First+Person+Point-of-veiw

My eyes fluttered open. The first thing I saw was the night sky, starless and vast. I didn't know where I was or how I got there. I couldn't remember my own name. All I knew was that it was cold and it was dark. I could feel soft damp moss beneath me as I stared up at the sky. The edges of it were crisscrossed with leafless branches. I looked left and right at my surroundings. I was in the center of a small field, ringed by tall thick trees. The only sound was my own breathing.

Suddenly, an immense gust of wind swept into my clearing, causing the trees to dance before me. The wind tore at my long dark hair and ruffled the crisp white dress I found I was wearing. The sky began to rumble like some great hungry beast waiting to devour its prey.

Slowly I got up, looking into the forest around me. It was of the dark and spooky variety, the kind you always see in nightmares. The trees were so close together they were practically growing on top of one another. The spaces between them were pitch black and entirely unknown. I had the feeling I was being watched.

Without warning, a streak of light raced across the dark sky, momentarily turning the night to day. A roaring thunder followed soon after, deafening me and blinding me all in one. When the sky began to calm once again, I noticed a new sound, quieter then the thunder but just as threatening. I turned slowly and found myself looking into a pair of shinning eyes.

A huge black dog padded silently toward me, its eyes level with mine. It's barred teeth, flattened ears, and tense shoulders all radiated hate. The wind flowed through its thick tangled fur and hit me square in the face. Again it growled at me, low and menacing. I could feel the icy claws of fear gripping at my heart. My whole being pleaded for me to run but the beasts eyes held me.

Another flash of lighting lit up the sky and I was able to get a better look at the monster. Its paws were as big as my head, its nose was as long as a wolf's, and its teeth were like daggers. What alarmed me the most though was the color of its eyes; they were as red as the fires of hell. I felt as though those eyes were reaching inside my soul and setting it aflame.

In the split second after the lightning had vanished and before my eyes could adjust, the beast attacked. Time seemed to slow. I could hear rather then see its running steps toward me. I could sense its flying leap into the air, as it aimed for my throat. I ducked low and I could feel the wind of its movement across my back. I immediately stepped from my crouched position into a full out run, spurred on by instincts I didn't know I had. I reached the forest just as the wolf dog realized what happened. I could the feel the pressure of its eyes as they locked onto my fleeing form.

The forest was dense and much darker then the small clearing. I dodge and darted around trees to escape from those eyes. The creature was close behind me, crashing noisily through the under brush, all stealth abandoned. I pressed on, running as fast my feet could carry me. Despite the darkness I was able to avoid the tangled roots that covered the forest floor. I jumped over them with out missing a beat. I rushed pass trees and dashed through weeds. Nothing could slow me down. The feeling was exhilarating.

For a moment, I forgot to be afraid. I risked a glance behind me and those eyes immediately found mine and the fear returned. The beast was having a harder time than I was, squeezing its way through the tightly packed trees. I realized that this was the only reason I was still alive. I knew I couldn't keep this up forever though. The hot breath of the dog warmed my back and I could hear the click of its jaws as they snapped at my heels.

Up ahead I could see two large trees that grown into one colossal plant, leaving a slight space between them. I put on a burst of speed and jumped through the small opening, scratching my elbows as I did. I twisted my ankle as I touched down and fell flat on my face. The beast was moving to fast to slow down so it too tried to jump through the crack. I looked up to see the beast's open jaws hurtling toward me as I lay sprawled on the ground. I shut my eyes tight and waited for death.

When it didn't come, I opened one eye and saw that the dog was caught in between the two trees. Desperately, it fought to be free. Its claws ripped bark, leaving long pale wounds on the both trees. Saliva flew from its mouth as its great jaws reached toward me. It took a great deal of effort to stand up using only my good foot.

Gingerly, I tested my hurt ankle and was greeted with a sharp stabbing sensation. I bit my tongue to distract from the pain and took a step back from the beasts hungry mouth. It hurt like hell but, I would have to make due. My gaze met the dogs eyes once more; it regarded me with such hot furry that it took all my strength to keep from crying out. The beast renewed its efforts to free itself and I wondered if it would be able to. Needless to say I didn't wait around to find out.

