The night was always bitter. When the sun sunk passed the mountains, the land became under the cold reign of the shadows. It was numbing, blinding. It drove the strongest men to plead on their knees. The dark was their territory, and anyone and anything that attempted to venture through it, belonged to them.

That's why Jenny was currently sprinting down the dirt road with the moonlight as her only guide. She knew what laid in the dark-what happened to those who tried to run. Her cypress green eyes desperately tried to peer through the night, to make sense of the shadows of the land around her. She searched frantically, through the village, in the stables, and finally to the fields. She knew-she couldn't see, but right at the edge of their village was where the main road dissipated, currently just a few feet in front of her, leading to the forest that surrounded their village. It was a place of death-no one ever came from this way-but Jenny knew.

Quickly she scanned the wheat fields to her right, the large patch of golden wisps usually so bright now nothing but a grey blur in the dark. She was panicking, panting, as she forced her eyes to adjust to the dark, to see something-anything.

There!

Jenny dove into the field, ignoring the pain from her bare feet. Her night gown got caught on edges of the crops, but it didn't slow her down. She charged through that field faster than any horse could, aiming for the body of wheat that was being shifted and shoved out of the way.

"Summer!"

With a jump the body revealed itself, covered by a cloak that was as black as the night, just a few feet from Jenny. She was almost smaller than the wheat, her head just barely passing the fresh fuzzy tips. Jenny was hoping to see her face, to try and still her with the worry in her eyes, but the small blonde took off, continuing to sprint through the field in a frantic mess.

Jenny called for her again, and she ran harder. The pain struck fiercer on her feet then, so sharp it burned. She knew she was bleeding but somehow the pain only spurred jenny further- imagining a pain like this but much worse, lasting much longer-

Not to herself. But others.

It took another minute of chasing, breaking more of the crops the closer to the end they got, approaching closer and closer to the line of the forest. But finally jenny got close enough and she snagged the girl's hood. There was a cry, a struggle, but Jenny snatched the girl in her arms, tighter than a vice, stopping her.

"Summer, stop!"

"No, let me go! Let me go!"

Summer tried then to break free from her own cloak, but jenny went around that, gripping Summer by her arms directly, trying to pull her back. The smaller blonde fought relentlessly.

"No no! I can't! I can't do it Jenny!"

"You can't just RUN from it Summer!"

She jerked from Jenny's arms, attempting once more to run off through the rest of the field, and again jenny grabbed her. This time they fell, collapsing together on a bed of crumpled wheat stocks, and they wrestled. It was a constant struggle until Jenny finally grabbed summer by her wrists, pinning summer against her chest from behind. It was there Summer lost her strength, the fear taking over, and the tears began to flow.

"I can't go back," she sobbed, weakly pulling against Jenny's grip. "I can't do it, jenny."

"If you run then they have every right to take you-"

"They already do!" Summers voice broke on the cry, echoing and fading into the darkness around them. "My name was chosen jenny. It was from my section of the village, my house name was called, and I got chosen. They're going to TAKE me."

Oh it was harsh. How to comfort her when she spoke the truth?

For years the deal was set. It was unsure how it all started. Many believed THEY had always been here, longer than humans, hiding in the shadows of the woods. The villagers must have wronged them somehow because it started with the nightmares. Then the hallucinations. People gone missing, the accidents.

The ritual was created to settle these incidents-a bargain with THEM. Every time the moon was full, the shadows of the night would taint one house. It was the same every time. A mark on the door, like a very queer letter of writing carved in blood. One member of the family from that household would thus be given to the shadows of the forest the next day. THEY didn't like elders, nor infants, but children and women they accepted easily. The villagers had discovered this painfully over the years through a very harsh game of guessing. Only those who had been around from the start understood the darkness at work behind this, but it was all too clear when the full moon came. That this time Summers house had been marked, and Summer was an only child.

That realization made everything inside Jenny prickle, sent everything on edge. She grabbed the small blonde and when Summer fought her grip she held tighter, forcing her to a still point. "No they're-Summer, look at me! I am not going to let them hurt you. Understand? Listen to me." Both her hands cupped the blonde's face, cheeks flushed and damp from tears, and Jenny stared into those swollen blue pools with an intensity stronger than a raging fire. She spoke slowly, firmly, saying, "I will do whatever it takes to keep you here, with your family. I will never let them take you." She waited until that fully sunk in Summer's eyes, her childish whimpers slowly dying down until she was panting and sniffling. "But I can't let you run. If you run away there's nothing I can do."

