The Long Dark: A Survivor's Tale

Hunted

I stood there, frozen in fear as the wolves got closer, snarling and growling. Other than fear, my mind was flooded with thoughts as to why wolves were getting close to me. First the deer, now the wolves were getting bold too? My heart was racing, beating audibly against my rib cage, when two rather large wolves circled in front of me. Were they...glowing? Sure enough, their heads were low, ears back and teeth out. They were here to kill.

The bigger wolf, likely the Alpha male, started walking directly at me, his eyes glowing a ghostly green in the moonlight. My eyes focused on him and I began to back up, only to meet the growls of the rest of the pack. I could either run and hopefully outrun the pack or stay and try to fight the Alpha off. My legs seemed to move on their own. Before I knew it, I spun around and sprinted into the dark forest, passing tree after tree, the wolves chasing after me, barking and howling, exchanging orders between each other like the team of specialized hunters they were.

I continued to run, adrenaline surging through my veins. I glanced to my right and saw that I was being flanked by the wolves. My legs began to burn when I suddenly fell face first into the thick snow, followed by excruciating pain in my calf as a wolf sunk its teeth into my flesh. It began to drag me backward, the wolf's sharp teeth digging into my leg. All I could do is scream in anguish. I desperately grabbed at the snow, foolishly trying to find a hand hold. The wolf's teeth struck a nerve and my leg suddenly shot out and nailed the animal in the face, causing it to let go and yelp in both surprise and pain. I took the opportunity to get up and keep running, adrenaline keeping me from collapsing. I ran blindly into the forest, my foot catching on a tree root.

I slammed into the snow, and started rolling, the world becoming a sickening blur. Each bounce knocked more of my air out of my lungs. I finally came to a stop by hitting a tree. I laid there, writhing in pain, trying desperately to inhale. Once I somewhat had my bearings back, I looked up at the hill. There was a nice, long trench in the snow and a trail of blood where I had been, leading to where I was now laying. I couldn't hear any howls so the wolves had given up. I sat there for a moment, dazed. Then the adrenaline wore off and a searing, burning pain shot up my calf. Shakily, I examined my leg, dark red blood running down my skin from the teeth marks. If I didn't clean it soon, my enemy wouldn't be the cold, but infection.

Once it started to snow, I gathered my self and slowly stood up, taking in my surroundings. Trees. Lots of trees. Then I saw it. Not that far in the distance, was a small cabin.