Worlds Beyond Reason

Hunted

Dedicated to CandyCrystalxxx for giving me the idea for this short story from her sketch

She raced through the woods, tearing swiftly through the thin, cold air, in the dead of night, the only source of light being the crescent moon high above in the night sky. A mist was starting to settle on the floor of the forest, making it hard for her, or anyone, to see. But it didn't matter. She didn't need perfect vision to guide her.

She paused in her step, taking a frantic look around, debating her next move. Where should she go next? What should she do? Her ears perked up at the sound of a dried twig snapping. She took one step at a time, slowly but surely, as quietly as she could manage, her eyes darting wildly around the dark forest, trying to hide behind the slim trunks of the pine trees.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," he taunted in a singsong voice. "You can't hide forever."

She stepped forward and she tripped over a fallen branch, falling with a loud thud.

"I told you you couldn't hide forever," he said smugly.

Panicked, she picked herself up and dashed through the woods, feeling the cool air rush over her body as she ran. She ran without any sense of direction, with no clue on where she was headed. The only thing that kept her running was the fear etched deep in her heart. She knew what was going to happen, especially since the last time she encountered men like these.

She had to run. There was no other way.

All of a sudden, a loud bang resonated through the silent forest. A desperate but shrill cry of pain was heard before the eerie silence settled once again.

"All in a good day's work," he said, walking towards his catch, wanting to examine his prey.

He kicked her body with his foot, disgusted with what he saw. Blood was oozing out of her chest from where the bullet hit. Right where her heart used to beat. A perfect hit. He chuckled before walking away, nearly tripping on her dead body, resting the barrel of his rifle on his shoulder.

"Just another monster," he said as he pushed her brown, fox tail away, before disappearing into the woods from where he came from, ready for another thrilling hunt.