"Jenny-"

"Listen. Come home. Sleep in my quarters-I'll protect you. And tomorrow during the ceremony I'll take care of everything. They won't take you-ever. I swear."

Summer finally seemed to give in then and she buried her face into Jenny's chest, releasing all her fears through painful sobs. Jenny could only hold her, to console her, but although she was mumbling comforting words, her mind was in a race of thought-about tomorrow, about the ceremony, about the demons, and what she was going to have to do to keep her friend alive...

The ceremony began at midday when the sun was at its highest. This was the only time where there was the most light, their only conquer against the darkness. It started with the bells, summoning everyone into the village. Every body, whether ail or not, came to the main road of the village. One by one, they all lined against the edge of the road, stood with their families by their sides.

The first step was that the chosen one must be cleansed, and fed appropriately, all within their home. Because of this, Jenny had to return Summer to her home during the early hours of daylight, and with Summer's parent's permission, she thus stayed. She had to bathe with Summer, and eat with her just to get the small blonde to consume something without sobbing.

The next step was that the one chosen must be dressed in white; for some unfathomable reason they seemed to like this. It was hard getting Summer changed, but Jenny could only offer support from across the room as she watched Summer's mother prompt her into changing with tears in her eyes. Her mother, a woman as short as her daughter, had the same thick blonde locks and small beautiful face. Only today her beauty had faded among the bags under her eyes, the swollen skin from wiping away tears. Her father was equal in paleness, the only color in his face coming from the scruff of dark hair around his chin. He looked lost as he aided in daughter into dressing, dark blue eyes tranced with bitter-sweet memories of aiding his daughter back as an infant-a time he so darkly wished he could go back to.

It was when Summer's mother broke down herself, and threw her arms around her baby, that Jenny left. She couldn't stand the sight, to see the image of loss displayed horribly before her like that. She couldn't think of such pain-not now. She had to focus.

Jenny knew she would be breaking one of the rules. She only prayed that no one would notice, would try and stop her. It would work. It had to. When jenny went out to join the rest of the village in the line, she did not find her family. No, instead, she made her silent, quick way to the very end of the road, where the line stopped. The remainders of the villagers were gathered here; all those parents and siblings and friends who had lost someone from previous sacrifices. They all stood in a painful, sorrowful arch at the end of the road, all with their candles and flowers and jars. Behind them, towering over them, was the opening to the forbidden forest. The black trees seemed to reach the sky today, penetrating the bright blue, poisoning it, darkening it with their shadows-their evil-

Jenny looked away. The mere sight of that opening was frightening enough, unable to see passed the shadows between the trees even in daylight, knowing what happens to those who cross-knowing that Summer, her dear friend, was the one who had to cross that line now. She wouldn't last. Summer was too frail. She was still a child. She barely handled a burn from the fire while cooking. She wouldn't make it. No one ever makes it-

Even so, Jenny planted herself on the very thin border of the line of villagers and the arch of the "Passers," as the rules stated, and she waited. She didn't have a candle. Didn't bow her head. No, she silently wallowed in each ring of the bell that resonated through the silence of the village, deepening the omen in the air. With the very same field of wheat that Summer had tried to escape through last night to her back, Jenny stared up the main road, waited for them to come down the line, prayed with every fiber in her being that by some miracle they wouldn't. But they did.

Too soon, she saw the three bodies making their slow way down the road. The familiar small blonde was in between her parents, who each held onto one of her arms. She was in a flowing white gown that was too long for her short height, dragging on the dirt behind her. When they drew closer, Jenny saw that her friend's face had gone pliant. Her blue eyes were pale, staring off into the distance that didn't exist, only walking by the leading steps of her parents. Her mother was still crying, while her father seemed to be the only one still in his right mind-a terrible pain across his face, but gaze there, seeing it all as he walked his own flesh and blood to her demise.

As they passed the other villagers, by rule, some stepped forward and touched Summer's parents, grazing their hands on their shoulders or their backs, and mumbling, "We thank you for your sacrifice." Over and over, one by one down the line, they reached out, and stepped back in line. As for those that Summer passed, the villagers would kneel down and place their candle among the edge of the road where they stood; to keep the passage light for a safe return home.

