• The night was furious. All around her she could see darkness and shadows cast among the trees. The wind was devious and knew every nook and cranny through which to send a chill down her back. No matter how tightly she held her coat to her the wind still cut through her body like jagged ice. Winter in The Hollow was the worst time of year. The dense woods only offered little protection from the elements of mother nature but none from the wild which inhabited the area.
    Nicole was not a stranger to the terrors of her small world. She had seen things that most only witness in their nightmares. The smell of death still reigned clear in her senses. A smell and sight which could never be shaken once seen and felt. She could see a light in the darkness now and smell the familiar smoke of a fire. Her village was near and her family waiting her return from the neighboring High Tops where another village settled. They had chosen to live this way. Nicole knew the world outside was an even more dangerous place. It had been the outside world that had been at fault for her mother's demise.
    She felt her stomach ache with the desire for food. Her trip had been long and the sticky feel of blood in her shoes from severe blisters, coupled with chilling temperatures, needed to be treated. She felt anxiety rising in her body. She knew her news would cause her people even more turmoil. She feared telling them of what she had learned. They're worst fears were about to be confirmed. It was back. The hunt would be embarked upon and none would survive this time. © skyesterling, 2011