybe I would survive after all, would be able to forget all this.

The hope gave me strength and strength meant that the numbness of my body slowly faded and pain started throbbing all through me again. In my shoulder there was a burning sensation, likewise in the scratches on my breasts and my stomach. On my left cheek I felt a slight pain as well, even though the creature had not even touched my face. The taste of blood in my mouth was stale and bitter.

I could hear blood drip on the ground from all my wounds. It was running alongside my inner thighs as well.

I felt the desire to cry, but I forced myself to remain silent. I was not allowed to move. Nor was I allowed to faint again. I had to hear them leave, I had to be sure I am alone. Carefully I listened into the night. The forest was silent except for the sighs of the wind. It seemed almost peaceful.

"Maybe they have already gone? Maybe this is my chance to survive? Should I just get away now?"

It was silent and dark all around me. The silver light of the moon had retreated once more behind the clouds. Every millimeter of my body ached, but the wish to survive would help me. I will make it. All I had to do was to get up, to gather my strength so I could lean my arms on the tree trunk. Push myself up – and then all that remained to do was to walk away.

*

A pain shooting through my foot paralyzed me for the fragment of a second and then I felt that I was being dragged down from the tree trunk. Automatically my arms went up to my head, to protect my face from being bumped into trees. I was sliding quickly along the forest ground. My mouth filled with dirt, apparently I had opened it to scream out of surprise. Dead leaves muffled my voice.

I forced my eyes to open and saw one of the creatures racing almost next to me through the forest, on four legs, another one ran a little further on. With the moon gone their eyes looked black and empty. Their tongues were hanging out of their mouth while they ran, and they paid no attention to me. The third one was dashing rapidly between the trees as well, gripping my leg firmly between its teeth.

Then a cave appeared before us and the first and second creature disappeared in it. We approached its entrance as well. It was black, I could not see how deeply under the earth it was continuing. The forest suddenly seemed light and friendly: Soon it would be morning here, the sun would rise and life would waken, the fog would dissolve and the air would taste clean and fresh.

When the darkness of the cave started surrounding me, I knew that I would never escape from it again.