When they finally reached the end, they stopped just a few people ahead of where Jenny stood. The next step was for the "Passers," of those related to previous losses, to say a prayer for this chosen one, and pass them along to them. However, the moment someone had begun to speak the holy words, Summer's mother finally snapped. She started to wail, to cling to her numb daughter and cry. Some of the Passers had to step in, to remove her, for the rule stated someone of blood or equal loyalty must walk the chosen one to the end; someone capable, in the proper state of calm. If the parents could not do it, a replacement must be found.

Thus, Jenny broke the line. As they finally pulled Summer's mother away, Jenny moved to the side of her friend and took Summers arm in hers, taking her mother's place before anyone could object. She remained stiff, too, with her head raised, mouth turned down. No tears, No fear or they would deem her incapable and remove her, too, and Jenny couldn't let them do that. She held her breath as they dragged Summers mother off, and waited-prayed no one would remove her as well. Yet as the passers continued with the prayer, Jenny was left staring at the opening of the forbidden woods, realizing that she would have to go inside it to save Summer-No, she was going to have to do much worse if she wanted to save Summer.

Accepting this fact, Jenny finally searched the line for her family. They were not in sight. Their home was far behind the stables, back up the main road. They were most likely standing up there, where they should be. Jenny shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be doing this, but Summer didn't deserve this. No one deserved this. And Summer was like her own blood, a little sister. Jenny wouldn't be able to go through her life without the little blonde, knowing that she hadn't even tried... It was just...inhumane.

It was turning back to face the woods that Jenny's eyes caught someone she knew-Tom.

He was standing parallel to her, just off the opposite side of the arch that she had been standing on. Those dark brown eyes were searching her desperately, worry told by the lines in his face, fear coming from his parted lips. Seeing him so suddenly only made the fear in Jenny heighten. If this went wrong-No, who was she kidding? If this went the only way it could go, then….she would never see Tom again. Or her parents. Or Summer.

But the Passers finished their speech, and the tiny whimper she heard from the small blonde's mouth was her reminder. Why she was doing this. Why she had to do this.

So when they parted, opening up the path for them to venture into the forest, to disappear into the fate that no one had ever witnessed and lived to tell the tale, Jenny was walking without hesitation. Summer's father was the one to initiate the first step, pulling his dead-weight of a daughter as well as jenny, but Jenny didn't refuse it. She kept her gaze with Tom as they started to leave the village, hoping the concern and the fear was obvious enough in her eyes that he would understand.

But he didn't. When she started to leave, his face changed entirely. Or perhaps he did understand, and that's why he tried to break through the crowd, pushed people aside, to get to her-Until someone, an elder, held him back. Tom didn't fight him, but his gaze remained on Jenny. it was the utterly helpless look he had in his eyes that made jenny's heart sink to her gut. She remembered their first kiss, behind the stables, a few years ago-How shy of a boy he was in front of others, but so calm with her; how they always met among their chores to talk and smile and laugh-and the promise they made each other; that if either of them got picked, that they'd try to stop it, for each other. Yet, here she was, stopping it not for Tom, but for Summer. Jenny wouldn't call it guilt, but it was definitely a terrible feeling swelling in her chest. All she could do, before he was completely out of her sight, was mouth "I'm sorry," before turning back forward.

Entering the forbidden forest was slow. So slow, in fact, it seemed timeless. There wasn't a beginning, or a moment of crossing the threshold as Jenny had feared. One moment they were on the dirt of their village road, then the next, they were completely swallowed by forest-their village gone from sight-replaced by nothing except shadows and trees and the cold-Such a bitter cold. The trees here were skinny, but tall, reaching the sky so dangerously tall; and pale, like a light gray. In fact, the farther they walked, the less color there was in the world. The leaves were not green. the ground was not brown. There was only gray, the shadows defining everything even in the minimal sunlight. It was still midday, but Jenny felt like it was the moment before morning, where the darkness is still there, still reigning over the world in its vast cold cruelty, leaving you hopeless of vision and clarity while knowing that hope was just a sliver of time away-a time that didn't exist here. It was obvious, just by the fact that it was near impossible to see passed the ten yards ahead of them, that light and hope and warmth didn't reach this place.

