Fire coarsed through the girl's lungs, each rushed breath igniting it further as she refused to falter in her pace. There was no time to stop to calm herself, not when she could hear the man's swift footsteps cutting the distance between them. He did not try to be quiet. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the noise, the snapping twigs, the violent rustle of branches, as though he knew that with every sound he made, the girl's body would shake with terror as she sped through the forest to escape him. She could not feel her legs anymore, focusing only on not tripping through the treacherous path.
A maniacal laugh echoed through the forest.
A whimper escaped Mia's raw throat, her head frantic, swarming with thoughts of damnation. This could not be the end, she would not allow herself to perish like this. But again, what hope was there left? It was as if the forest's darkness swallowed even the last bit of light, leaving behind nothing but sin and corruption. It consumed her, her head spinning like a restless tornado.
"Don't stop!", the voice shouted with glee, its echo rumbling through the trees. "I h-hate it when they stop!", a hysterical laugh followed, seeming to get closer and closer to the girl, or maybe it was she who was getting slower.
Mia forced her legs to go faster, whimpering between scattered breaths. Suddenly, her shoe slipped on wet leaves and she stumbled, hitting the ground with a force that reverberated through her tired body. Panic overwhelmed her every sense as she pleaded with herself to get up, keep going, keep running, but her body would not move. Her legs trembled frantically, refusing to cooperate a second further.
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
A roar left Mia's throat, hot scorching pain suffocating her entire body. She screamed once more in agony and threw her gaze upon the man before her, whose hatchet stabbed into her calf. Blood spurted everywhere, the girl collapsing as her body convulsed from the pain and pure shock. She tried to crawl away, her body led by pure adrenaline, but a strong grip grabbed onto her neck before she could move, pulling her up until she faced her hunter. Bright orange goggles looked back at the girl, savouring the terror in her eyes. The man tilted his head, studying her from behind his goggles, in his eyes a spark of curiosity. Another maniacal laugh shook the forest as he bent down to face the almost unconscious girl. Mia struggled in vain as the man once more lifted his hatchet, ready to swing and end her suffering, only to stop mid-air.
His joyous gaze disappeared, leaving behind a hinge of confusion that quickly turned into a look of cold calculation. It was as if the man's plan had changed in the last second.
Mia did not know what to make of his reaction, his hesitation, so she did the best she could in her circumstances. Gathering all her remaining strength, she pulled down on the man's grip and quickly, harshly bit his gloved hand, hard enough to tear through the fabric and feel the metallic tinge of his blood. The man did not seem phased, but he did not hesitate to pull his hand away with overwhelming speed. He only looked at her once more before another hoarse laugh escaped his throat. Mia's eyes widened at his unflinching, knowing that bite should hurt him enough to falter his grip, or in the least shock him enough for her to make a run for it.
"Seems there's something else p-p-planned for you...", the man stumbled upon his words as his neck twitched violently, the sound of bone cracking echoing through the forest along with Mia's screams. Rough hands found their way to the girl's hair, grabbing a fistful of it and pulling, hard, dragging her through the forest's unforgiving ground. Mia fought with the last of her vigour, her hands traveling up to his and struggling with his iron grip.
"No! Let me go!", she spat, anger and desperation lining her tone. He dragged her through the leaves like she weighed nothing, her body scraping against the fallen branches and twigs, sending pure agony through her body each time they neared her open wounds. She could no longer breath, she could no longer take it.
The girl looked up one last time, her blurry vision capturing his silhouette looming above her, the hatchet still hanging from his hand. A flash of orange caught her gaze as he looked down to her, his gaze sending chills down her spine, etching that image forever in her memory. She looked above as the trees stretched and bent over her, the forest turning into a spinning tunnel of shadows. The sounds of her surroundings faded into a dull roar in her ears as she lost focus. Then, the darkness closed in and there was nothing.