Chereads / Carry on Carmilla / Chapter 8 - Bump in the night

Chapter 8 - Bump in the night

Carmilla began sheepishly trudging into the woods, worried that anything could entangle or trip her, but slowly she realised that it was easier for her to move, as she now had branches to grasp a levy her weight. The pricking of thorns on her feet was nothing compared to the pain she already felt and the sweat mixed with blood had slicked her hair close to her scalp so nothing could catch on it.

The only thing now was to find the road. Without getting found first.

She thought every rustle or stick breaking was them. The forest felt deadly silent. But she was the one that felt sinister. Though she could of been lost, she kept moving forward, taking in all her surroundings to make sure she was not circling back, she's passed a fallen tree, a stream and a Boulder broken in half. She used to play on that Boulder, always wondering what could have smashed straight down the middle like that. The Boulder stood close to a hidden tyre swing, Carmilla and her friends used to hide it up in a tree so others couldn't find it. It was while she was deciding wether to climb up that said tree that she noticed the tyre was down, swingy slightly. There was no breeze.

Carmilla did not feel like herself anymore, other wise she would of whispered out Summer or Sarahs name. But the her brothers words which seemed to have had disappeared as fast as he'd said them came rushing back.

'"No one in this whole town is going to help you ... you have to run"

And just as quickly as she paused did she start moving again crashing through the trees one foot moving overtime, arms pushing off the trunks. It was quite for another twenty minutes until she heard loud crashing, trees falling or breaking In half. They had finally tracked her to the woods, but now they would have find her. For the first time the whole night she felt like she had equal footing to them. She moved on not caring how much noise she made as they were causing too much havoc already.

The howls and yapping were difficult to place, one could be sound right next her or three miles away. A new sense of adrenaline kicked in she could taste difference in the air, they were no longer anywhere near the town and the wolves were frantic, snarling in frustration.

'Anger makes them stupid' She thought, far too gone to be able to say it.

She became aware that the howls were gone or very faint. There was no rustling at all. Instincts told her it was the calm before the storm. That they had paused in order to hear her. So she stopped. Crouched low and held her breath. She could now hear something moving behind her. Carefully traipsing along, sniffing her out. She slid under a fallen tree that was balancing on a branch so it hovered just above the ground. Enough space for Carmilla to hide under, but large enough so if a mutated wolf tried to take a bite they'd get a mouth full of bark. She could hear it now confidently cantering towards her she was ready. But she couldn't hear it's body battering against the trunks or see branches swaying from the impact.

THUD

she gasped into her hand as she felt the ground shake behind her, but only for a split second. As soon at it came it went. A white tailed deer disturbed from the wolves not her.

She forgot to breathe as she watched it disappear but through the silence she was able to decipher the hooves thudding on soil to the cracking on concrete. It was the road!

she had made it and from the time it took the deer, she was only a couple of yards away. She could hear the howls cropping up again, they'd found her scent or maybe the deers. There was no time to waste. She locked her eyes on the trail of the deer and moved. She limps over twigs and falls over branches until she bursts out into a clearing. No trees or thicket, the cuts on her feet scraping against the tarmac. Although she had reached her goal there was no time to waste.

New goals. Move until you flag down a car. Make sure they're not one of them or a random serial killer, get them to take you to the hospital and call the police. And if they are dangerous steal phone and run.

She walked seven steps planning out her hopeful strategy until she was hit with two major issues, one being another fit. It was bad, she felt blood drip down her nose and eyes again masking her vision with a red hue. Her knees buckled, abdomen spasms that made her want to wretch and she would have. If she hadn't heard the second issue which was now growling and snapping. A howl heard right by the tree line. She could see the glow of its eyes just before vomiting, this time she swore she felt an organ come up and slap against tarmac. It was over, they had found her, she turned her body away from the forest and lay down. Final survival instincts told her that if they didn't see her bloodied features and jagged bones they might pity her. Acceptance brought about drowsiness she was glad to know she was finally slipping. Maybe she wouldn't even feel it, maybe she'd die before it crossed the road. She felt it's snout nudge her back. Then bite down on her ribs. The snapping drowned out the sound of an car barreling down the road.