31 Days of Rougarou

Run Violeta Run

                              Day: 1 Days Left: 30

The weight of the beast crushes my chest. I need air. I can’t breathe. Every desperate attempt to breathe takes tremendous effort. Spots appear before my eyes making the air look like static. My body pulses while fighting the blackness when the beast makes a slight movement. Just barely enough for me to roll out from under it and start running. I feel dizzy and stumble at first but I can breathe again. I do my best to keep my breathing and heart beat steady. I continue to gain pace until I am flying down the familiar small wooded area past giant cypresses which in the past have shielded me from the sun’s harsh rays now help me hide from this creature of the night.

The immense creature strangely possesses qualities of both man and beast. However clumsy its movements its long limbs are a definite advantage. It’s protruding large snout instantly captures the trail of my scent as I zigzag between the trees hoping to make it crash. It feels like I’m running faster than I’ve ever run before. I run past an opossum and emits a heinous screech thinking I’m after it. I want to scream but I have to run. I hear the creature’s panting getting louder as it catches up to me. There’s no way I’m stopping.

Panting in my ear the beast rises on it’s hind legs reaching out like man with a heavy arm whacking my side sending me slamming into a massive live oak. Stunned by the pain in my shoulder I let out a groan. Rolling off the tree I turn toward the bridge ignoring the ache I escape between two entangled trees. Still standing on it’s hind legs the beast uses sharp claws to shred the vine entwined trees with great effort. My throat feels frosted over and my chest is on fire as I gasp for air but I have to run.

Thanks to the full moon I can see the bridge just up ahead. Mysterious not only because there’s no water under the bridge just a massive pile of leaves but there is an entity that guards it. Wearing a dirty shredded dark brown cloak it has never revealed it’s face to me nor has it ever impeded me from crossing. I can see it now hovering above the bridge. I run faster hoping the beast sees it and gets scared. The closer I get to the bridge the faster I run.

The entity floats down onto the bridge slowly parting it’s shredded cloak revealing a figure made of fire and I scream. The entity emulates my scream but it sounds like a train breaking. It continues staring directly at me while placing two fiery hands in front of it building what looks like a fire ball between it’s palms. It slowly brings the fireball above it’s head before flinging the fireball. I throw myself onto the ground to avoid getting burned but the wolf beast who was already behind me gets seared by the flames on one side of its body. It lets out a disturbing wounded howl and I scream again.

The enraged beast slaps at its body to put out the flames. I decide to run in the opposite direction back toward the path I came in on. I can hear the wolf beast huffing behind me but I won’t turn around. Slamming it’s furry body against me I am thrown to the ground. I begin kicking at it as hard as I can. Finally I catch it in the groin and it yelps. I get up to run again but this time the angry creature drags me down sinking huge yellowed fangs into my thigh.

The pain is unbearable. There is nothing I can do to ease the pain. I have to get it off. Blow after blow I punch the beast in the head with all of might to get it off my leg but it only makes it angrier and chomp down harder. It shakes it’s head like a wild animal with my thigh in it’s mouth. The pain becomes agonizing but there are no options. I begin punching at it again. With one swing the beast plants a hit to my brow knocking me unconscious. Like a flipped light switch everything is black.