Sleepwalker

Chapter 2

Isabella closed the back door and looked at the sky. It was a pretty sunny day for September. She made her way on the small stone path to the fence door which leaded to the forest. Isabella lived with her family in an old town called Greenlake. It laid in the middle of the rocky mountains and at a beautiful deep lake. Surrounded with forest and mountains it was a real magical place. Her house stood at the shoreline of the lake. She needed to walk fifty feet to get to the water. They lived on the outskirt of the town. It was good because you could take very long walks in the woods without some annoying neighbors. Isabella closed the fence door and looked at Balu. He stood there and wagged happily with his tail. She smiled and started walking. Balu was always at her side. Isabella loved walking alone in the woods. It cleared her mind from her negative thoughts. The mud under her boots made some noise. Yesterday it rained and everything was still wet. Slowly the path got muddier and the forest thicker. The sounds of mother nature filled her ears. Isabella looked around. Some bird flew over her. Balu walked to the side of the path and found a big stick.
"Do you want to play good boy?" Isabella asked happily and took the stick from Balu. He barked and jumped. She smiled and threw his new toy down the trail. He ran after it like it was the only desire in his life. Balu took the stick and brought it back to her. She grabbed it.
"Again?" She asked with a laugh. She threw it again. Balu ran after it and Isabella started to walk. Balu nearly got his new toy when he stopped. He raised his head and looked around. He must had heard something that woke is attention. Suddenly Balu stared into one direction and Isabella went pale. She stopped.
"Balu?" She asked, but she didn't get his attention. She hoped that he didn't saw a deer or a grizzly. Both could be extremely dangerous at this time of the year. Balu started to growl deep and to gnash his teeth. A cold shiver ran down Isabella's spine. Somehow she felt watched from the direction Balu was staring at. Whatever he saw looked at Isabella. Out of nowhere the big dog started running down the side of the trail into the thick green vegetation.
"Balu stop!" Isabella yelled and ran after him. The cold wet plants hit her legs and arms. She couldn't saw a thing with all those bushes and small trees in her way. The only thing she followed was his barking. The panic inside her grew bigger with every step Isabelle took on the slippery surface. Her heart pounded so fast that it actually hurt her.
"Balu!" Her voice was filled with terror and fear. Her lungs burned and suddenly it happened. A root tangled her foot up and she slipped. Isabella felt and hit the earth hard with her left side. With a high-pitched scream she rolled down a slope. Her body broke loudly sticks and slammed against stones and roots. She tried to hold on to something but it wouldn't help. With a loud crashing she landed nearly unconscious at the end of the slope. For some seconds she laid there not moving a muscle. She tried to control her pounding heart and her fast breathing. The pain in her body was too much for her. The dull roaring in her ears disappeared slow. Carefully she opened her eyes. Her face and clothing were dirty and a bit bloody. Her palms were scraped, and she had a cut on her cheek. Isabella's left knee was injured and her jeans ripped. Isabella raised carefully from her position and sat on her good leg. She bit her teeth together and tried not to cry from the sharp pain in her knee. A deep growl escaped her mouth as she raised up again and struggled to stand upright.
Suddenly she realized something strange. Isabella looked up, and she opened her lips a bit. Her eyes expanded in fear. All noises of the forest were gone. She heard nothing but silence. All her ears heard was her heavy breathing. Isabella's stomach turned and the fear formed a lump in her throat. She was scared to her bones.
Suddenly something rustled in the surrounding bushes. Isabella turned immediately her head, but she saw nothing what could have made this noise. Again something changed. A soundless breeze blew through the leaves and with that light wind a whispering sounded in the treetops. She was filled with adrenalin and forgot about her pain. There was the rustling again and she saw it. Something big ran around her. First Isabella thought it was Balu but this animal was way too big to be her dog. This thing was even bigger than her! The creature sped a little bit up and encircled her. She followed the noises with her eyes but the surrounding bushes were too thick to look trough. The sticks broke and the leaves rustled. It got faster and faster and the circle smaller. Isabella panicked and tried to focus on the animal but it was impossible. In fear, she took a step back but trod on her hurt leg. She couldn't hold her weight and her leg slipped away. She landed with a dull sound on the wet moss. Tears built in her eyes and the noises and whispering stopped. But the feeling that someone watched her was still there. The animal was opposite her. Isabella only saw it's long legs and she instinctively closed her eyes. She prepared herself for pain, to be a nice an easy meal for this thing.
A loud bark woke her from her state of fear. Isabella turned around and saw her father with Balu. Tears ran down her cheeks. She was never so happy to see someone.