Chapter 1 - Too Young To Live

She peered through the bush, panting: there was no sign of him. One hand quickly wiped at both eyes as she tried her best to collect herself. Sooner or later he would pick up the trail again. Sheer luck had brought her this far; she knew there was no chance of outrunning him again.

A snapping twig jerked her attention. He was nearby, possibly drawing a bead on her right now. She looked down at her dress, knowing what she had to do: free her legs. She had to rip the split. As it was, she might as well have been hobbled, but nothing would give her away more quickly than the sound of ripping cloth.

Her bloody fingernails quietly dug into the fabric. Making a firm fist on either side of the split, she began to pull. The first bit of the seam popped. Quiet as it was, she was certain it was too loud. The whole forest seemed devoid of sound, save her beating heart and the breath rattling through her gritted teeth. She closed her eyes tight and pulled harder. Another inch gave way with a slightly louder ripping sound that seemed to hang in the air. Something rustled the leaves not too far from her.

In panic she pulled with all her might. With a loud shredding noise the seam ripped clear to her hip. The leaves a few yards away rustled louder, and when she looked she found her pursuer standing only a few yards from her and looking straight at her. She scrambled to her feet without a second's thought.

Eyes wide, she fled through the woods, her blonde hair bobbing and swinging in her wake. Rustling leaves and snapping branches blurred into a steady rhythm under her feet now. The cool spring night poured over her. She could run!

She pushed a branch out of her way, and heard him yelp as it whipped back at him. She could only hope it slowed him down enough to make up for her poor choice of clothing. The flowing fabric that had looked so elegant twirling round her at the shop felt much less classy snagging on thorns and branches in the woods.

Afforded new hope by the ripped dress, she faced a new challenge: her shoes. The three-inch wedge soles made every step an obstacle. Running in heels could spill her on a smooth sidewalk. With roots, rocks, and hedge apples scattered about, it wouldn't take much to send her toppling to his mercy.

"Wait!" she gasped. The desperate call echoed ahead of her. "Wait up!" she pled with tears welling over her cheeks. "Help!" Adrenaline had long ago chased the pain out of her gashed palm. The killer was close. She could hear his grunting breath and footsteps closing the gap on her.

She darted around the side of a big tree, grabbing a nearby sapling to steady herself. The killer stumbled past the tree before turning around, buying her some time. She hurtled over a fallen log and glanced back over her shoulder. He wasn't chasing her. He'd given up!

For a split second she smirked before realizing what it must mean. He'd given up on catching her and was just going to shoot her now. She had to duck and she had to weave and she had to do it now!

She forgot all else and concentrated on making herself the lowest and least predictable target possible. One long step- almost a jump- to the left, then two to the right, then reverse the pattern. This was something she was sure she had up on him: maneuverability. When she wanted to, she became impossible to draw a bead on. She'd heard it all the time in dodge ball. She dug her heel in to zigzag back the other way, but it was not to be.

Her foot twisted out of the shoe and a loud crack erupted from her ankle. A single, gut-wrenching scream escaped as she crashed chest-first to the rock-strewn dirt. She rolled to her side and wrapped her hands around the hurt foot. It hurt so much she almost forgot why she was running in the first place. She was rocking back and forth cradling her leg when the killer's shadow draped over her. Her blood ran cold.

"No," she gasped. Quivering, she rolled over onto her back to plead for her life. Heaving and panting, he towered over her, staring her down. The moon over his shoulder offered only his broken silhouette. "No. Please! I- why?"

"Why?" he repeated. "I was going to ask the same thing!"

"You?!" Wrath and fear mingled with the pain in her eyes.