Prologue

Prologue.

Fierce heartbeats.

Fast strides.

Haggard breaths.

Dripping sweats.

She knew there was no turning back now. The only thing she regretted was not leaving sooner. she continued to run through the wood,torns and spikes of trees scaring her bare arms and legs. She knew her bare feet were already bleeding but she couldn't stop and couldn't care less. All she thought about,all she cared about then was the little boy running beside her.

Countless times,amidst the heat of hurry,she glanced over at the poor little boy fighting to reach her strides. She had brought this all upon him. She shouldn't have involved him. He was still too young!

She held onto the tender little hand of the boy,the sweats accumulated over time threatening to separate their hands but she held on tight.

Smashing a twig on the floor,she snapped her head forward and saw the fallen tree trunk. She's close now. She's gonna make it.

The boy steals a glance at her mother once again,his heart beating more than it had ever done. He was frightened beyond words. Why was his mother so stressed? What was she running away from? he knew the situation demanded an emergency retreat when she'd grabbed him earlier from his room and asked him to leave his bear behind. She knew he never went anywhere without it. That's when he knew. Something was wrong.

He tries to make the long stride over the fallen tree but he couldn't and thus pulled back his mother to get her attention.

She stops and turned to look at the tired look on her son's face. How could she have done this to him?

"I don't wanna run anymore"he pouts his lips,tears stinging his dark eyes.

She gulped hard, knowing every minute spent here was only slowing them down for their predators who were on their tail.

She goes down to his eye level,her breathing hard and threatening to knock her off. "You can't say that,Son. We need to go,okay? It's going to be alright" she nods,wanting to believe that things would be alright soon.

He wanted to protest but soon heard the faint snap of a twig from behind them. She snaps her head past him into the darkness,behind the tall trees before quickly rising up and thrusting his little hand into hers again. She fought to see through the dark but even the little penetration of the moonlight rays didn't help.

She turns around and pulled him across the wood until he was back on his feet. She continued to run, passing series and series of tress like waves. She was going to lose her breath any time soon but she would run until her body gives up.

She knew they were right behind them,it would only take a matter of time before they got to them. She knew today was the day, there's no running away from it. But when she looked into his innocent dark,scared eyes,she knew she was going to have to. And she did.

She was close now. They won't be able to reach her once she crosses the sea to the other side. Yes,she would make it. She was suddenly filled with the hope she'd lost some while back,with energy of overcoming this nightmare when she felt a stinging pain through her chest. The pain shot through her, causing her to stop. She shot her eyes as the pain continued to spread across her body and that's when she heard the voices. And the screaming of her son.

She turns around, pushing him behind her,her eyes searching furiously for her predator.

But the darkness was an enemy of theirs and never favoured them. It never lied.