Unlit Lane

A violent winter’s gale howled incessantly through the thick woodland, a bright light consisting of a deadly voltage revealed a scene of abstract shadows. The remote lane remained unpopulated by civilisation apart from a rare intrusion of modern life. The blessing of headlights beaming through the tall, muscular trees appeared only once or twice that night. It was in that agonisingly short time period that I could adjust my orientation and avoid the engulfing darkness from capturing me.

Rain attacked the pathway, drowning any hope of following the vanishing tracks. I was lost. My mother was nowhere in sight. An abnormal muffled sound pierced the darkness ahead, followed by figures lurking, camouflaged against the dark horizon. Confusion struck me until I saw the gleam of a flashlight analysing the ground I was set to pass over. It was them. I knew it at an instant. My thoughts returned to when my mother warned me of the group, saying they would capture and kill anyone trespassing. There was a group of around six of them, led by vicious beasts with razor like teeth. They could smell me. Eye contact with one of the murderous hounds was my downfall. Thousands of thoughts rushed to my head, I wanted to run but my muscles seized up and failed to activate.

Had one of the owners of the pack not pulled the hound back, unaware that it had locked onto its target, I knew my existence would have prematurely ceased. This life saving moment seemed to make my organs increase in temperature, a warm feeling knowing fate was on my side. It gave me hope of survival and a belief I could yet be reunited with my lost family. These thoughts began to sidetrack me from the danger I was still in. Escape would be difficult; to manoeuvre silently and at speed to avoid a certain lethal confrontation would be virtually impossible. I managed to merge into the shadows of the powerful tree trunks, invisible to the human eye and stared in sheer desperation at the currently halted group. They didn't move.

A ghastly wind began to violently sweep through the debris of deceased shrubs, arms of ancient trees began to shake and creak until wood began to drop. A large branch dropped within inches of my hiding place causing me to release a high pitched signal of distress. To my frustration the branch obstructed my vision, making it impossible to see the mob. The wind slightly decreased in velocity for a moment. I seized the opportunity to glance around the branch and review my options. This was a huge mistake. "Now you’re gonna pay!" was the phrase that echoed in my ears. The shaded figure blending in with the horizon appeared to point at me, as though he was a general ordering his soldiers to assassinate a target. The chase was on. Without looking backwards I galloped along the pathway, pounding the floor. I knew tracks would be left and that they could be followed but the adrenaline rush seemed to remove any sense of fear inside me. To me it was a gamble, but from my perspective, running was the only chance of freedom. Steering between bushes and slaloming through tree trunks, I favoured my chances of survival as I headed into the deepest and darkest parts of the lane.

I could hear them in the background mumbling and cursing but I seemed to be establishing a much needed lead on them. Hope flooded my mind and deep down I knew I was safe. That was until the worst possible thing happened. The vast space I previously had to run into had transformed into a deep, thorny, almost solid wall of plants and thick wood. I had nowhere to run. Looking behind me the pursuing tribe could only be seen by the trained eye as the mist dramatically affected my vision. The only way of knowing they were quickly approaching was the fact that the mumbling voices began to seem more clear and crisp.

A piercing bass line echoed through the confined area making the puddles I was stranded in tremble. The sound was almost instantly followed by a blinding flash and a thud impacted in the soil to the right of me. It startled me and took me a moment to register with what was happening. They had guns. Another two shots punctured the surface of the ground, each one getting closer. The fourth didn't miss. I felt a shooting pain in my abdominal area. I keeled over onto my side knowing my time had come and the last moments of life were happening now. They caught up with me; three tall men holding leashes towered over me and looked down on the mess below them. "I hate those damn foxes!" were the last words I heard.