Oh, it was so wrong. A place like this shouldn't exist. A place like this shouldn't be resting outside their peaceful village, demanding sacrifices or else wreaking such disastrous havoc-

There was a tug on jenny's arm which is what pulled her to a stop. Summer was trying to backpedal away, stabbing her heels into the ground as a whole new fear raked over her face, one that left her bright blue eyes impossibly wide, pupils small, and jaw dropped. It took both Jenny and Summer's father to get her to stop fighting and keep moving forward, and what an awful experience it was-to convince her that she must keep going toward her death. Jenny hated it. She hated this whole thing.

Soon, after another soul-crushing minute of walking, they found it-the end. It was sitting in a circle of trees, permanently etched into the ground in a large, eye-deceiving circle. No, it was two circles, a smaller one inside the other, with...markings between them. The closer they got to the scene, the more surreal Jenny started to feel. It was darker here, hardly any light at all coming through the treetops above. It left a chill in the air, and the scene as silent as death. That's when Jenny realized there was no life here. The trees were bare and pale, the ground barren and empty. No animals, no other plant life, because this was a place of death.

Seeing it made everything in Jenny's blood run as cold as ice. Right away, she knew that this was the sight of dark magic-the kind people are punished for-the kind that has cursed their village and caused this whole ritual.

Summer's father had to pry himself away from his daughter with such a painful expression. He had a knife, which upon seeing it made Summer go into hysterics.

"No, honey, I have to. I'm sorry," he was repeating over and over, until he finally got Summer's desperate hands off him, where he then went inside the two circles.

Summer all but collapsed into Jenny's arms, hiding her face in Jenny's neck, and Jenny knew Summer was sobbing, afraid of this. Jenny, however, couldn't take her eyes off Summer's father, completely entranced as he took the knife and sliced open his own palm. Then, cautiously, he lowered down and smeared the blood over the markings that were hardened like stone into the dirt. He did this to all of them, one by one around the circle, while Summer cried into her chest.

This was Jenny's chance. She could stop it, right here, somehow; she knew she could. And yet, she was still watching as Summer's father finished covering them all and came to a shaky stand, because she knew what came next. She had seen these markings before, in a terribly old memory, one that she did not want to surface. It was one of her grandfather, she knew for certain, and the room underneath his home. The rest of the memory-with these markings-was something that struck Jenny with so much fear, that she didn't realize her and Summer were standing in the center of the circle until Summer was screaming.

Her father had to fight her, once more, now with tears in his eyes. He had to grab her by the arms, just as Jenny had done to her last night in the wheat fields, to get her to stop thrashing. He was shouting back at her, his tone very desperate and taut. It was only when jenny grabbed her and spoke directly into her ear that Summer calmed down.

"Remember what I promised you," she said loud enough to be heard over Summer's screams, and she repeated it when Summer stopped, just to be sure. "Remember what I swore to you. Do you remember? Have faith in me, Summer. Trust me."

Summer's only response was a whimper before the small blonde dropped her head. This left her father staring very shockingly into Jenny's eyes. Jenny couldn't answer the question she saw so plainly in his gaze. Not aloud anyway. She did so only with her own gaze, staring hard enough until some kind of understanding came into them and he gave a nod so small that it could have passed for a nervous twitch.

The next moment happened too fast for words.

Summer's father spoke. He said-No, chanted the names in concession,with careful pronunciation. Then the world shook. The dirt moved under their feet. The blood from the markings began to glow and burn and hiss at them. The entire forest screamed at them in a terribly loud inhuman shriek until it all finally dropped away from them-the floor of the forest literally turning into shadows that dropped all three of them into darkness.

The place they landed was like ice. Jenny instantly saw her breath when she opened her eyes, seeing the puff of air come from her onto the cold black ground underneath her. The loss of time was obvious, and frightful, but Jenny was over it the second she heard the whimper.

Sprawled out on her legs was Summer, looking like a dropped doll with her dress tangled around her body and blonde curls spread out over her head. Jenny immediately helped her up, seeing not even a scratch on the young girl. Her father was beside them as well, rubbing his head as he sat up from the ground, clutching his bloody hand to his chest. Then, as if in unison, they looked up and saw death.

At first it was nothing but shadows. This place had no ground, although they were sure standing on something, but it was black as black could get. There were no walls, no ceiling, no air-It was nothing but shadows, and the cold. It prickled their skin immediately, made their hair stand on end. What was worse than the darkness was knowing that something was beyond it-They were beyond it.

