Unalive

The wind howled through the trees as Sarah made her way through the forest. In the darkness, she had no idea where she was or even where she was going.

She was lost, disorientated, and terrified.

She needed to return to her car or the main road. She needed to find the trail. She needed out, but it was impossible in the near-total darkness of the forest. She’d been lost for what seemed like hours, and the more she struggled to find her way, the more hopeless it all felt. She’d left her car in the small lot near the head of the trail. She could see it in her mind. Sitting there, alone in the dark.

The image represented something ephemeral and surreal, an idea with no physical reality. It represented safety. It meant something she never knew she needed so badly.

Why had she left her phone in her car?

She’d decided to go hiking alone when her girlfriend had backed out on her earlier in the day, and now, she felt like a fool. She’d been out on this trail so many times in the past. She’d been here, in these same woods, so often that she thought she knew them by heart.

But familiarity could be deceiving. Like a person you think you know or even think you, love, you never really know them. You never really know anything or anyone. You never see the darkness that lurks within them or the things that dwell within it.

She stumbled, nearly falling to the ground as she broke through the brush in front of her when something stopped her cold in her tracks. She froze, listening. The wind moved through the trees above her. Ahead of her, something cracked, an animal moving through the underbrush, most likely. Then, nothing, just the wind and the silence of the forest. She waited; there was something there. She could feel it.

Her skin prickled as a chill raced down her spine. Something was out there; something was watching her. Then, just as she was about to take another step forward, she felt a cold breath on the back of her neck.

A voice, harsh and raspy, whispered in her ear, “I feel alive.”

Sarah almost screamed. She spun around, searching the darkness, but saw nothing. She tried to convince herself that she’d imagined the voice. That somehow, it was nothing more than an auditory hallucination brought on by her nerves and the whispering of the wind overhead, but she knew better.

Something was out there. Something was watching her.

She moved forward more quickly now, hoping to shake whatever was there. Her breath caught in her throat as she moved, nearly running through the darkness. Around her, the dim moonlight cast everything into deep, eerie shadows. Behind her, something cracked, the sound of a branch snapping. She resisted the urge to stop, to look behind her.

Her pace quickened, and she knew she was moving too fast. In the woods and darkness, recklessness was dangerous, but she didn’t care. She moved faster. Her heart hammering in her chest. The image of a deer running from some unseen predator flashed through her mind.

That’s what she was, prey. She knew it; she could feel it.

Something brushed at her back, and despite herself, she glanced around just as her foot caught on an exposed root. She fell hard onto the forest floor. She lay there for several moments, blinking tears from her eyes as she fought for breath. As her vision cleared, she forced herself to her feet just as a figure emerged from the shadows ahead of her.

It was a woman, but not. There was something wrong with her. It took Sarah only a moment to register that the woman, this thing in front of her, wasn’t a person. Sarah wasn’t even sure she was alive.

Her eyes were too bright, almost like they glowed in the darkness. Sarah coughed, backing away. She realized that the woman’s eyes weren’t actually illuminated; rather, they were reflective. Like a cat’s eyes, glinting in the moonlight. Her skin was pale, almost like porcelain or marble. She smiled at Sarah, exposing sharp teeth as she whispered again in that same voice.

“I feel alive.” She said.

Sarah ran.

She didn’t know where she was going and suddenly didn’t care. All thoughts of her car were gone now. Nothing mattered except getting away from the thing hunting her. Her chest heaved as she ran, and she fought back the scream that was choking her. She had to get away.

Behind her, in the darkness, her laughter echoed through the forest.

She stumbled again when she broke through the tree line and into the parking lot. A single street light lit the darkness. Sarah caught herself and stopped, searching the dimly lit area for her car. There, to her right. Her car was the only one there, and it sat just at the edge of the tree line on the far side, right beside the start of the trail. She didn’t have time to think, didn’t have time to be thankful, and she barely even registered her luck. Instead, she broke into a sprint.

She ran towards her car, her thoughts turning from desperation to hope. But just as she reached for the handle, she felt a cold hand grab her from behind. Hard fingers twisted and writhed in her hair, pulling her back and up into the air. The woman’s voice whispered in her ear again.

“I feel alive.”

Something sharp tore into Sarah’s throat, and finally, she screamed.

Her body spasmed, and she tried to tear herself away from the thing that held her. But it was useless; the creature was as hard as a stone. It released her for a moment, and Sarah blinked at the stars. They seemed much closer now. Her legs swayed below her, and she looked down.

The sea of trees stretched out in all directions, as limitless and eternal as the stars above. Sarah choked, something wet rising in her throat. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a broken sob. The glowing eyes met hers again, and she felt something break in her chest.

Then the pain blossomed again, spreading from her neck down her body. Teeth tore into her throat, and she felt herself beginning to fade. As the world fell away, she heard that voice again, but this time, it was softer, closer.

“This is not the end.” It said. “Only the beginning.”

Sarah felt warmth spreading through her body as the voice spoke. It continued to whisper words in a language she didn’t understand but could feel. Sarah knew now, that she was no longer alone. The darkness she’d been running from was never behind her but within. She closed her eyes, and felt hot tears begin to fall.

She felt so alive.