Don’t Go Into The Woods

Fictional short story

Branches slapped her face and tore at her arms as she ran. Her lungs burned with the need for oxygen, but she couldn’t stop. They were coming.

Her mother had always warned her to stay out of the woods, but after sixteen years, Marcy just couldn’t resist the temptation. She found herself wandering around, taking in the beauty of the forest.

Now, she was running for her life, while three vicious monsters chased after her. She ducked under a tree branch and pushed at the thick briers that pricked her like little needles. Blood dripped from the scratches and pricks, leaving her scent behind for the creatures to follow.

Her foot caught on a tree root sticking out of the ground, and she stumbled forwards, landing with a thud on the hard dirt ground. Her right knee scraped against a rock, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

She scrambled to hide behind a large oak tree. Drawing her knees to her chest, she tried to make her body as small as she could. She breathed in one shaky breath after another as she waited to see if they would find her.

A twig snapped somewhere off to her left and leaves crunched right behind her. She swallowed down the bile that rose to the back of her throat, as a hoof the size of a dinner plate appeared beside her.