The Hunt

Maya was a seven year old girl that lived on the edge of the city. Living in a small worn down home in the neck of the woods, Maya always had plenty of space to run about and play. And there was one thing that Maya loved to play; superheros. With an old tattered blanket tied around her neck, she would run off into the woods on her big adventures. Little did she know, some of her adventures were more than imaginary.
Maya was never really scared of much. She never feared the dark, and actually quite enjoyed playing with bugs. Though, her bravery wasn't always good for her. Maya had a history of wandering off and getting into trouble. But  Maya never saw it that way. Ambitious and caring, her favorite thing to do was help others. So when Rumors started going around of a strange creature killing local livestock, she was already planning. Determined to help, and convinced the creature was fake, Maya grabbed her cape and went off on an adventure.
   Maya walked along the fence of her property. Counting the posts as she walked by, she saw her chance ahead. A hole in the fence just big enough for her to fit through. She looked around, making sure her parents weren't looking, then slipped through the fence. Maya wandered off into the forest, humming a little tune to herself. Things slowly got strange as she advanced into the woods. The dense, bushy pines opened up to loosely placed birch trees. But despite the space between the trees, no sun came through. The environment was cold and gloomy. A stark contrast to the bright and happy day that waited outside the woods. It was as though the sun itself was scared of the evils in these woods. Despite her bravery, Maya found herself growing a bit scared. The crunching of leafs beneath her feet sped up a bit as she picked up her pace. The dark birch trees seemed to watch her every move. The merciless, cold dirt releasing a light rotting smell.
   Maya stopped when she heard something in the distance. A scream. A bloodcurdling, human, scream. Maya had never heard such an unsettling sound. She felt the hair rise along her neck and arms. Her ears ring with the pulsing pace of her heartbeat that was a fast pitter-patter. The scream came again. This time it sounded closer. Maya didn't know why she felt so scared. "I should be helping them!" She thought. But that thought quickly fled as she processed something. The scream sounded different. Like this thing without the concept of humanity mimicking the urgent pleas for mercy from people long gone. Maya ran. She ran as fast as she could. She heard the thudding of hooves behind her. Maya didn't want to look. She knew it was close. And she knew it was getting closer. As she ran, the forest around her got denser. Trees were fallen and blocking her path. The forest itself seemingly trying to keep her in.
   Maya jumped and weaved around trees, roots, and branches. Her lungs burned. Every muscle ached like it never had before. But she didn't stop. Maya wanted to live. But wanting wasn't enough. Maya tripped on a tree root, sending her flying towards the ground. Covered in sweat, blood, dirt, and tears, Maya whimpered as she clutched her dislocated ankle. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited. Nothing happened. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up. The creature stood before her. It was waiting. Waiting for her to run. The creature was hunting her. Playing a wicked game like cat and mouse. Maya let out a wail of fear. The creature's mouth opened unnaturally wide. Its jaw popped as it dislocated. It lunged at Maya.
  By the time it was finished, there was no way of telling that the corpse was human, Let alone belonging to Maya. The mangle of flesh and blood hung on branches of surrounding trees. In the center, two of her bones, picked clean sat forming an "X" on the ground with her heart in the middle. The Hunt is over. The creature walked off into the woods. The rumors faded shortly after.