the snow on the ground was uncomfortable on my bare feet. Each step I take feels like more and more of a burden. Soon I collapse to the ground. The stump where my arm should be throbs with pain. I look back to make sure I was not followed. But to my horror I see him, he is slowly following behind me like a lion playing with his food. His twisted smile stretches across his face as his sword drags behind him. He opens his lips and lets words exit, though I can hear none of them. The voices in my head scream to loud for anything to get through. Telling me to run, that I have no chance if I lay here and do nothing. But despite by body wanting me to move I don't. my fate is sealed, if I run any further it would just give him more enjoyment. I unsheathe my dagger from the leather strap it was attached to and move it slowly towards my stomach. He doesn't seem to notice my plan, so I go ahead and stab myself right through the stomach. I don't even flinch from the pain after all I have gone through. After a few seconds, or minutes I really couldn't tell anymore it happens, I see the bright flash, and everything goes white. I slowly count from 1 and when I reach 1773, I sigh every time I seem to get further and further away from figuring out anything about that man. He's oddly familiar but I just can't put my finger on why. I look around. The same decrepit walls surround me as always, that dream always ends that way, with my untimely death. I used to ask why I keep on having that same dream every night, it will almost be 5 years since father died, the last beacon of light in my life. He did anything and everything he could for me. That day it should have been me that was killed not him. I'm worthless, no, even less than that. I have less talent than a mere frog. I can't even hold a candle against him even after my nightly fights with him.
Tomorrow is my birthday; I should be happy but all it means to me is another year survived without anything happening. The most interesting thing that happened in the past 5 years was the last drop of clean water ran through my system. I stared intently at the roof almost as if willing it to collapse over me stopping this life in its tracks, I mean what's the worst that could happen? I get to leave this stupid, repetitive life behind. All of a sudden I hear a loud BANG sound come from the door it looked like the door was about to fall off its wooden hinges. I wait for a while without responding trying to make whatever was out there seem like there was nothing in here. Then, the same bang sound came from the door again and this time it really did fall from its hinges. Dust rose from the place it landed obscuring my vision of the intruder. Whatever it was it was probably dangerous. It moved closed before letting out a horrendous sound that resembled a human voice saying "Arthur" maybe it was good news? Maybe it was a long lost rich relative come to adopt me. But as the dust settled a horrific malformed face stared back at me. It was him. He has come. My body stiffened as the voice continued "It seems you have not met my demands in time." He said every word with a slight pause in between as if to make me feel small like a child who cant understand sentences. I tried to refute, I had tried to do it but I backed out last second. "a child who cant meet expectations in time are useless." He stopped and stared at my face, twisted with terror before laughing. He laughed for a solid minute as if expecting me to join in before abruptly stopping and staring at me "I told you this would happen, Arthur" he rolled my name on his tongue. I tried to scream but all it did was release all the air left in my lungs. The huge figure pulled out his sword before pointing it at me "I expected more from a child who wanted to be useful, but then again you are so god damn useless I should have lowered my expectations." He lifted his sword with his blade pointing towards me. I pre-emptively felt the pain of my head being removed from my body and closed my eyes but that pain didn't come. I opened my eyes only too see him still staring at me with a smile. But his eyes had gone dark as if he had died on the spot. I took the incentive to launch my body onto my feet and ran into the white forest expecting him to follow but he didn't. I ran, holding my breath the entire way till I made it to a small cave far into the forest. When I reached there I tried to breathe but I couldn't, it was almost as if all the oxygen was gone. I looked around feeling woozy from not being able to breathe only to see that everything had stopped even the birds in the sky were completely still.
After a few minutes of observation I couldn't hold it anymore and collapsed to sleep. The same scene I had seen a thousand time before appeared before me but this time It felt different, it felt as if I wouldn't die this time. I psyched myself up, I knew it was probably a misplaced trust but I could do it. I took a step forwards breathing a certain way that my dad told me to. Not only did it fill me with confidence but also reminded me of him and that was the most important thing to me right now. I would make him proud.