Heavy, gray clouds settle in over the valley, obscuring the moon and leaving the forest in darkness. Snow falls from these clouds, drifting slowly and gently to the ground like feathers from angels’ wings. The ground is hard and frozen in the midst of November. Winter settles in, preparing to lay siege on the small valley for several months, until he at last surrenders to the call of spring.

The wind blows, carrying the fallen snow in its iron grip, hurling it like tiny frozen bullets shot from Nature’s pistol. Jace winces as the tiny beads of ice pound into the back of his exposed neck. He bites his lip in an attempt to ignore the pain. It doesn’t matter too much, he’ll soon be too numb to feel it, and that’s the part that worries him. Walking grows harder; his joints stiffen with every passing minute. Pain receding into a bitter numbness that threatens to be his end.

The trees provide some shielding from the elements, but it won’t be long until they begin to clear and he is left in the full force of the winter storm. Assuming he is even going in the right direction. In the darkness of the forest, there is no way for him to tell if he was going in a strait line, or if he is going on and on in an endless circle. That, he can’t afford.

He’s being followed. As he walks, he can hear the howls of the creatures behind him, slowly growing louder. They’ll be upon him soon unless he can make it into town.

Drakenville is his only hope now. The town rests about two miles east of the edge of the forest. It had stood alone and secluded by the forest on one side and mountains on the other for centuries. It was a refuge for wayward hunters and a sanctuary for the League, and now it’s the last stronghold for the war to save humanity.

Jace stumbles on a fallen branch, wincing as pain shoots though his side. Struggling for breath, he sits against a large pine, his eyes closed tightly. Slowly, his breath returns. He touches a hand to the bandage around his waist. It’s soaked through entirely.

‘Just one more problem to worry about,’ Jace tells himself bitterly. ‘If they loose sight of me they can just find my blood trail and follow it right to me.’ The bandage needs replacing, but he is out of expendable cloth. He can’t risk using bits of cloth from his clothing. Already, he’s far too cold. Losing one more layer could mean minutes off his already short life. The clock is ticking, and there is no time to waste.

With a silent groan of pain, Jace stands weakly, and continues walking in the direction he has been going in for what seems like hours. The howls of creatures in the distance behind him are even louder now, and he brakes into a labored run.

He runs, using all the strength he has left. He is numb from head to toe, his legs barely moving. Faint lights can be seen through the trees ahead. Jace only hopes it is the edge of the forest. However, there are downsides to leaving the shelter of the trees. He’ll be exposed to the elements, along with a variety of less pleasant things. In the open, there will be no cover from the foul beasts that follow his tracks, stalking him like a predator and waiting for him to make a fatal error. There’s no choice though. He needs to reach Drakenville. The people need to be told of the events of the past few days; they need to be warned of the horrors that were closing in on them as they slept in their blissful ignorance.

A burst of pain through his side catches Jace by surprise. He falls to his knees before he can realize what has occurred. Relentless, he stands, only to fall again. He sinks to all fours, and then pushes himself over to lie on his back and look up at the dark underside of the thick tangle of leaves and branches.

Sleep calls his name in a gentle whisper, beckoning him to give in. Too weak to stand, he lets his eyes close. He feels Death wrap her cold arms around him as the world fades into a clouded darkness.