Prologue

"S-Save me!"

Roxanne ran desperately, pushing her body to its limits as she feared for her life. Her eyes darted across the vast woods, searching for the apparition she had seen before she took to her heels. Then she saw it, the thing which relentlessly pursued her.

The shadow resembled something she had never seen before, a man, a beast, she had no idea. The only certainty she had left was the fact that it was after her.

"Someone... Someone help me!" She cried.

Her voice was lost in the large expanse of dried barks and wilted branches. The snowy field of thorns and the cold winds of winter seemed to swallow her entire being, almost like it choked her.

Her breathing became uneven as she panted due to exhaustion, yet she couldn't stop running. Doing so would mean her end. As she dashed through the cold and snowy path, she could hear it getting closer.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrr"

The sound sent shivers down her spine. She willed herself with every fibre of her being not to look behind her for the fear of what she might see. She could feel it's gaze on her, she could hear the sound of it's growl. Roxanne could sense her pursuer's nearing proximity as she fled for her life.

Many questions raced through her mind, but she didn't have the luxury to answer any of them. The only thing at the forefront of her mind was survival.

Fortunately for her, the falling snow had ceased, else she would have been in a much more awry state. She just had to keep her legs moving until she reached the road intersection where she would get help.

Yes, help would come!

She heard creaking sounds above her, from the branches of the trees behind and beside her.

The monster was pouncing on them, keeping pace with her desperate sprint. She looked around her, but the creature moved too fast for her eyes to clearly capture its movements. It was as though the beast was toying with her, playing a game it knew it would win.

As she kept looking around her to get even a glimpse of the leaping man-beast, she failed to notice the obstacle beneath her... Until it was too late.

"Gahhhhh" She let out, suddenly falling.