Hope Of The Future

I stood my ground, staying still and looking at the creature straight in its eyes. I knew the moment I flinched I would be dead, I could not take my eyes off it.

The creature started moving clockwise slowly, and in return, I started moving in tandem. It was toying with me....lulling me into a false sense of security, making me think that it was scared of me, just to take advantage when I let my guard down again. It all felt like an eternity but in reality, it was only a few seconds.

Perhaps realising that I was not falling into its trap once again, it bared its fangs, growling again. And before I knew it within a blink of an eye the creature was no longer where it was before. I saw a black flash in the glimpse of my peripheral vision and before I could react I saw the creature's huge claws lunging at me. I tried to turn around to escape but I was too slow and the claws dug deep into the back of my thighs as I slipped and fell ahead because of the slippery and muddy ground in agonizing pain. I screamed out loudly in agony as I held my thigh tightly, three large claw marks had cut through my thigh like a butcher's knife.

While I was suffering and tears of torture welled in my eyes, I looked back at the creature. Wondering why I wasn't dead yet, and to my surprise, I saw it lashing and thrashing around, its claws dug deeply into the dead tree which was behind me before I ran.

It seems that its claws had gotten stuck in the tree after it had slashed at me, and my split-second decision to turn around was a good one after all.

I bit down my tongue to distract myself from the pain and used my spear to hold myself up as I looked down at my mangled left leg, treating the spear as a crutch and practically crawling away, being covered in mud and my own blood as I used this opportunity to escape. I was hyperventilating and in shock but my fight or flight response was in overdrive as I kept crawling, not looking back. Hoping I would get just far enough to make the creature give up.

But disaster struck again as I felt a searing pain like 100 different hot iron rods were being burnt on my thighs and even biting my lips shut wasn't going to stop me from screaming. The adrenaline had worn off and the pain had become a million times worse. I looked at my wound again, it had become black almost like it was rotting away, realising that the creature's claws were venomous.

The pain was too unbearable and I knew I couldn't make it any further, using only my hands I crawled towards a nearby tree and rested my back on it. I took out the dagger I had made and bit down hard on the stick end of my spear, closing my eyes and taking long deep breaths before plunging the dagger into my thigh. Biting so hard that I could hear a crack in the wood, my muffled screams wanting my body to writhe in pain but my body was too weak to do so.

With tears running down my cheek, I cut off as much of the rotting flesh as I could before the venom spread. Unwrapping the cloth with which I used to tie my spear and wrapped it around my leg, making a makeshift tourniquet. My vision was already blurry and I felt extremely dizzy, I had lost a lot of blood and I couldn't afford to lose anymore.

The minute I was done I heard those dreaded footsteps again, The creature coming out of the shadows once more, freeing its claws, following the trail of blood I had left behind. I grabbed the dagger in one hand and the spearhead in the other. Waiting for it to pounce once again. But it didn't it just stood there, waiting for the venom to get to me, for me to die.

It probably never had to work so much for prey before, most other animals would have succumbed by now. In a place where power reigns supreme, it probably never meant a prey smart enough to think of escape I suppose.

I looked down at my legs, covered in blood and flesh, tears still flowing down my eyes and onto my body. I had done everything I could but I could still achieve nothing. I had just delayed my death and nothing more. I thought I could use my anger to get through this, to stay alive, but it seems that it was all for nought. I had gotten exactly what I deserved.

I could hear the footsteps again, walking towards me. The creature had waited enough and I was too weak to do much of anything. One foot, then the other, slowly walking up towards me, with my blurry vision I looked back up and all I could see was the looming fear of death, just like the death reaper with its scythe.

The moment it was right in front of me, using its last bit of cautiousness to check if I would react, a smile appeared on my face. I ground my teeth and grabbed the blades with the last bit of strength I had. Everything that had happened in the last few days flashed before my eyes again, at this point I had lost so much blood, I was pretty sure I was hallucinating. In every scene I could see, the grip on my daggers got stronger. But this time it wasn't just anger, I could see my mother preparing breakfast again, the time I hugged her, how I had walked to school with the biggest grin on my face, how I was laughing with my friends in my class just days before. How I was reading the newest issue of my favourite book.....How happy I was and how much I took it for granted.

I didn't want to die, that was all that was ringing in my head at that moment, I wanted to be happy again...I want to feel like how it was before.

I wanted to live.

I lifted my hands with all the strength I could muster and I could see the creature get startled, thinking it had already won.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE....I WANT TO BE HAPPY, I WANT TO LIVE!!" I shouted at the top of my voice, with my voice cracking and blood and sweat entering my mouth.

The creature roared and pounced at me and at the same time I brought down my blades, screaming as loudly as I could, closing my eyes and letting fate guide my hand.

I hear two loud thuds, one much larger than the other, like something falling from the sky and as I opened my eyes again the very next moment, I felt something extremely heavy fall down right beside me and with reeling vision, I saw that it was the head of the monster decapitated from its body with one of my daggers lodged in its eye. My blades were too small to do this.....

From the corner of my eye, I made out a figure standing in front of me and as I was losing consciousness I looked up, my eyes flashing between sight and complete darkness. A pair of beautiful black wings came out from the back of the figure as if to protect me, with long platinum silver hair. I couldn't see the face but just as it was about to turn and face me, all the strength left my body and I passed out.

"It's ok, you are safe now..." was the last thing I could hear.