ONE

Ice pellets stung her face as she squinted to protect her eyes. Even when bundled up in a thick coat, scarf, and boots, she could feel the cold penetrating into her skin. In the silence of night, every wind sounded like a howl of pain.

She stopped. And listened.

Nothing.

She turned on her heels. By the dim, orange glow of the streetlights, she could only see the snowy road and its dark loneliness. But she could’ve sworn she heard something just then…

Shoving her hands deeper into her coat pockets, she resumed her walk.

She stopped. And listened.

Still nothing.

What was this? Paranoia? From what?

Shaking her head, she dismissed whatever she thought she heard, but then she heard it again. That infernal clinking of metal …

She spun. Though she couldn’t see anything, she knew she was being followed. She could feel it now�"that tingling at the back of her neck. She felt a flutter in her stomach that sent her body and mind panicking. They’ve found her. She took a quick scan around. There was still nothing moving in the night, but between the concrete walls lining the street, she felt trapped. She did what anyone else would’ve done: she ran.

The stinging cold air turned her skin raw. Her breath was soon ragged but she mustn’t stop. This could be it… This could be her end.

She slid on a patch of ice and her foot flew out from under her. She crashed to the ground. She rolled over on her back, out of breath and rosy cheeked. Her eyes swivelled madly in their sockets, trying to convince herself that she was alone. They couldn’t find anything in the thick of the snow, but her ears caught a slow, but definite crunch of snow and clink of metal.

A looming shadow appeared, eclipsing the streetlight behind it. She couldn’t see the face but she could see an outline�"a man in metal armour. His hand moved to his side and he slowly pulled out a broadsword straight out of the Dark Ages, the noise of metal sliding on metal sounding to her like the last cry of protest.

Fear and panic surged through her body. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. She rolled sideways just as the sword plunged down next to her. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted down the road, away from the man. She took a turn in hopes of losing him in the dark of night, but that was her biggest mistake.

Dead end.

S**t.

She spun and saw the man standing at the other end of the alley. He raised his sword aloft and sprung up in a jumping strike. She readied herself for a dodge but she didn’t have to. He had gone for a different target�"the streetlight. With a tinkle of breaking glass and sizzle of electricity, the alleyway was plunged into darkness.

But she wasn’t completely helpless. No, far from it. Her hand searched inside her coat until the fingers wrapped around a familiar wooden handle. Before she could do anything, however, she felt the layers of clothing rip and a gash splitting open on her side. She screamed out in pain and staggered backwards. Blood spilled. Another wound opened up across her upper arm. She heard the sword scratch against a concrete wall as it swung back for yet another strike.

Time to go.

Suddenly, the space around her contracted. She felt as if her entire body was being flattened, the air squeezed out of her lungs, and all her bones cracking. As soon as it came, it was gone. She doubled over, her stomach protesting violently. She gasped for air.

When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself in a brand new place. By the dim, bluish light filling the enclosed space, she saw the bloody stains on her clothes and hands. The sight of her own blood made her dizzy. She gripped around her wounds, trying to stop the bleeding, but they throbbed with excruciating pain. She felt her flesh burn as the poison began to spread through her body. She needed to end this.

She will end this. All she needed was…

Time.