It was there, in the terribly frightening realization, that Jenny was going to have to face them. The ones from the stories around the fires, the ones behind this whole ritual. They were the ones who were going to take Summer, and if Jenny wanted to save her, she was going to have to face them. But no one ever saw them-

Jenny wasn't ready for it. None of them were. Because as they got to their feet, holding Summer there as a piece of meat for trade of peace, it was the shadows that held the threat-their territory-their power. It was from the shadows that they lived, they controlled. It was from the shadows that they arrived now.

Like a trick of the eye, the shadows moved, impossibly stretching forward through time, slow enough to hurt one's mind-dangerous enough to sicken one's soul. They came into shape slowly, carefully, appearing a good enough distance away to reveal that their size was not measurable-changeable, and definitely much, much larger than theirs. It was harsh, and cold, and disgusting-

The first and most obvious feature to come into view were their eyes.

Even in the distance, their eyes came into focus like a drop of blood against a black rock. Such deep crimson, so vivid, so-so cruel. They were the eyes of monsters-of demons. Demons that took sacrifices and used them for God-knows what-that wanted to take Summer-

Jenny heard their laughs, from so many voices, more than the number of eyes she saw across this plane of darkness, and it was the type of laugh that sends a needle of fear piercing straight through one's core; the kind of laugh that no human could make, as cold as ice, as harsh as death. They got louder, more cruel, as the energy in the air, the power that was the shadows, started to swell toward them.

It was there, seeing their forms come into shape, coming closer, that Jenny's instincts sprung into action. She didn't know how this worked. She didn't know their power or this part of the routine. Any moment now they would take Summer. So Jenny did the only thing she could think of.

She shoved Summer into the arms of her father, and ran forward-toward the demons. She got herself just enough space between them before she stopped, threw up her arms, and screamed.

"I volunteer to take her place!"

The shadows didn't stop moving. They continued to form and grow and advance. Although, the laughing did stop. It took another mind-numbing minute for them to come into view, and once they did, everything in Jenny rejected the image before her eyes as reality.

The creatures before them all were monstrous. They stood as tall as the trees, with the shadows as their skin, covered in some black haze that drifted about them all eerily. Only heads and arms were made out from the shadows, but none of them had faces. Instead, different disfigured parts were shown. Hooves for hands, horns on the head-Jesus, one had half the head of a goat. They were all different, but equal in disgust. So far, five of them had come into view, towering over the three of them like ants in this manifestation of space and time and darkness.

The energy-the dark power in the air-continued to grow, in a silent, deadly threat. So Jenny repeated herself, louder. "I-I, Jenny Thorton, volunteer to take Summer Parkson's place for the ritual."

"Jenny!"

Jenny heard Summer's scream, but it was such a painful noise; she didn't want to look at her best friend; the only one close enough to be her sibling, in the face. Not now. Instead, she looked forward. She stared at the group of demons across from her. She didn't let herself be scared. She couldn't. No, she had to be strong. For Summer. To convince these-these monsters to let Summer go.

And take her instead.

Oh, the fear was great, but Jenny was surprised at how well she stood her ground, kept her chin high. She didn't know what she was expecting in response. What she hadn't expected was to have a massive part of the shadows come hurtling toward her. It took everything in her not to flinch as the shape came out from the shadows, as if manifesting out of the air, directly in front of her. It came in one, fluid motion. The shadows, moved, stretched as they came at her, then it was no longer just a shape, but a man.

No, he wasn't a man. He only looked like a man.

He wasn't disfigured like the others, or had a body made of darkness like those behind him. No, this demon had a body like hers-two arms, two legs, and a head. Only this man was-was….beautiful. As terribly odd as it seemed, that was the only word for it. His hair was a shocking white, contrasting from all the shadows around him, and so soft-like freshly fallen snow on the first day of winter. His face was so sculpted, features so grand, so mesmerizing, that Jenny was searching and finding something new every time she blinked. And his eyes-

No human had eyes like that. So blue-Impossibly blue. Bluer than the sky, than water. The only thing Jenny had ever seen blue like that, was when one of the diggers brought back a stone from a trip outside the village. A blue so deep that it was miraculous. Only this man's eyes were bluer than that. Wide, vibrant, impossible blue eyes-

-that were staring right into her.

