Just In Time

Just In Time
"Good bye." I murmured as my body began to fall toward the earth. "I'm sorry we couldn't meet one more time, Elias," I continued, feeling regret that I wouldn't see his face before I died. However, before I could fall into misery, I felt an odd tug at my consciousness.

Confused, I tried to allow whatever was happening to happen. Slowly, flashes of the past appeared one by one. Each showing Vladimier with a crazed look on his face, pulling at chains that I could only assume were attached to my wrists at the time.

"You belong to me!" He hissed as his hand shot out and connected with my cheek. "HOW DARE YOU ATTEMPT TO KILL YOURSELF?"

"I don't want to be part of your plan!" I heard my voice speak as fear clutched at my heart.

"You don't have a choice." Vladimier snapped, turning and leaving.

Finding myself alone in a cell with whip marks across my arms and legs, I finally realized what was going on here. This was another memory of my time with Vladimier. Only this was the one that showed his true self, which he initially tried to hide from me.

Eyes flying open, I looked up just in time to see the same crazed eyes watching me as I continued to plummet towards the earth below. How had I not remembered any of that time? He was the reason I died, not a disease that took my life. And I was the one that everyone was searching for to break the curse. Only they weren't aware that, in order for the curse to be lifted, I had to die.

Letting a bitter laugh escape me. I found it bittersweet that my end would be like this. No matter what life it was, it seemed that I was meant to die from the very start. Closing my eyes once more, I accepted my fate. In the end, this was the only thing that was absolutely guaranteed for me.

"VALERIE!"

As the voice reached my ears, I felt two strong arms grab me, pulling me tightly against a firm chest. Eyes flying open, I looked up to find two panic-stricken eyes looking down on me.

"Sorry, I'm late." Elias murmured as I realized what was going on. "I was almost too late."

Holding back the sob that wanted to escape, I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, burying my face against him and breathing in his oh-so-familiar scent.

"You showed." I whispered as a wave of relief crashed through me. "That is all that matters."

"Mhmmm." He responded, pulling me closer.

"STOP THEM!" Vladimier's voice boomed from up above, ending mine and Elias' moment and reminding me that the danger wasn't over yet.

"Shit." I hissed, trying to disentangle myself from him. "We've got to go."

Nodding, Elias sat me on my feet and grabbed my hand. Tugging, he began to run towards the treeline where the dark forest began while arrows started to rain down around us. Dodging the attacks, we continued to move deeper and deeper in until all light almost vanished entirely. It was only when we were far enough away that there was no way we could be easily spotted that Elias finally slowed down before stopping entirely.

"Are you alright?" He asked, whirling around and grabbing my arms, catching me completely by surprise. "He didn't do anything to hurt you, did he?"

Feeling my heart tug at his concern over me, I smiled and placed a hand against his cheek.

"I'm okay." I responded, giving a small smile. "More than okay, especially now that I'm with you."

Moving forward, he wrapped his arms around me again and pulled me close. Leaning down, he placed a kiss on the top of my head before pulling back enough to look into my eyes.

"I'm so glad I made it on time. When I saw you falling from there..." He shuddered, unable to finish speaking.

"Don't think about that." I whispered, stepping forward and standing on my tiptoes. "I'm okay, and we don't have time to dwell on this right now."

Seeming to realize the situation that we were in, Elias nodded before looking at the area around us and taking in the area for an escape route.

"Do you know which way is the right way?" I asked, fear beginning to build.

Instantly, I felt a shiver run up my spine as the memory of the wendigo attack I suffered within these woods hit me. Although I didn't know what I feared the most between those and Vladimier's troops, no matter which, I wanted to get the hell out of dodge as quickly as possible.

"It should be this way." Elias finally responded, reaching around his back and pulling a sword from beneath his shirt.

Holding the weapon out in front of himself, he began to move forward.

"Stay behind me." He ordered as I began to move.

As we moved, I took in the remnants of small animals that scattered the ground while images of those creepy scarecrow-looking things began to appear in my mind.

"This is fresh." Elias murmured, stepping over a dead rabbit that was still spilling blood. "Looks like a wendigo."

"Wendigo..." I repeated as the terrifying skeletal creature flashed into my mind. "Is there anyway to avoid them?"

"No, unfortunately, they're excellent at camouflage."

Grimacing, I moved closer to Elias as he began to quicken his pace. Around us, I could hear scuttling as something or somethings watched us from the shadows.

Cursing, Elias reached around himself and grabbed my wrist. Before I even knew what was happening, he was beginning to run full force through my forest. Not needing to ask any questions, I knew that there was a wendigo nearby, and that was what spurred his movements. If it wasn't a wendigo, then it was Vladimier's men.

"What is it?" I asked, finally unable to control the fear of the unknown that was pushing through me.

"Wendigo!" Elias responded, looking over his shoulder.

Just as the words left his mouth, I felt a clawed hand scratch across my back, causing a scream to escape my lips.

"ELIAS!" I shrieked as I felt the hand claw at my arm and tug. "HELP!"

From behind me, a loud growl erupted as I was pulled out of Elias' grip and towards the darkness beyond. Turning around, I found myself staring face-to-face with a wendigo whose mouth was wide open, showing its teeth.

"Valerie, move!" Elias ordered.

Obeying, I rolled out of the way just as a long blade flashed above my head, burying itself to the hilt in the eye socket of the wendigo.

A shriek escaped the creature as it reared back in pain from Elias' attack.

"GET UP!" Elias ordered, pulling his sword free and attacking again, this time stabbing the wendigo through the heart. "MOVE!"

Yanking his sword back, Elias grabbed me once again and began to pull me away from the creature that was shrieking and convulsing before finally collapsing in on itself, disappearing entirely into nothing but dust and smoke.

"It..." I stammered as we continued to move. "It disappeared."

"That's what they do when they die." Elias explained through puffs. "Don't focus on that; focus on escape!"

Biting back on any other questions I may have had, I nodded, picking up my pace just as more growls erupted from behind us. It seemed that Wendigo wasn't alone, and now its friends were pissed because we killed their comrade.