stolen repose

Fear overwhelmed me, it enveloped my sanity, distracting my mind from the excruciating pain I should have felt from my shattered ankle, dislocated hip, battered face and whatever other injuries I undoubtedly had been inflicted with. The twigs and sharp rocks and groves numbed my bare feet as I scrambled to lose my assailant behind me in the deep, dense woods. One eye swollen shut, I strained to see my way through the darkness, oblivious to all else. The pale moon cracked through the thick trees, weaving broken light around the toppled, decaying and carved Pine’s and Maple’s. My chest burned with every laboured breath as I pushed myself past my body’s limits, continuing on; clinging to the hope of ever escaping this mad man’s psychotic intentions.

Nature was working against me; calling forth dark, threatening clouds to spill their weight onto me below. Tangles of my wet hair clung to my forehead as the rain continued to pelt down mercilessly and the clothes I wore became dramatically heavier. As I limped through the mud I grabbed the sides of my drenched sweatshirt and peeled it from my skin, pulling the fabric over my head and throwing it violently to the forest floor. I unbuttoned my pants frantically and hobbled on as I yanked each pant leg off; relieved to have the cumbersome weight finally removed. Slippery puddles formed in every dip and groove and too often I found myself plunging into a few that were deceivingly deep. The thick mud wrapped around my bloodied toes with every laboured stride I took, struggling to plant my feet in place.

                Heavy breathing a few feet back persuaded my legs to pump forward through my pain. My head had grown light headed and the threat of losing consciousness played at the edge of my brain. I stumbled over fallen trees, uneven ground and large roots excavated by the rushing rain. Branches whipped my face and arms as I scrambled through the uneven terrain, breaking the delicate surface of my battered skin. Sobbing with the knowledge I would not be able to continue much farther, even less precious oxygen made it into my lungs. My legs were shaky, heart beat shallow, vision blurring and head swimming. I knew my pace had drastically slowed, I could hardly feel my exhausted legs moving anymore and the cold rain erupted goose-bumps on my shuddering flesh.  How did I ever end up in this doomed predicament? The heavy footsteps behind me thudded uncomfortably close and my heart began to beat rapidly with the anxiety.

                My one-eyed vision became unreliable with rain and tears handicapping my sight even further and my shin smashed hard against a fallen branch sending a sharp shock of pain up my leg. I toppled to the ground in front of me, landing on my right shoulder with a shuddering crunch. The mud I found myself crawling desperately in was deep enough to submerge half my forearms within its viscous hold. The footsteps behind stopped running and two strong hands clamped down around my left leg. Before I knew it, I was being dragged backwards, back over the fallen branch that had sped up my capture. My hair and almost nude body was plastered with mud as I screamed and writhed around, struggling to escape his vice like grip.

                “Let me go!” I begged, my voice hoarse from excessive screaming, “Oh God!”

      I heard my assailant’s raspy voice choke out an amused laugh, “There’s no God here.”

Author's Note

i know, this isnt really a story but its not really a chapter either; not really sure what to class it as so here we are. Will expand on it at a later time.

Reviews

[Global Norskie]

wow! I really really really liked it. The last line really made it for me - chilling. I have a similar short story from the assailant's POV so this was interesting to see it from the victims' side.

The writing in itself was very well executed - nice flow, correct spelling, good structure. You described the scenery and emotions well, and made me feel the victim's fear and desperation.

I see this as a potential Preface to a book. Continue please :)

[The Master of Fright]

Very good. The detail was great and I was frightened. This one was great. However, it would be even better if you expanded onto that. By the way, thanks for entering the contest!

[Mike in space]

Very detailed makes you feel exactly how intended to make you feel: like your in their shoes or your watching it on a screen in your head.