My sweaty hand tightened over the knife as i heard the low sound coming from the bush. Every muscle in my body was tensed, prepared for attack, but they soon relaxed at the sight of a simple wild bunny emerging from the shrubs. A brief thought of relief crossed my mind, though it was soon covered by the fear that had been growing inside of me since forever. I knew I had to remain alert the whole time, senses on the tip of the toes, but my whole body was overwhelmed by tiredness, so I allowed myself to rest for a little time.
I settled back as I sat on the forest's floor; back against the white oak tree. I have always loved this place, felt amazed by its sweet beauty, but now as I watched its murky dismal semblance it just gave me chills. The sun used to light up this woodland, but now the dim moonlight shadows were the only subdued source of light. I tried to calm myself down, tried to keep my mind in blank, still those horrendous terrifying images kept flashing in my head, making me quiver. Although everything in here made me tremble in fear,I was able to find a bit of tranquility in the sound of the distant sea. The soft sonance of the vigorous waves splashing against the rocky coast was the only sound heard, and in a way it was the only thing that made me stay in my senses. But I was soon terrorized once again when I heard the startling noise.
It was the sound of a step, a step which belonged to the malignant creatures searching for my death. I stood up slowly, heart pounding wildly, as I tried to hear where the thud was coming from. It was coming closer, becoming clearer; I could recognise other steps now, thing that caused me panic. I shivered as i counted them; I could hear one, two, three, four, five. Five different steps. I went dead-pale, sweat all over my face; i couldn't get out from this one, at least not alive. I felt how the knife in my hand was gently sliding out because of the shakes I had, still, I didn't stop it from falling. I knew it was my end; that my life was going to end in hands of the demons. The thought of it only sickened me, giving them the pleasure of having my life was something i couldn't bear. So I decided to run towards the only place I knew I could escape: the sea.
I rushed through the forest, branches prickling my skin as i bolted away from my persecutors. I could hear them now running behind me, trying to catch me; but that was something they would never do. My breath was heavy and each step was harder to make, still it didn't stop me from sprinting as fast as i could. I made an abrupt stop when the deep blue see came in sight. There it was, the oceanic bluish mass, with its ferocious waves splashing over the cliff's rocks. I carefully leaned over the edge to get a better look of the abyss; the waves were seething over the reef, creating large amounts of foam. I knew it was a death trap, but it was the only way I could get away from them; they couldn't reach me in water. So without hesitation I jumped into the blue.
The first impact wasn't so hard; I reach bottom almost instantly, so i tried to impulse myself upwards, but i soon discovered it was not that easy. I swam with all my strength, trying to reach the surface, but no matter how much I swam, it seemed I could never go to the top. I felt pressure on my chest and I was finding it more difficult to move; desperation was starting to take over me as I was in desperate need of air. Luckily I managed to reach the surface and fill my lungs with air before a voracious wave swallowed me back into the furious sea. It made me whirl and twirl, and it stomped me against the rocks. I swallowed great amounts of salty water, and I gasped as I felt the air escaping from me. The lack of air was making me dizzy, so I couldn't think properly what to do. I tried to reach the surface once again, but a foaming wave tucked me back into the jagged cliff's wall. My lungs were filled with water, making my chest ache as if I was being burned from the inside. I tried to catch a small gulp of air, but I only gulped more water. All the muscles in my body were swelled with exhaustion, I could barely move now. Then I knew this was it, this was how my life was going to end. So I let myself go and surrendered to the sea. I was slowly closing my eyes, going away into a permanent sleep, a world of peace; but before I did, with my blurry vision, I caught a glimpse of a figure reaching towards me, a hand. Then i succumbed to darkness.
I woke up with the gentle heat of the sun in my face. I was at the shore, water tickling my bare feet. Every muscle twinged, and my chest felt compressed. I slowly sat down in astonishment as i faced reality; I was alive! I didn't know how that was possible, how I had survived last night's odyssey. Then I remembered the hand reaching to me when I was drowning down at the cliff. That hand had saved me. I didn't know whose hand was that, I only knew I was grateful for what it done. My thoughts were interrupted when a glimmer near me called my attention. I reached for it and found an old locket, which had the initials "C.O" carved at the front, something that startled me a little as they were the same as mine. I doubtfully opened it and found a crumpled paper in it. I unfolded the note and read its content " I won't save you twice Caleb, so you better take care" It wasn't signed, but there was a photo in the locket, a photo of a man. I swallowed hard as i recognised the man at the photo as my deceased dad.
