Just the beginning...

I am alone. The footsteps are back. My heart stops.

I feel the earth move under my feet as it pounds forwards. “Deep breaths,” I think. Right here and now, I'm struggling to remember how I ended up here. I whip my head round in a desperate attempt to catch a glimpse of whoever, or whatever, is so determined to frighten me out of my skin. But nothing. Nobody. Just ghostly shadows and trees. Trees and more trees. Tall. Twisting into sinister shapes. A thousand arms grabbing at me. They tower over me, like New York sky scrapers. Who am I kidding? I'm miles away from any sort of civilisation. I haven't seen a soul since I made the stupid decision of going on this hike.

Shivering in the howling wind, I stumble on, thorns snagging at my ankles. Was that a wolf howling? An owl hooting? Am I paranoid? If only I knew where I was. The stench of rotting wood is overwhelming. I scratch the hair out of my eyes, not that it helps me to see where I'm going. Only the ghostly moon is casting any light over the abandoned woodland. All around me, the darkness is closing in. I know I'm imagining those yellow eyes, glaring at me from deep within the shadows, but I quicken my pace even so.

The footsteps are back. But it's different this time. Why aren't they stopping? I freeze. They echo my pounding heart. Suddenly they stop. I feel its presence inches behind me. What is it? With such loud footsteps, it can't possibly be human. An animal? Monster? I shudder at the thought. I feel its warm breath on the back of my neck. Dare I turn around? Face the creature?

This is just the beginning.
I am no longer alone.