Feet pad against the stone floors, a nightgown wrapping around her legs. She looks over her shoulder and stifles a scream. Someone's behind her, a dark shadow, and he's chasing her. She tries to run faster, but she's already running faster than she would've ever thought possible.
The fear is paralyzing her, but she knows that if she stops running, she'll die.
Her only hope is to escape.
To her, the corridor seems never-ending, a straight, gray hall that extends into the great unknown. Her red hair stands out sharply against the gray stone walls and floor, and she knows that it's helping her pursuer catch up to her. The only sounds are the slapping of her bare feet on the stone and her ragged breathing.
Questions spin through her mind rapidly.
Why is she barefoot?
Why is her mind so fuzzy?
She doesn't know why she's running or how she knows that the shadow-man behind her wants to kill her. She doesn't know who he is or even who she is herself. All she knows is that she's not safe.
Running is her only chance at survival.
And if she stops, she'll die.
Another glance over her shoulder proves that he's still there. She trips on a raised vine -- what's that doing here? -- and lands heavily on the floor.
In an instant, her pursuer is on her, lifting her into his cold arms and carrying her to some unknown location.
The fuzziness in her mind is taking away any chance at escape.
"I'm sorry, Noera," he whispers against her ear before dropping her into icy water.
The water engulfs her, cold and unforgiving as he watches her flail in the water. She tries to swim up to the surface, but vines from the bottom of the water wrap around her ankles and drag her to the bottom.
He stands there, an indecipherable look on his face until she can no longer hold her breath.
Icy water burns through her lungs, and everything disappears with one last foggy glance up at his face.
She'd swear she saw a tear roll down his cheek as she died.
And then she wakes up, disoriented, and knowing that she is not herself anymore.
She is in a different body and has no memory of who she was before, only of drowning in icy water.
YOU ARE READING
Unnamed
FantasyWho am I? The question has plagued me for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory is of dying. And then, I woke up. In someone else's body. So, who am I? Namahina was found wandering the streets of West Bengal when she was four y...