He must have merged from the shadows at a great speed because by the time he was fully there, to Jenny's view, he came to a quick stop directly before her, leaving a fraction of space between their bodies. Jenny was shocked to a still point, the surprise only registering through the widening of her eyes as she took him in, unable to look away-to blink-to breathe.

But she couldn't. He was so abrupt, so close, so-so much, that Jenny was left there, in his space, in his utter control. The strange thing was, he seemed as stuck as she was. He stood there, as rigid and shocked as she was. He didn't reach for her. He didn't even say anything. He merely looked at her, at every inch of her, as if she was something...he had never seen before. He was staring into her so deeply, Jenny feared he was seeing into her mind-to her thoughts-her fears-

No. She wasn't afraid. She straightened her back, held her composure as his gaze alone carved her out from the inside. He stood there for so long, taking her in, searching her, examining her like she was some rare, fine specimen that even a demon like himself could not believe that she was truly right there before his eyes.

Jenny didn't know how long they stood like that for, sharing each other's breath, resting in each other's gaze, before he finally spoke. His voice came out so elemental, so rich but so hushed that it tingled all of Jenny's senses. Quietly, he said, "I accept your exchange."

Too many thoughts happened for Jenny to sort through. The fact that he spoke english at all, that he looked like a person, that he accepted her for Summer's place. She couldn't tell if she was afraid or relieved or a terrible combination of both. Before she could figure it out, another voice spoke from the shadows. A much older, colder voice.

"No," it rumbled.

Instantly, the man's face before her changed. Like a switch, his trance was gone, replaced by a fury so strong that it was palpable. He didn't move from his spot, but Jenny did see his body tense as his gaze flickered off to the side.

"It is my turn for the-"

"Silence, boy!" A different voice interrupted him, coming out in a high hiss.

Jenny watched as the demon in the middle, parallel to her across the room, seemed to grow taller. He came forward, became clearer, and somehow Jenny knew that this one was the leader of them all. He looked like a bag of bones wrapped in the oldest leather, stretched taut over his skull, with no eyes, but vast empty sockets. There was a kink in its neck before the shadows of its body were there, leaving him gazing down upon Jenny in a terribly horrifying angle. In its surprisingly normal hand was a staff, made of very old, twined wood, while its other was something like a paw of some beat, massive, with sharp claws and rotting skin. The mere thought of that hand touching her was enough to make her knees go weak.

But the boy was still before her, still in her space. Jenny had to look over his shoulder, to meet this Elder's gaze as he came closer, bringing all the shadows and power in the air with him. He came to a stop somewhere in space behind the boy, just enough to make Jenny's head tilt back to look up at his non-existent eyes.

When he spoke, it was slow, and deep, like the precision of carving something complex with an icicle. "Your people," he began to Jenny, "have made a contract with us. That one chosen will be given to us...without complexities-"

"Take me instead," Jenny heard herself say. It was bizarre, to think she had just interrupted a demon, and in such a sharp tone. She quickly added, "Please."

"Jenny, no." The sob was so pathetic that it immediately brought forth a wave of laughter from the shadows, exposing all the demons that had yet to show their face. The only one not to laugh was the man still planted in front of Jenny.

He finally moved, too fast. Jenny flinched when he abruptly moved around her, stepping to the side of her. He was still examining her, hands behind his back, as he slowly circled her, looking over every inch of her while the others laughed and laughed. Jenny had to force herself to stay still, to face forward to the Elder that was speaking to her again.

"Why," he asked in such a deep voice, "should we take you? She seems...fun."

Jenny didn't want to think about that-to evaluate their definition of fun. "I'll go willingly," she tried to explain. "I won't fight you."

"Actually," the boy's voice surprised her, coming from just over her right shoulder. She felt his body, the cold from it just on the verge of touching her as his lips whispered right into her ear, "We do like a good fight."

Oh, God.

But Jenny ignored the sinking in her gut, and instead, she looked to the demon, meeting his gaze directly. Oh it was terribly unnerving to look a demon in the eyes from this close, especially a demon that looked like a man and knowing he was anything but. "Good," she snapped tensely, "because you're not taking her."

There was a slight pause where the boy held her gaze, and Jenny refused to break it, no matter what the consequences foretold. And yet, the boy smiled at her, but it was a smile no human could ever bare. It was a smile of the devil-so evil-so hungry.

