Mated to you

The wind howled overhead as she tore through the forest, each step threatened by the uneven terrain. Gnarled roots clawed at her ankles and soles of her feet; the damp earth sucked at her heels like quicksand. The tall pine trees loomed closer together the farther she ran, a narrowing tunnel of shadow and menace. “Come on, body,” she gasped, chest heaving, her breath ragged and burning. She didn’t have time to falter. The sound of his voice cleaved through the trees. “Thea!” Her name rang out like a curse, sending ice splintering down her spine. “s**t,” she hissed, teeth gritted. She pushed harder, her legs screaming, lungs clawing for air. No time to waste. Was he going to devour her?. Headlights flickered in the distance, a spark of hope blooming relief in her chest. Survival wasn’t guaranteed, but now... it was possible. She sprinted toward the light, reckless and wild, then suddenly thump! And the forest blurred around her, until everything went black. She blinked awake, groaning as pain bloomed across her skull. Her fingers found the tender spot, mud squelching beneath her as she sat up. The branch, low and gnarled, had knocked her clean into a pool of sludge, which now covered her from head to toe. She sat for a moment, still dazed, the cold muck seeping through her clothes. She listened for a moment, wondered if his voice would boom out again. Nothing. Only the whisper of the wind through the pine needles. Had she really lost him? A tremor of relief stirred inside her. She just wanted to go home, to wash this filth from her skin, then curl up in her warm bed, and pretend he never existed, pretend she never knew of him and this place. After a while, with only the sound of the wind, she gathered he had left the area. She rose quietly and limped toward the road, hoping someone, anyone, might pass by. Her feet were numb now, the ache dulled into a distant throb, a small mercy, though each step now seemed slower. She glanced up, rain. Really? In seconds she was drenched, her soaked dress, clinging to her like a second skin. After a few minutes, it finally stopped but the cold air continued to punish her, especially now that her wet clothes had begun to stiffen. They chilled her more than they did before. She stopped, still shivering as she peeled the dress over her head dropping it without hesitation. It was better, slightly. At least the cold felt cold and no longer icy. She trudged forward, even as her body screamed to stop, the road grew rough, overgrown. She let out a long breath, blooming white in the nights air, her hope for rescue thinning with each step forward. She watched her feet take each step. Counted them. One. Two. Three… Just to stay awake. Her awareness flickered, the edges fraying. Her care factor? Gone, buried somewhere in the cold. Was she willing to let him find her? She blinked, did it matter, she’d seen enough horror movies to know how it ended. Death, either by that monsters hands or by this painful cold, either way, she’d prefer to take her own life, she wouldn’t give that thing any satisfaction. She never truly thought about death, until now, her body hadn’t stopped shivering, the cold eating at her, seeming to dull her senses, slowing her body with each step. Even her thoughts moved like molasses, thick and distant. One more step, just one. She glanced up at the night sky, the stars the only familiar thing she knew in this country. She veered off track as she saw a drop off a few metres ahead. Peering over the cliff, she readied herself. She was going to do it, one jump and she’ll be gone. She was so scared, there was no way she ever wanted to see him again. Suddenly her legs buckled beneath her and she collapsed to the ground. Her back against the cold earth, the edge only a roll away, she couldn’t move anymore, so she calmed her shivering body and admired the stars above, distant and untouched, her breath rising in shallow bursts, with each blink, their lights dimmed and one by one, they faded. Warmth. Comfort. Had she died? Was this the afterlife? It must be. She’d only just shut her eyes and now her pain was gone, if she opened her eyes now... would her parents be waiting? Smiling like they used to, arms wide, calling her home at last? Or would something darker be waiting in their place? Her senses stirred. A warm hand clasped hers, steady against the chaos building inside her. Panic began to swell, but the scent of cedarwood and musk curled around her like smoke, tempering the storm. Was she brave enough to open her eyes? She inhaled slowly, careful not to stir too much. One breath. Then another. Bit by bit, she pried her eyes open and froze.