Slowly, Libby opened her front door, pausing when it creak to check if anyone had heard

Slowly, Libby opened her front door, pausing when it creak to check if anyone had heard. After being sure that all was well, she stepped out into the icy night and pulled her hood up to shield herself from the fast falling snow. As she walked, the darkness seemed to increase, closing around her and suffocating her slowly. Her feet pounded rhythmically on the floor, freshly fallen snow crunching beneath her feet. She had no destination just an obligation- to get as far away from her home as possible. All she had with her was a small bag slung over her shoulders containing a few personal items and nothing else. She was a runaway. The chill in the air brought small tears to the corner of her eyes as the bitter wind blew passed her. After hastily brushing them away, she dug her hands back into the pockets of her thin jacket. It barely kept the cold out though and the icy winds cut through the material as though it didn’t exist.

The muscles in her legs screamed in protest as she forced herself on through the deep snow, her mind begged for sleep, but she knew that she mustn’t, she didn’t know what was out there and she wasn’t about to take that risk. Libby looked around her, trying to shield herself from the merciless snow. Nothing was in front of her, just a vast open field, mirroring the distance behind her. There didn’t seem to be much optimism in her surroundings, and there didn’t seem anywhere to stay for the night. A sigh escaped her chapped and frostbitten lips; it felt like she had been walking for days, not a mere few hours. Hugging her arms to her sides, she overbalanced and fell hard to the floor and for a moment, she didn’t move. She didn’t want to. She didn’t even know why she was out in this abnormally cold weather except for that small and insistent voice inside her head that was saying that she had to keep moving. She had to get away. Finally deciding to get up, that this wasn’t the end and she must carry on. She slowly pushed herself off the cold and wet ground. Her breath came out as short gasps, and the slightest movement that needed strength drained her of her valuable energy. She brushed the remaining snow off her face and hands. Involuntarily shivers racked her body, as she tried hurrying her steps to warm up. However, it didn’t work, her feet ached for rest and longed for warmth but she knew that curling up right now would be a juvenile idea.

After only an hour or so of walking, Libby could see a dark forest rising up in front of her, and for the first time in a long while, she allowed herself a small smile. So unused to smiling, her eyes widened in shock and she placed her pale and bony hand over her mouth feeling her chapped lips with surprise, but that was by no means the last surprise, just as she reached the forest, a sudden burst of warmth caused the hairs on the back of Libby’s neck to stand on end and her legs to break into a run that seemed so unusual she felt confused. After running for a few minutes she reached a small clearing that was vacant of snow and wind and she settled on the soft earth, folding her jacket up into a pillow and resting against a large stone. Exhaustion swept over her and just as her eyes were closing an unexplainable feeling of fear gripped her chest, and in the distance an unnaturally tall figure walked towards her. Libby gasped for breath and clasped her hand to her chest trying to make sense of the fog that was clouding her vision and the footsteps pounding in her ears like a ticking time bomb. Just as Libby’s vision failed her, the figure drew ever closer and voices screamed for help in her ears…