I started off in the same direction as before, positive that this was the right way without really knowing why. The sounds of the beast's struggles faded in the distance. Covered in dirt and dog spit with blood pouring from my elbows, I limped pathetically through the woods. After what seemed like hours I collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. I dragged my self to a fallen tree nearby and propped myself against it. A light rain splashed my face and another gust of wind caused me to shiver. I closed my eyes.

Soon my thoughts began to drift and I began to imagine I was lying in a big soft bed. I buried my head in the pillow and was about to fall sleep when more wind shook me awake. I reached out for the covers but only gripped air. Groggily, I pulled myself to a sitting position. My eyes, heavy with sleep, looked left and right for my missing blankets and found them, laying in a heap on the floor. I slid off my bed to get them, wincing as my foot touched the floor. I was splattered with water. I looked up to see that my window on the far wall was open. A storm was raging outside the house. Booming thunder rolled in the distance, echoing off the surrounding hilltops. Wind and rain blew in through the window, drenching both me and the carpet. I limped over and forced the window close, locking it for good measure. Blasted thing, never could stay shut. With a great yawn, I grabbed my blankets up off the floor and draped them over my shoulders like a cape. The moment my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.

I opened my eyes. While I was resting it had stopped raining, though I could still hear it in the distance. The forest was warmer without the constant wind buffeting me. Carefully, I stood and tried to wipe some of the dirt off my dress, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. I limped onward following the path from before, my strength renewed. The forest was getting lighter and the trees were sparser here. I peered ahead and saw that the trees stopped all together; past them was the shining light of day. I had reached the end of the forest. I was going to make it. Hope filled me as I hobbled forward. Suddenly, I heard a distant howl from behind me; a call filled with rage and hate. The beast had freed itself.

I hurried as fast as I could toward the light. My ankle screamed with pain but I pressed on, close to running. Almost there, I told myself, Almost there. I glanced behind me to see if the beast had caught up yet. I saw nothing. I turned my head to face the path in front of me and promptly tripped over a tree root. I hit the dirt hard and my breath was stolen from me.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Gasping for air, I rolled over to lay on my back. My ankle had doubled in pain now. Before I could stop myself, I let out a sharp cry. That's when I heard it, the sound of running footsteps. They were faint but the sound was getting louder. I shoved my fist into my mouth to keep from making any more noise. Please don't let it find me, I prayed silently. As the footsteps drew closer, panic welled up inside me. Painstakingly, I tried dragging myself toward the edge of the forest. It was just 20 feet away from where I lay. I was so close.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">I reached out my hands to grasp the ground in front of me and slowly inched forward. I reached out again and stopped my hand in mid air. Instict told me not to make a sound. Fearfully, I turned my head to look behind me. Just then, more lightning flashed through the sky and everything was light. There, in front of me was the beast. It's feet left the ground and it flew through the air toward me. Once again, time seemed to slow and I marveled at the speed and grace of this terrifying creature. It's black coat of fur rippled from the wind, it's teeth were dripping with saliva, it's eyes glowed with hate. All in the space of a second, in the flash of a single lightning bolt, the beast had crossed the 10 feet of space between us. It's great paws landed on either side of me before I had time to even blink. In slow motion, it's teeth wrapped around my neck, the needle point ends poked into my flesh. Thunder cracked through the night as I screamed in terror. Then I woke up.

My eyes flew open, and I sat up straight. For a moment I didn't know where I was. My breath was ragged and I was drenched in sweat. I reached over and switched on the light by my nightstand. I looked around the familiar room and my breath slowed as I began to calm down.

"Oh thank god," I said out loud to the empty room. "It was just a dream."

My throat was hot and dry. I needed some water. I pushed of the blankets and set my feet on the floor. I stood up and was greeted by pain so intense that I sunk to my knees. My ankle, the same one I had hurt in the dream, was red and swollen. I must of twisted it while I was sleeping, I told myself. It seemed pathetic that I broke my ankle while I was sleeping but the other option seemed to fantastic to be real. It was only a dream, I remind myself. I limped toward the bathroom and splashed my face with the cool water from the sink. I looked into the mirror. On my neck was a perfect row of little spots of blood. My face went white. I'm just seeing things I told myself. It was only a dream, just a dream. I dressed myself in a turtleneck sweater and went down stairs for breakfast.