“What do I do? What do I do?” I think to myself. I begin to frantically look around, but there’s no escape in sight for me. Not that I could move if I wanted to, my muscles are frozen in place from all the adrenaline and panic. Not to mention, my legs, which still buckle under any pressure. With every creeping second, his footsteps are getting closer and closer. This continues on for what feels like hours until, he is right beside me. 

I can see the bloodstained glint of his axe right by my face. His heavy, animal-like breathing right in my ear. I look up, and he hasn’t seen me yet. He just stands there, scanning his surroundings. I debate on whether or not I should try to run. I decide against it, as my legs can barely stand, let alone run. Not to mention, that if I tried to escape now, he would notice and I’d be dead before I knew what hit me. So, I stay as still as a statute while I wait for him to hopefully move on. As seconds turn into minutes, my muscles begin to twitch with anticipation. 

Why hasn’t he moved yet? Maybe he’s just trying to mess with my head. It’s working. I stare up at him as he continues to scan his surroundings. A few more minutes of silence pass and I’m beginning to get bored. Suddenly, I hear his footsteps again, but this time they’re getting farther away. I listen closely and soon I can’t hear them any longer. I sit there, stunned, as I try to process what just happened. Did he really not see me? Am I safe now? Not wanting to waste a single second of freedom, I begin to try and wake up my legs. A tingling feeling begins to flow through them. As I shakily stand up, I cautiously look around, scanning for anything that might be lurking in the dark shadows. 

After a few moments, I decide that it’s safe to run. I take my first step forward, and my leg shakes a bit. I take another and almost lose my balance. I keep taking small steps forward, and soon I can walk again. I follow the trail of footprints that I had left, and come across something gleaming in the snow. I dig it out with my hands, and find the golden bird necklace. It must’ve fallen out when I fell. I pick it up and shove it in a pocket. I start walking again, but something doesn’t feel quite right. 

Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but it feels like there’s still something watching me. I shrug it off and keep walking, my pace a bit quicker this time. In the distance I hear a stick snap and I freeze. I look behind me but no one is there. I continue walking. Now I swear that I can hear a second set of footsteps, but each time I stop, they stop too. 

They’re only about a millisecond off from mine. I decide that it’s no longer safe to be walking out in the open. I look around and find another large tree to hide behind. I quickly make my way over and as I’m nearing my new hiding spot, I hear quick, heavy footsteps.