The door in the woods

A horror story of a girl who made the wrong choice for the last time.

The sound of my heavy breathing echoes off the trees.  Forest, endless forest surrounds me. I stop. I can't make it much farther. I have been running for hours. Leaning against the slimy bark of one tree I clench the key on my chest. It's cold metal burns an imprint into my hand, to think i only have five minutes left before the door will lock. I can't stop now. I'm too close. Turning around, I look for him. This is all a game to him, a sick twisted game where I will always lose. I don't see him. Crack, I whip around as I turn I scream. He smiles at me as I fall against the tree trunk.
I see him looming over me. His pale yellow leathery skin hanging off of his sharp jutting bones. The creature's mouth formed into a smile but his lips still locked together by strings of skin. His eyes are deep hollow holes in his skull with tears in the flesh as if someone tore them out of the sockets. As his long blood stained fingers reached to touch my skin, I could see his dead ripped out eyes were stitched in his palms. I feel terror wash over me. This is his realm. For the first time I notice the clutters of old bones and rotting flesh. I am not the first. I have to get up. I have to run. I need to keep moving. Just as his long claws slash down at where my neck would have been I dash around  him. Running up the hill I try not to trip on the carron. The air was slick with the stench of death making it hard to breath.
 I should have never came here. Why did I have to find the key. Why did I have to open the door. Why did I have to make this fatal choice.  I see the last tree on the top of the hill with nothing but the sickly grey clouds just barely floating in the sky behind it. I hear him behind me following with his soft chuckle. As I finally reach the lock I snap the key off my neck and shove it into the golden keyhole deep inside the trunk. It won't turn. I'm running out of time. I hear him lumbering behind me getting closer. The door creaks open then all the sudden I feel his long cold fingers clasp my ankle. Nails digging into my legs he pulls me back. He drags me away.  As my screams are cut off the only thing left to be heard is the hinges on the wooden door closing forever and sealing my fate.

Author's Note

Short horror story written for a class homework assignment. A play off of one of the characters from Pans Laberinth.