Chapter 1: The Deal
The snow pelted the ground, determined to cover every inch with layers of white. Colossal pine trees huddled together beckoning those who ventured close to enter the shelter they provided. Silence enveloped the night and no creature dared to break it. A half-filled moon shown through the thick clouds that otherwise blanketed the night sky, granting a glimmer of light onto the unforgiving darkness. In this night, I ran.
Each breath clenched at my chest, refusing to be taken for granted. The cold air pierced my skin and each delicate snowflake turned into shards of glass relentlessly assaulting my face. I could not slow my pace, for in the moments of weakness he would overcome me and take everything. My stockings were torn and clinging limply to my legs in a half-hearted attempt to protect from the chill. The jacket I wore was soaked from countless dazed falls into the banks of snow. What once brought dreams of laughter and warmth by the fire now only wished to kill me.
I gazed into the distance trying to see through the torrential wind fueled gusts, praying for some flicker of hope. A lighted hunter's cabin or perhaps a park rangers den. All that awaited my gaze was a boundless obscurity that dared me to continue. And so I did. I clutched my bundle tighter against my chest. The reason for everything I was doing, the reason for my life. A beautiful baby girl with a limp body and eyes devoid of life yet harboring a pulse. If only I could make it to safety...
"Enough." A voice echoed through the forest. "Stop running. You won't get anywhere."
I stopped in my steps. His voice. Why was it so close?
"Lara. Give me the child." The words now came in a whisper. I continued to stand there, fear gripping my body, as if trapping me in the ground.
"I...will never." I stammered out, not even believing my own words.
"Then die." A pain tore through my chest, causing me to collapse. It spread to my limbs and everything grew hazy. I was not holding her anymore, and a figure stood above my body. I was dying, and I couldn't stop him from taking her.
"You made the deal."
Tears trickled down my cheeks as I lost my remaining sight and the shadows consumed me. What have I done? Everything, everything I fought for was over with. She'd be without a mother and introduced to a world suitable only for demons. There would be no one to protect her, as there was no one to protect me. I was leaving her an orphan. My eyelids closed completely and I resigned myself to my fate. Elena...
A baby's cry shattered the silence.