A hot, summer wind tossed the clouds across the night sky and tugged at the girl’s nightgown as she walked down the path. Above her, leaves whispered, calling her deeper and deeper into the woods. From a distance came the hoot of a solitary owl.
The girl lifted her head, sniffing the humid air. The smell of damp vegetation tickled her nose. She paused. Another scent rode the night breeze, swirling around her like a fog. She took a deep breath and her stomach twisted. Rotten meat. Did a carcass of a dead animal lie spoiling passed the trees on her right? Violet eyes searched the darkness, but saw nothing.
A trickle of dread shot up her spine. She should turn and run, run back to the safety of the Victorian cottage she shared with Ophelia, her guardian? But something pulled her forward. She took another step, and the smell intensified. Again, her stomach threatened to revolt. She struggled to swallow the rising bile. Her breath hitched in her throat, and her dread changed to fear.
What waited in the woods?
She turned and swiftly retraced her steps along the path. Sanctuary waited for her beyond the trees that lay ahead. A soft bed with cool sheets, her room with her familiar things, her pets.
Her steps quickened.
Suddenly she froze. From behind her came the low moan of someone who was in pain. Lowering her head, she felt a current of panic travel through her nerve endings like electricity. She willed her feet to move, but they wouldn’t. The moan, closer now, hissed again.
Slowly she turned.
Chalky, gray faces with dark hollow eyes peered at her from the shadows of the trees. They moved in noiseless unison from behind the trees. As if by a silent signal, they gathered in a group at the end of the path. Their clothes hung in tatters from their decaying bodies. Boney hands stretched out in supplication, while their bloated lips moved in wordless pleas.
She recoiled in horror.
The corpses moved toward her, and their pain washed over her in waves. Her throat tightened. A scream rose from deep inside her. She wanted to run, but couldn’t. Helpless, she watched the horrible sight drift closer and closer.
She tried to jerk her body free, but seemed glued to the pathway. What was wrong with her legs? Why couldn’t she flee?
“Ophelia,” she cried in her mind, “Ophelia, help me! Help me, please!”
They were nearly upon her, and she felt their foul breath surround her.
Her mind cried out again for rescue, but silence was the only reply.
Resigned to her fate, she clenched her eyes shut and waited for the skeletal hands to grab her. Any second now the horror would touch her.
