The Rise of an Omega ✓

3b.

Trees, branches, and stones were all she could see for at least one mile, the basket in her hands way too light to cause any damage. As time passed, and the woods were getting denser and darker with the crowns of the big trees blocking  the sun rays, Amelia was getting more nervous. She knew that at any moment the stranger could approach her, and she needed to figure out what to do. Her grip on the basket grew stronger.

She tried to remember how she used her senses that day when she was a child and was lost in a place very similar to the one she was now. Tried to hear the branches breaking at their feet, to smell their scent to know how far they were. But it was useless. The years she kept her promise to her mother - pretending it wasn't real - have proved to be successful. It was like it never existed, even if she wanted - and she really did at that moment - she couldn't bring herself to use them. If it wasn't for the tiny scar on her left hand, she would doubt if that day had even been real or just a very creative imagination of a child.

She looked at the scar as a form to remember that her senses existed, she just needed to learn how to use them again. After trying for a few more minutes  - going as far as closing her eyes to concentrate on the sounds but tripping too much to keep this tactic - she gave up. It was impossible. But only a second later, she heard footsteps behind her. For a millisecond she thought she had made it, that she was using her senses but that thought vanished when she realized that she was only hearing it because they are almost reaching her, they wanted to be heard.

Panic overcame her. What am I going to do? How I will defend myself? Her mind was loud. Keep calm, she tried to argue with herself, maybe they are just walking. Maybe they will pass you and go away. But even for her, it seemed too optimistic.

As casually as she could, Amelia turned her head slowly to the right, as if she was looking at the view. Still, with slow movements, she looked over her shoulder, to see how far away the person was. And she wished she had done that before.

There was a man, about five feet from her, not more than six foot two in height. He was wearing brown clothes: pants, a shirt with long sleeves, and boots, all brown. The boots and the sleeves of his shirt were made of leather. His hands were covered with leather gloves. She recognized the cloth. It was what the hunters use to hunt animals to sell them in the city. But it wasn't the clothes that made Amelia shiver. No, it was the look on his face.

He was looking straight at her, calculating, as if looking at a prey. He was approaching her slowly, and she suddenly had the feeling it was because he was studying her, waiting to see what she would do, waiting for her to do the first move. On top of that, he was holding a long and sharp knife tight. It was rusty and looked very old, but none of it made it any less scary, especially with the tip pointing at her.

Her breath stopped at her throat, and so did her feet. He took one more step and then stopped, staring at her up and down. Amelia shivered feeling he was analyzing her just like her mother analyzed the beef to see if it would fit in the freezer. Stop! She commanded her brain. It is not the time to compare yourself to something dead. Think. What are you going to do?

She took one step back but regretted it soon after. "I wouldn't run if I was you. It catches the predator's attention. And this forest is full o them. Didn't your mother tell you that a girl shouldn't go out alone?" he teased, a creepy smirk adorning his face. It only made her even more scared.

"Sir, I just want to reach my grandmother's house, it's near here. I don't want any problems." She wasn't sure if he could hear her. Her voice was lower than it usually was and trembled so much that even she couldn't understand all of it. He made a fake sad face.

"Oh, poor girl. I am sorry for it, but you won't be able to finish this task. You know what they say right? The ones who enter the woods, never come back." There was a pause for only a few seconds, it was enough though, for Amelia to realize the threat. She didn't know why, but this hunter was going to kill her right there if she didn't do anything to prevent it.