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Heavy, gray clouds settled in over the valley, obscuring the moon and leaving the forest in darkness. Snow fell from these clouds, drifting slowly and gently to the ground like feathers from angels’ wings. The ground was hard and frozen in the midst of November. Winter was settling in, preparing to lay siege on the small valley for several months, until he would at last surrender to the call of spring.

The wind blew, carrying the fallen snow in its iron grip, hurling it like tiny frozen bullets shot from Nature’s pistol. Jace winced as the tiny beads of ice pounded into the back of his exposed neck. He bit his lip in an attempt to ignore the pain. It didn’t matter too much, he’d soon be too numb to feel it, and that was the part that worried him. Walking was growing harder; his joints stiffening with every minute. Pain receded into a bitter numbness that threatened to be his end.

The trees provided some shielding from the elements, but it wouldn’t be long until they began to clear and he was left in the full force of the winter storm. Assuming he was even going in the right direction. In the darkness of the forest, there was no way to tell if he was going in a strait line, or if he were going on and on in an endless circle. That, he couldn’t afford.

He was being followed. As he walked, he could hear the howls of creatures behind him, slowly growing louder. They would be upon him soon unless he could make it into town.

Drakenville was his only hope now. The town rested about two miles east of the edge of the forest. It had stood alone and secluded by the forest on one side and mountains on the other for centuries. It was a refuge for wayward hunters and a sanctuary for the League, and now it was the last stronghold for the war to save humanity.

Jace stumbled on a fallen branch, wincing as pain shot though his side. Struggling for breath, he sat against a large pine, his eyes closed tightly. Slowly, his breath returned. He touched a hand to the bandage around his waist. It had soaked through entirely.

‘Just one more problem to worry about,’ Jace thought bitterly. ‘If they loose sight of me they can just find my blood trail and follow it right to me.’ The bandage needed replacing, but he was out of expendable cloth. He didn’t want to risk using bits of cloth from his clothing. Already, he was far too cold. Losing one more layer could mean minutes off his already short life. The clock was ticking, and there was no time to be wasted.

With a silent groan of pain, Jace stood weakly, and continued walking in the direction he had been for what seemed like hours. The howls of creatures in the distance behind him were even louder now, and he broke into a labored run.

He ran, using all the strength he had left. He was numb from head to toe, his legs barely moving. Faint lights could be seen through the trees ahead. Jace could only hope it was the edge of the forest. However, there were downsides to leaving the shelter of the trees. He’d be exposed to the elements, along with a variety of less pleasant things. In the open, there would be no cover from the foul beasts that followed his tracks, stalking him like a predator and waiting for him to make a fatal error. There was no choice though. He needed to reach Drakenville. The people needed to be told of the events of the past few days; they needed to be warned of the horrors that were closing in on them as they slept in their blissful ignorance.

A burst of pain through his side caught Jace by surprise. He fell to his knees before he could realize what had occurred. Relentless, he stood up, only to fall again. He sunk to all fours, and then pushed himself over to lie on his back and look up at the dark underside of the thick tangle of leaves and branches.

Sleep called his name in a gentle whisper, beckoning him to give in. Too weak to stand, he let his eyes close. He could feel Death wrap her cold arms around him as the world faded into a clouded darkness.

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