Alone in the freezing wilderness.. a dream or reality?
Alone in the Freezing Wilderness
My hands are rigid as as my breath evaporates to freezing vapours. Pulling the paper-like-blanket closer to my skin, my eyes slowly look around to get a clear vision.
Where am I? Where’s the rest of them?
The blizzard was not predicted by the forecast and it dragged me away from the school and pushed me towards the frozen woods. The fog sunk in and enveloped me in its freezing blanket, penetrating through my bones. My hair has become a tangled dripping mess of seaweed and my chapped lips have split open into thin cuts.
My legs seemed numb from burning in the cold. And my head was dull pounding like a slow drum of warning. But what was there to hurt me? I was all alone, with a voice too fatigued to even whisper. As if I’ll get any help.
Sigh…
I need a break.
Dragging my body up against a dying tree trunk, my legs gave away as I spilled myself onto the cold icy ground. Curling into a soft ball, I waited for death to begin its process on me. Or for life if it decided that I need a second chance anyway. Whichever comes first.
snap!
My head tried jerking up at the sudden sound. A twig? Maybe a small bird prodded the hard floor? This is the woods after all-
Crunch!!
My pale hands scrambled up to lift my limp body up on its feet. Something’s coming. And it’s definitely not prodding.
Grabbing the tree trunk behind me, I tried to think. Which was hard to do with my brain felt like mushed up ice cream.
Maybe it’s a person from the school. Maybe it’s one of my friends? Dara? Yeah. Yeah!! Dara. She has heavy footsteps, right? Maybe it’s one of the teachers poking for her. Maybe it’s a rabbit. A harmless animal.
…right?
I heard low thuds behind me. Behind the tree. Then a low whooshing sound, like a breeze. No. No that’s not a breeze. Or wind. That’s someone’s breath. Someone is panting behind her.
Those thuds..
They were footsteps.
My laboured breath caught in my throat. My mouth clogged itself shut from fear. But my slowly functional head decided to turn around and see who my visitor is. I peer through the fog.
There’s no one. No footprints. And no one breathing heard. Did I imagine that?
I looked back to the front and was met by glassy white blue eyes.
I tried to scream but my heart was halfway lodged up in my throat so I could only do a gurgling sound. The dead eyes stared at me with furrowed hairy eyebrows. And hairy nose. Snout. Curled up dry lips. Yellow teeth. No, Fangs. It didn’t drool with saliva. The shiny black fur gleamed in the gloomy moon but not with life. That’s not a panting wolf. It was as dead as a doornail.
But I then realised. My heart started thumping in my throat. Wolves are not tall. They don’t have two feet. The don’t have their shoulders covered with fur and legs covered in leather. They don’t have human hands-
The black wolf skin dropped into the ground, revealing his face. Him. His black hair, falling above his eyes, some locks tangled into a bun. His smoky grey eyes staring at me with no remorse. His red scar visible on his thin lips.
My trembling eyes took in his wear. A long black coat. Tight black pants. And knee length leather boots. Black as midnight. He had several letters etched on his thin fingers. I couldn’t take in his handsome looks. Only his nightmarish features was filtered through my eyes.
His expression didn’t twitch. I tried to get away from this creature. My feet started scooting backwards. Until an icy hand gripped my ankle
This time, I screamed. My vocals cords wheezed in protest.
His fingers on my ankle now had a silver blade encircling it. Letting go of me, he twirled it around his hand. As quick as lighting, he pressed it against my throat.
“Let the process begin” he whispered as he slit my throat into a bright red smile.