The Cold

Just an old short story

My breath shakily billowed out in front of me. It was cold. Very cold. The coldness that gripped the air around me wasn’t natural. It felt hollow and empty, yet electric...It felt alive. My back was pressed against a massive pine tree, the rough bark scratching me through my shirt, sap pulling the fabric. Tall trees silhouetted against the moonless night, so tall there seemed to be no end. The only the light was that of the faint stars illuminating the forest, making it hard to see, so feeling was all I had to guide me. My ears strained for the slightest sound, the slightest hint of where my pursuer was. The crack of a branch nearby made me flinch. Then another one, and another one. Creeping closer and closer. With my breath caught in my throat, and my adrenaline pumping, making it seem as if time had slowed down, I braced myself, ready to run. I hear a strange sound right behind me-all sounds fall silent, and with it, time appeared to stop. Slowly, the sound of deep, growling breathing fills the air. At first I think it’s me, but then I realize I’ve been holding mine…

The air is so cold, frost crystals are appearing on the pine needles underfoot, but I don’t feel anything. My whole focus is on locating whatever was after me. The breathing stops, replaced with eerie silence. Nothing. Not a sound. Only the extreme cold, which is almost unbearable now. I’m shaking, from fear or the cold I cannot tell. The only sound is my heartbeat, which seems to fill the whole forest. Buh bum. Buh bum. Buh bum. I’m still holding my breath and my lungs ache. What feels like hours isn’t even a few seconds. I can’t do this much longer… The edge of my vision starts to eb to black...

Without warning, a massive roar, unlike any I’ve ever heard, erupts from behind the tree. Claws longer than knives score across the bark, shredding it inches away from my face, causing splinters to pierce my skin. I gasp, finally breathing as I leap out of my hiding place, pushing forward to get away from this hellion. My legs pump as I speed through the trees, racing for my life, trying to get away from whatever demon is after me. My lungs ache, and I black out as I run. I can’t tell if it’s from the fear or lack of oxygen. Tree trunks fly past me as I soar through the forest. Whatever is chasing me easily throws the once infinitely tall trees. Only one thought runs through my oxygen deprived mind;

Run fast, or die.