It

I could hear him ,running ,chasing behind me.He was getting close,too close he was approaching,I panicked.

I can not let him catch up with me I thought frantically,I can not I have to outrun him .My life depends on it .

I ran faster,forced my legs to take longer strides but I felt like my legs would give up at any moment.I was not as agile anymore,my bones were weaker,my muscles were sore.My body ached.I no longer had the speed that I once had.Maybe I was just a bit too tired after running in circles for this long,maybe It was my time now.All sorts of thoughts ran through my head as I ran on the treacherous path.

My legs had started feeling like jelly ,like they could no longer support my weight .My feet felt heavier than ever.My skin was burning up .Sweat rolled down my forehead and mixed up with the tears.My eyes stung.My heart was beating so fast ,felt like it could burst any moment now.I was out of breath.But I had to keep running.

.But I had to keep going or else ....

I Stopped my thoughts in their track No I can not.I can not hink about the consequences if I stop now It would all amount to nothing I have to keep running no matter what .If I stop now he will catch up.He will catch up with me .I cant let that happe.I know how to run from him.

I was trained for this .I have been running from him all my life.I can keep running.In order to stay alive I have to run .I cant let him catch up.I told myself what I jad always been told.I was trained for this .It was drilled in me .

Despite the excruciating pain I kept running. I always had,that is how I made it so far.I was good at running .

I could no longer hear his growling

Although people ran past me ,I turned to look back.Quite far behind I could see it had caught up with one human.It grabbed its prey from behind and lifted him up.

The human screetched and wailed in horror .It looked frail,struggling in his enormous claws.The struggle ended as the monster slit its throat and blood splattered around .His vile laughter echoed around folllwed by more shouting and hevaier footsteps.Everyone tried to run even faster then they had been,fear pumping them up.

I resumed my run too,faster then before.Although I felt sick from what I had just seen,it made me run ,my cheeks burning up my heart racing its beat thudding in my ears like a drum.

If I just dont lool back if i just keep running I could stay here, stay alive longer,avoid the unfortunate fate my fellow human justbexperienced.So I just have to stay focused on running. I repeated to myself ,something that had kept me running fir so long.But for some reason it didnt sound as convincing this time.

I was beginning to wear down ,a kind of tiredeness i had never felt before something too potent too pungent.My heart felt heavy .It wasnt physical it was mental my soul was tired ,weary ,worn down.And there,i felt something I had not felt in a very very long time .Something strange .Like fire in my chest .It was unfamiliar at first but then I recognised.It was anger,not fear that I had been feeling for so long but the opposite of it.

How long will you keep running and then what ?A voice in my head,quite different from the voice that told me to run.Much stronger ,resonant.Rather than running why dont you just face it.You camt run forever.

I heard the truth in that voice.It was clear,I couldnt keep running ,now.Either I get grabbed from behind or I face it,Face death like a hero.Now is the time to decide ,i realised.And with the realisation my heart sank,Like a ships sinks,helpless in a sea storm

I had never seen anyone face the monster.Maybe noone ever thought of it.But I did not want to die like everyone else,a pathetic death.I wanted to be valiant.Though I had been a coward in life I wasnt going to die as one.

I knew in that momemt ,I was finally tired of running, tired of keeping my head low and ignoring what happemed aroud me i had had enough.I was ready to face death now,my death.

I Stopped and turned around .People passed by ,cast horrified glances my way .But no one stopped. They were all running scared to be captured to be taken.

A moment ago I was one of them ,running with them.Trying to escape.On a fruitless quest.And now,I was not.

I could see the monster emerging ,running towards me.He was bigger than I had thought.Stronger.I felt the hair at my back rise. But I stood my ground .Even though I wad scared,even though it took all the courage in me to. He stopped in front of me ,I was like an aunt infront of a mountain.

But he was taken aback this was tha first time ,a human was facing him.I could see that by the look on his face.Now that he was so close,surprisingly he looked a little less intimidating.And all of a sudden I was looking at him,not fearfully but with anger,hate and vengance.

My anger made me want to hurt him.I knew it to be impossoble.But I had to try.I struck him with my knife.And took a step back,ready to be devoured by the beast I had angered.

But I couldnt believe my eyes as he started to shrink. I watched in amazement as the monster started to get smaller and smaller and within seconds he crumbled to dust,a heap of dust on which lay the keys lf the maze.THE KEYS.I was finally free.

I had been running ,fearing it all my life.All this time the only thing I had to do was to face it,face it to gain my freedom.I had been running away,not from my problem but my freedom.