You're running through the forest. Your friends are following close behind. Your heart pounds with fear as every step in the opposite direction brings you closer to the boundary to the next world, and you’re not sure if you should run toward the danger or toward safety. After the seclusion of your village and the safety of the walls, the woods feel like a different world. You are terrified that you are going the wrong way. The birches rustle noisily around you as you run even faster. The backs of your legs burn as the tall ferns and leaves slap you. You think you've heard voices.
You turn around to take a quick look back and your friends have stopped. They shout at you to keep going. "Go on!" they yell. "We'll catch up!"
You push yourself and run faster, but the fear takes over and you trip on an unseen root. You stumble and fall. You try to stand up but can't stand on your feet. You scramble to your feet and begin to run again. Your panic rises as you think about the beasts that are hot on your heels. Your heart races, and you're not sure if you have the strength to keep up the pace. You can feel wetness in the bottoms of your pants and realize you've been splattered with something disgusting. You move so fast your clothes barely have the opportunity to dry before they're wet again and the goo catches your flip-flops on rocks and roots like something you would use on a sled, and you have to lift them up to free yourself. Your calves burn and your chest aches with each breath. You stumble toward the boundary and toward danger.
For a split second, you catch a glimpse of your brother and sister through a gap in the trees. They are running for their lives toward the gap and toward you. The world slows down and you can see the panic on their faces. You reach for them but the gap closes and you lose sight of them. You can't cry out because you need all the oxygen you have left in your body to run. The fence and the gate are in sight.
"Please let me get out! I need to get out!" You scream.
You reach the gate and pull with all your might. You hear your siblings call out your name. Your arms are numb and your fingers are too weak to pull the gate open. "I'm right here!" you scream back.
Your brother and sister push the gate open and tell you to hurry up. You turn to run and see a shadow appear over the trees in front of you. The stars are obscured by the dark silhouette of a giant, mammoth creature. You watch as it gains speed, and fear takes over your entire body. You turn toward the exit and see something small coming toward you from the inside. It's a swarm of the same creatures you saw in the forest and they are getting closer. You desperately push the gate open, and your brother pulls you through. You hear the loud crash of the mammoth-like creature reaching the gate and the screaming of your brother and sister. You close your eyes tight.
You feel someone grab your hand and the momentum pulls you into a sprint. You open your eyes and you are in the trees again, but you certainly aren't in the same forest. Your sister and brother have grabbed your hands and the three of you run across a field. You look back and think the trees are gone completely. They are just trees without any shade. The field looks very different than the one you've just run across. Huge rocks block your path, but you keep going. You can hear the crying and yelling of your family and friends. You're very close to safety.
You open your eyes and you're back in the forest. The wall and the gate have disappeared again. Your brother and sister have let go of your hands, and are racing along with you. You reach the edge of the forest and there are people everywhere. They are laughing and pointing toward the big gate. You and your family look at the gate as well, but it's closed and the outside is a different place. A few people have started to yell obscenities at the gate. You see another mammoth creature in the distance. This one has horrible, deep red eyes and horns in front of its face. It is closing in on the village.
You look at your brother and sister. They are more than happy to be out and away from the monsters, but even more than that, you know where you are. It's a different village, with a different gate, with no wall around it, and no animals. The people are also different in this village. They are very pale and sickly looking. Many are crying and dazed. You see your friends not far behind and are able to push them out of the way. You all head back toward the village.
You're heading towards the village gate, but before you can get there, the mammoth creatures stop again, and you can hear movements in the trees in front of you. They're closing in, and this time they're not just trees. Before you can react, something flies over your head and an unfamiliar body crashes into your back. You feel the creature’s sharp teeth and the scrape of its claws. You fall to the ground and try to push it off of you. You stand and run for the gate as screams of fear radiate from the rest of the people in the village. You feel the creature sink its teeth into your leg and you tumble to the ground. You see your brother get it and you crawl at his feet to save your sister.
She's crushed beneath the giant, clawed creature. You watch as the body of her attacker flies over the gate and lands against walls, buildings and trees far away. You can hear the men, women and children of the village screaming their terror as the creatures begin to kill them. The warriors of this village rush the gate, but it is open and no one can get through.