There were a few more chuckles from the others, and it was in their spite that Jenny realized begging was not going to work. Her people didn't just ask them nicely to go away. No, they said they made a contract. If these demons were cruel, then Jenny was going to have to summon every ounce of strength she had to win this debate.

Thus, she stomped forward, proving her place. "Summer's like that of a child-She won't last till nightfall. Whatever you may do to me, I promise I will last longer-"

"Jenny!"

"And I won't stop fighting you until my last breath. "

They didn't laugh at that, but the four visible others in the background did move about, trading places with one another, whispering back and forth in such quiet voices, as if confused by the situation. The Elder above her did not say anything at first. It merely stared down at her, trapping her where she stood her ground at his mercy. Even the boy had said nothing, but Jenny could feel him behind her, still so close, eyes running over her body like clawed hands.

Finally, a deep voice rumbled from the darkness, "It seems….that a game is in order."

Jenny didn't understand when all of the demons agreed, humming in approval and snickering devilishly. It was when the Elder straightened himself, growing even taller than Jenny thought possible, and said, "Yes, a game," that the others went into an uproar. It was a chaotic mix of laughs and scowls and animalistic shrieks. Jenny had to cover her ears from it.

It only stopped when the Elder stabbed its staff into the ground that didn't exist, sending a powerful shock through the atmosphere. The silence that followed was much worse. Jenny was waiting for him to explain, but surprisingly, it was the boy who spoke next.

"We'll have you fight," he said slowly from behind her while he walked around her, finishing the circle he had started. "Play our games...And if you win, then we will accept you as the sacrifice." He faced her at that last part, practically purring the words at her, still with that devilish smile on his lips.

Jenny was stuck in his gaze again, unable to look away even though the Elder was adding. "And if you lose," his voice rumbled the shadows, "then we will take you both."

Jenny couldn't choke back the gasp in time, still in the boy's gaze, but she didn't look away-didn't blink. No, she stood there, feeling her strength leave her as fast as it had come, as every demon began to laugh in unison-such a cold, unforgiving laugh.

The boy, oddly enough, did look away. His gaze, as well as his smile, dropped to the floor.

The next sob from behind finally made Jenny look. Summer's father had his daughter in his arms, cradling her head, shielding her from the sight. He was the one to look Jenny in the eyes, and Jenny could see the relief, the fear, and the guilt he held. The relief that Jenny had been the one to take Summer's place, and the guilt of father of doing nothing about it, and the fear that his daughter wasn't safe just yet.

No, Jenny hadn't done it. She hadn't taken Summer's place. Not yet. All she did was put herself in the line of fire because if she lost this game, then both her and Summer would be taken as sacrifices. But if she won, then Summer was free. Either way, they got someone. Either way, Jenny had doomed herself. Realizing this, jenny looked back to the group of laughing demons to find the boy looking back at her. He was smiling again, but this one was different-not as vile, but much more haughty.

He was holding out his hand to her, like a gentleman wanting to introduce himself. Of course Jenny was afraid to take it. Even though he wasn't disfigured, he was still one of them nonetheless, standing before her like some beautiful devil with a chorus of laughter about him. But Jenny took it anyway, forced herself to put her hand in his, expecting anything but a handshake from it.

Yet, this demon of a man, this Prince of Darkness, slowly bent down, and gave the back of her fingers the softest of kisses. Immediately, Jenny felt the world leave her-how quickly the dizziness overcame her. She was passing out, all the shadows consuming her, soul, body and mind, with that horrific voice of the Elder echoing her fall into unconsciousness.

"Good luck, girl…."

Jenny saw something horrible.

She saw her grandfather, with those markings, and a terrible, terrible pain that left her five year old self screaming and crying on the floor-

The nightmare broke from Jenny with a deep gasp, from the bottom of her lungs. She jumped awake, sitting up so fast that it took her eyes a minute to adjust to the world around her. When they finally did, she had to blink hard, just to be sure. Once, twice.

She was in the forest. But...how? When?

Right, she passed out. She...made a deal with the demons. To protect Summer-the game-

But Jenny didn't see any of the demons around her, nor Summer nor her father for that matter. All that was around her now were the endless rows of tall, skinny pale trees, and the shadows that filled the spaces between. The forest floor was tough beneath her, only cushioned by a thin layer of dead leaves and pine needles. There were no bushes, no flowers. There were no sounds of birds or little woodland creatures. Only the wind rustling the branches above her and the pounding of her heart in her chest.

