Author’s Note: I just wrote this because I was inspired by something that just happened in my life. It’s just a spur of the moment thing that may or may not continue.

Tears slid down her cheeks, and she was breathing again. Her eyelids flashed open, making her pupils dilate to the sudden beam of sun. Blinking a few times, she managed to focus on the surroundings, the humid ambience making her long blonde hair cling to the sides of her head. Birds happily chirped overhead as they weaved in and out of the palm trees. A wind rustled the leaves ever so gently, as if whispering into her ears that everything would be alright. Yet Natalie lied there on her back, unable to move, stunned by the shear weight of the world pressing down upon her shoulders.

Then, running footsteps pounded against the ground. Natalie whipped her head to the side just in time to catch a glimpse of a bare foot dashing through the thick sea of brown trunks. It crashed through the foliage and away from her, leaving her quite alone and utterly bewildered. The soil around her was already seeping the tears away.

Suddenly, a horrible pain shot up her spine as she tried to prop herself up with her arms. Screaming into the canopy of the tall palm trees, she fell back down, her muscles refusing to cooperate. Natalie could feel her pulse accelerate uncontrollably, her heart threatening to fail.

And then, a distant muffled scream reached her ears. Natalie tried to stifle a small sob, then gritted her teeth. With a single push, she lifted herself up into a sitting position. The pain in her back slammed into her like a head-on collision. Gasping for breath, she heard another blissful chirp of birds mingling in the branches.

Natalie ran. The branches and tree stumps were blurs as they lashed out at her body. The very pounding of her heart seemed to beat in the sync with the thuds of her feet. But disarray was right around the corner, looming in the horizon like an unwanted guest from hell. A tree branch slashed out, and Natalie felt a sudden stinging sensation sweep across her face. The tears continued to fall in her wake.

Up ahead, the light seemed to grow brighter, ever increasing like the gates of heaven. A breath of wind swept through the trees, feeling cool against the blood sweat and tears that covered her body. But as Natalie sprinted closer, a feeling of dread and despair overwhelmed her soul. A distant roar floated through the palm leaves into her ears, the triumphant calling of the devil.

Bursting out of the dense underbrush, Natalie suddenly found herself face to face with the tranquility and azure serenity of the ocean. The wind blissfully danced around her, wiping playfully at her tears that continued to stream down her face. Seagulls cried gleefully overhead, diving down into the crystal blue waters with an exotic grace. Up in the cloudless heavens, the sun lazily delivered its afternoon glory. It was the very definition of a perfect, picturesque moment.

And yet, when she strolled out into the beach, feeling the sand cool against her bare feet, her ears pricked up, and the once distant roar now blasted at her furiously. A high pitched whirring sound played piercingly into her skull, driving a fiery hot stake into her brain. Natalie’s eyes contracted with the sudden, indescribable fear that she would never forget as her emerald irises came in contact with the devil’s very own game of decimation and death.