Behind by Ronan S. Estoque, MA (October, 2005)

And she was running.

She was running for about ten minutes in the dark when she noticed that she is not moving. Well, she is moving of course but she is not getting somewhere. The terror that made her run seems irrelevant right now, what she does know is that she must run. But run from whom?

With a heavy breathing, she paused for a while. She tried to look back but decided not to. The terror might be there gaining for her so against her better judgment, she decided not to look behind and just to continue running. Run, Sylvia, run.

For as long as Sylvia could remember, she has been running. She has been running for a long time and yet, the unexplained terror is still there lurking somewhere behind her. Just waiting for a chance to pounce her and do what? She asked herself. To eat her, maybe. To suck her blood? To kill her? Sylvia simply just doesn't know. What she is certain with is that she must run and get away from the terror behind her. But what if the terror is within her?

"I will just have to run". By running, the impending gloom might desert me and perhaps I might survive this episode, Sylvia tells herself.

Sylvia is getting tired, her legs won't move anymore. She needs some rest but where can she possibly rest. Then just over the horizon, Sylvia saw a tree of some kind. From the shadows she could tell that it is an old tree and that maybe she could take a rest on its branches. Without any hesitation, Sylvia pushed herself harder and tried to reach the tree before this feeling of doom catches up with her.

Sylvia reached the tree and yet the feeling of something is behind her was still tormenting her. She immediately grabbed the nearest branch and tried to raise her tired body. When Sylvia reached the branch that to her estimation was the most secure; she stopped; and tried to look down. She was almost at the top of the withered tree and she tried to catch her breath.

It was dark but Sylvia knew that if she could just hang on, light would come out and salvation was certain to come. She waited, and waited some more. "At least I am quite certain that there is no one who is pursuing me right now and that somehow, the feeling of terror that is catching up is subsiding".

After an hour (or maybe just a couple of minutes), her lungs are now fully rested. Instead of breathing heavily, she was now breathing normally. Sylvia was impatient about the light. Just when it is going to be light? She wondered.

Sylvia tried to look around and scan her surroundings. There was a tug of war between light and darkness. If you were just waking up, one would be confused whether it was going to be daytime or nighttime.

And then she heard a heavy breathing somewhere on top of her. Somewhere on the branches above her, there was someone or something breathing heavily. As if coming from a strenuous exertion and its lungs was also in need of air.

The silence, aside from the heavy breathing was intolerable. The terror that was catching up with Sylvia when she was running is now on top of the tree. Sylvia was quite certain that what was on top of her was the source of her terror.

All of the sudden, the tree itself shook. She was uncertain whether to stay or to run again, but run where? It was dark but she could now see the horizon, it was nothing but a flat land. If this terror is flying then all is lost. She cannot possibly outrun it. Obviously, it gets tired (as evidenced by its heavy breathing). But the though and uncertainty of running again seems quite useless.

It really doesn't matter. This tree, which is supposed to be her refuge, is now shared by the cause of her terror. The game was afoot, the hunt was over and sadly, this seems to be the end of her long run. The shaking of the tree stopped. The cause of Sylvia's terror is now trying to hop from one branch to another, trying to get down to where she is clinging.

Just what is this thing that is trying to get her?

To be continued...