The road was mostly straight with small twists and turns. The white of the blizzard made it difficult to see far on the road, but far enough to know what’s ahead. Mark’s phone starting ringing and he checked the contact. His mother. He had just seen her for the first time in 7 months, as his sister had just gotten married. Mark answered the phone and heard his mother’s soft voice.
“Hey sweetie! You could’ve stayed with me until this blizzard subsided.”
“I know mom but tomorrow I’m busy and should get home as soon as I can.”
“Okay… Then just be careful okay?”
“I will mom. Love you.”
“Love you honey.”
Mark put the phone down and kept driving. He turned a corner and saw something tall. Taller than a person should be, and skinnier than a person should be. Mark turned the wheel quickly, but the icy road made him turn too far. He hit a tree, spun some more, then hit another tree. He got out and looked around, and walked towards the road. Even through his heavy coat it was freezing. Mark saw nothing, but then he heard a screeching and the sound of claws hitting the road. Something was running toward him. Mark ran and looked behind him, and saw the creature that caused his crash. It as taller than he first thought. The thing was so skinny he thought its bones would break under the weight of the creature. Mark tripped and was thrown down a hill. He rolled down the hill and when he finally came to a stop, he felt a pain in his arm. There was a tree bark in his arm. Mark pulled it out and blood started trickling down his arm. He thought about ripping his shirt and tying around his arm to stop the bleeding, but the bark wasn’t nearly sharp enough. He heard a tapping noise above him and the creature was perched in a tree. Tapping its long claws on the tree. It lunged down at Mark, and stood there. Mark threw the bark at the creature. It bounced off the creature’s bony chest. The creatures looked at the bark, then at Mark. It got down on all fours. Mark ran and so did the creature. Deeper, deeper and deeper into the forest. Sometimes the creature would jump over Mark’s head and in front of him, causing Mark to make multiple turns. Mark was tackled and the creature started to rip Marks jacket and shirt. Except, it didn’t hit Mark’s skin. The only scratch marks were small, and could barely be seen. The creature then ripped Mark’s jeans, destroying them into shreds.
“Do it you skinny b*****d! Kill me!”
The creature chuckled and with a raspy voice that sound liked it had screamed non stop for at least a day, said,
“That is not what I do. I let the cold do that. You have no clothes. No warmth. This is it for you. Accept the elements.” The creature grabbed Mark and dragged him through the forest, making turns that Mark couldn’t track. The creature finally let him go, and said. “I like this forest.” The creature jumped up, then from tree to tree, disappearing into the forest. Mark sat up against a tree and did what the creature commanded. Accepted the elements.