Delusions Part 1

Romantic getaway and gruesome visions.

Almost there. I just have to keep moving, I thought to myself as the intense shooting pains in my calves amplified with every step. 

Hearing the crunches of the leaves, twigs, and packed snow underneath my feet, made this real for me. I want to believe that this is a dream, or nightmare, and I'll wake up as soon as I think about myself laying in bed at the resort. 

Me and my girlfriend came to the Snow Palace as an escape, as most people do, from our everyday lives. Constantly working, dealing with the same people over and over again, and almost no time that Melissa and I can spend together, are just some of the perks that come with working for a tyrant. We finally built up enough vacation time to come here and enjoy ourselves for two, whole weeks. I think that just a day here would have been enough. 

I've been running for what feels like an hour, but it’s probably been more like 30 minutes. I’d like to think that I'm not the only one who would lose track of time, when being chased by a snow monster-thing. I'm not sure what it is. It’s not human. 

Stay moving, stay alive. 

I'm scared. I'm scared that it's going to kill me and then go for Melissa. I can't let that happen. 

I see the resort off in the distance, 5 minutes worth of running maybe. I don't know if I can make it that much longer. I glance behind and it's still following by only ten steps away. I can make it. I have to get Melissa off of this mountain, I declared. 

I keep moving in the direction of the resort and eventually reach the rear entrance to the ground level. Sprinting into the doors made some patrons glare. I turned around and used the manual lock to seal the doors behind me. I glanced out the window to see it standing about 50 feet from the entrance and staring right at me. It was hideous. A being of great stature, with fur whiter than the snow outside, and red eyes that glowed in the night’s presence, was trained on me and ready to kill. I didn't want to mention the creature because it seemed so ridiculous, no one would believe me. 

I spun on one heel in a 180 degree motion and started running for the elevator. I pressed the button on the elevator multiple times and waited a few seconds for the doors to open. It seemed as though they never would, so I made a dash for the stairs. I went up several flights to reach the 8th floor, which was where our room was located. I made my way past half a dozen hotel residents, dodging left and right, finally making it to my room. 

I swiped my key card which promptly opened the door. I ran inside and Melissa greeted me from the couch, “Hey babe. Why are you all sweaty? You know they call it a Nature Walk for a reason?” She laughed after her remark, but this was no laughing matter. “Pack your stuff, we have to leave now” I demanded. 

“We've only been here two days, what are you talking about? She responded. 

“I don't have time to explain, we just need to leave, now!"  She started packing her bags in a panic, as I did also.  Once we finished, she asked “Jeff what’s wrong? You're really scaring me.”  I decided that she needed to know, so I explained “There's something chasing me, and we have to leave now.” 

The words had just left my mouth, when my sight was drawn to the window. My bones chilled as I realized there were red eyes gazing back at me.

Author's Note

any critique would be helpful