Run, my mind said. Run from it, race it to the road. I knew this bear's body is slow, not yet filled with a summer's forage; pickings have been slim. Run. Perhaps it'll let you live, Yes, run! I thought, and then, immediately came the cold creepy voice: You can't run. You can barely stand up, sweetheart.
The thing that stood looking at me, ears flicking at the bugs which surrounded its big triangular head, sides shining with healthy fur. It held the stump of its stick in one clawed paw. Its jaws moved with ruminative slowness, and little shredded splinters dribbled out between its teeth. Some fell, some stuck to its muzzle.
The woods laid silent all about us, breathing their sour urgent scent of green. My breath rasped softly in and out of my sick throat. The bear gazed down at me haughtily from its seven feet of height. Its head was in the sky and its claws held the earth. I looked back at it, up at it, and understood that this is it. And there's nothing I could do about it this time. I had no strength to stand and run for my life this time. This was the end.
"Come here and suck the pitiable life out of me." I whispered.
The bear-thing let go of its stick and then dropped back onto all fours. As if understanding what I said, it pawed at the hardpan surface of the road like a restless bull, digging up clods of earth with its claws, and then moved toward me, waddling with surprising, deceptive speed.
As it came, it laid its ears flat against its skull. I could hear the soft growl in its mouth and I didn't move. Maybe if I didn't move it will think I'm just a small timber on the floor. Maybe there was still a chance to survive.
I inhaled a deep breath, struggling as I do so, and let it out in a shaky hot breath. The bear stopped before me and stretched its neck to approach my face as if to kiss. Its breath was the muddy stink of the bog. The bear sniffed delicately all around my face. It rose up on its back legs again, swaying a little as if to beast-music only it could hear, and then it swatted at me... yet it was playful, only playful as yet, missing my face by several inches. The passage of its earth-darkened claws breezed the hair off my forehead. The hair settled back, light as milkweed puffs but I did not move.
It was as if unseen hands grasped beneath the angles of my jaw. Slowly, not wanting to but helpless to resist, I lifted my gaze. I looked up. I gazed into the its empty eyes and I know it meant to kill me no matter what.
I closed my eyes. I knew it will hurt so bad and I didn't want to see it. A loud sound rang through my ears.
But a pair of hand still held my face, holding my face softly. "I will always be with you Andria. I'm here."
Recognizing the voice, I opened my eyes and gasped at the sight. Michael was looking down at me, his face inches away from mine, with a small smile on his pink lips. His face was bright as he stared down at me, I found it rather overwhelming.
He closed the gap between our faces and planted a sweet kiss on my lips.
As much as I wanted to, I seemed like I didn't feel anything.
"Go to sleep now Andria, you need it." He said, softly stoking my cheek with his thumb. "I love you."
Upon hearing those words, I closed my eyes, feeling the surrounding slowly fade into black whirl.
****
I was in the cabin again and I stood in the room I knew. Where Michael and I have been held captive by five monsters in mask. Michael stood beside me, but this time he was wearing white shirt instead of black. He had his arms crossed against his chest.
"Michael?" I asked timidly.
He turned to look at me, his brows raised.
"I made it."
"I know you did, Andria," he said. "You did a good job."
He smiled at me, his dimples prominent.
"You showed up in the woods. How much of it was real?"
"All of it," he said, as if it didn't really matter. And then, again: "You did a good job."
"I was stupid not to listen to you for a couple of times, wasn't l?"
"But you did it though."
"Did they hurt you when I left?"
His smile faded, his features replaced with confusion. "Did you left?"
A sudden bright light shined behind him, blinding me for a while. Michael smiled at me then turned away towards the light that seems to grow even brighter, swallowing him until he was gone.
I heared sounds of beeping and faint sound of people that were talking.
"Andria?"
"Look, her lips are moving."
My lids were heavy but I forced them to open. I clearly recognized those voices.
Well lighted room surrounds me, with white painted walls and green curtains.
"Andria," Mom said. She was crying. And I saw Arun, then Jay who was looking confusedly at me. " Andria, honey. Oh honey." Mom took my hand, the one without the thing in it.
I tried to smile, but my mouth was too heavy to go up, even at the corners. I moved my eyes and saw the bracelet dangling at my wrist that mom held.
Michael , I tried to say. Nothing came out but a cough. It was only a little cough, but it hurt enough to make me wince.
"Don't try to talk, Andria," the nurse said, and I could tell both by the nurse's tone and posture that she wanted my family out of here; in another moment she would make them leave. "You're sick. You've got pneumonia. Both lungs."
"Andria, you're safe now." Richard said on my other side, he smiled but didn't meet his eyes. I wanted to ask him about Michael, but I couldn't. I reached for his arm and squeezed it a bit, my eyes and brows moved in a questioning look and I knew he understood.
He held my hand and squeezed it. Then he nodded and pressed his lips into thin line. "You have to take a rest Andria. More rest."
''All right," the nurse said. "That's it. You'll really have to rest."
I looked at the nurse and shook my head.
"You have to take a rest for now, they will be back tomorrow. By then, maybe you can mutter some words."
Her words seemed to lighten me up and I nodded. Maybe tomorrow I can ask them about Michael. Maybe he was just a few rooms away from me. By the thought, I closed my eyes once again. Hoping to wake up with Michael... ...