Alone: The Beginning of the End
The fact was, she knew she was going to die. Brianna tried in vain to slow her breathing as her chest felt like exploding from the pounding of her heart. She needed to be still, every movement and sound made was a step closer to her demise. Brianna could hear the footsteps in the distance, the crunch of the snow beneath their boots giving them away. She had to use this to her advantage, get away before they eventually found her hiding spot. The cloudy night worked to her advantage; the forest acting like a darkened maze of trees. She looked down and took a quick inventory of what she had. Not much. A dried piece of beef and a small knife, not much to defend herself; especially if they were bigger than her. Not even enough food to last if she climbed a tree and tried to wait them out. They would catch her. She had to think fast, where could she retreat? Eyes squeezed shut, her mind a swirling maze of images from the past week, she struggled to think clearly. The howling wind and the swish of the trees only added to her misery. The cave. That was it, she smiled and had to catch herself from shouting with glee. No-one knew about the spot she had found when she was a child, she only hoped it had survived the past ten winters.