Haven: A Stranger Magic (BOOK 1)

Haven: A Stranger Magic - Chapter 1 - Episode 1

"A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow." 

― William Shakespeare

Chapter 1 - Episode 1

Sam stood gasping for breath. His muscles ached and he was terrified. He was lost. Massive redwood trees towered above him, branching out in all directions. Patches of snow and large rocks littered the ground before him. He winced and took a knee. The ache in his side felt like a stab wound. His heart pounded against his rib cage as if it would burst from his chest at any moment. How long had he been running? The cold air stung his throat when he swallowed; he needed water. Sam straightened himself slowly, inching forward down the narrow pathway. Large boulders covered in dense ferns and moss that dripped of moisture formed a winding pathway between the redwoods. Sam knew for certain that wherever he was, it was far from home.

He didn't know why, but he knew that he was in danger. Something was chasing him.

Sam looked for a weapon, a stick or rock-something to protect himself-but it was getting too dark to see anything clearly. The moonlight, which had once pierced the veil of the mighty treetops, was beginning to fade. Menacing black clouds were gradually enveloping the enormous moon. Sam was losing the only light he had left. As reality set in a cold shiver ran down his spine.

Blackbirds scattered from the treetops, fleeing their nests. The footsteps were moving closer. It was circling him; he could hear it moving from all directions. His eyes shifted from side to side trying to catch a glimpse of his pursuer. Sam's heartbeat hammered his insides. The sound was deafening. His feet scuffled over the ground, failing him, causing him to stumble and stop. He stood frozen as he watched the last glimmer of moonlight vanish, stifled by a sea of dark clouds.

Despair seeped through his veins like a slow-moving poison, choking out any hope from within. The darkness had become so impenetrable he could not see his own hands in front of him. Loud stomping, like a gallop, came ever closer, striking the ground with a deadly force.

It was just beyond the tree line now. He could feel it; he could feel its presence closing in on him, and that's when he saw it.