Jenny was still in her nightgown, allowing the cold to seep up her exposed arms and the small space above her ankles. It was thin, too, and definitely not something for a lady to be wearing midday, in the forest, alone, with no shoes without her hair combed or put back, in a game of demons.

Jenny felt herself sway as the nausea hit her, the fear, the horrible realization of what she had gotten herself into-She was dreaming. That's right. This was all some horrible, long, traumatizing nightmare. Yet, Jenny felt the cuts on the bottom of her feet, their soreness from running through the wheat fields last night, and that hot strike of pain proved that theory wrong. Jenny was very much awake, and alive. For now.

Something moved. Behind her, a rustle of leaves, quick, almost unnoticeable. But Jenny heard it nonetheless and she whirled around, only to find shadows. And more shadows, and more there. There was nothing around her; at least nothing she could see anyway. With that horrible thought came the realization that Jenny had no idea what this game was. What kind of games do demons play? They said she was going to fight-fight what? What was she supposed to do? She couldn't lose. She couldn't. For Summer, for Summer's father and mother, for her own parents and Tom-

Jenny shut that thought down before it could fully come to her. She wasn't going to think of them. She wasn't going to panic. No, she was going to win. She just...needed to figure out how.

So Jenny started walking. Without any real clear sense of direction, she started moving between the trees. With no kind of fire for a light or a wrap to shield her from the cold winds racing through the trees, or without a single idea of what could be out in these woods-No, don't think about that.

Oh, but it was so hard not to. No one came into these woods. No one ever came from these woods, and here Jenny was, made her own bargain with these demons, in their territory, with no knowledge of this place or what they could do. Jenny was constantly looking around her, for something to move, to see a light, anything really. However, the farther she walked, the more her fear grew. Yet, she couldn't tell which was worse; the fear that'd she wouldn't find anything out here, or that she would.

The noise came again, behind her, scuttering through the dead leaves of the forest floor. Jenny turned after the noise, but again there was nothing. Not even a shift in the shadows, or obvious footprints in the floor. Jenny couldn't tell if her eyes were just playing tricks on her or if there was a slight fog layering just above the ground, swirling around at her feet. The longer she stared, the harder it was to tell the difference between the floor and the shadows and everything, really.

Keep walking, she told herself.

She kept moving, walking a bit faster now. She thought about a fire, perhaps she could build one like she always saw her father do if she found some dry twigs or leaves; but everything was damp here, and cold. So very cold.

The noise came again, but louder. Jenny wanted to ignore it, pretend it wasn't there. But she didn't know anything of this game or this forest or these demons. When the noise came again, Jenny turned after it, just in time to see some leaves being kicked up into the air not but five feet away. She almost gasped. So something was moving out there, unless her eyes had deceived her.

But she heard it again, only somewhere far in the forest. Then again, behind her. The thing, whatever it was, was moving around her, impossibly fast. It had to be jumping off the trees or something because one moment it sounded behind her, then the next in front of her, then very far off, then right beside her-

Jenny started running. Carefully, holding up the ends of her nightgown, watching where she was going, she moved without thinking. But the thing was there, sounding right behind her, following her, faster than her. Jenny could hear it so clearly now, the galloping of its feets, the weight of its massive body as it bounded off the ground with each jump. She didn't need to look to see it. She feared what she'd see, how close it would be-

Something jerked in the corner of her eye, too close to identify. Jenny didn't mean to shriek at it, but she jumped away. She caught herself on a tree and threw herself aside. Yet, of course, when she looked back, where she just was, the stillness of the forest was her answer yet again. She could only stand there for a moment, catching her breath, eyes darting around everywhere-nowhere. There was nothing.

Of course there wasn't. They were demons. They wanted nothing more than to torture her-terrify her into a running, frantic panicking mess so that she would lose this game. And that wasn't happening.

"Would you like some help?"

Jenny almost screamed.

She spun around so fast that she stumbled. The boy-The demon was there, with his shockingly white hair and surreal blue eyes. He was wearing something odd, Jenny realized with a quick thought that she hadn't really noticed what he was wearing before, back when she first saw him, only that he had been dressed in black. But the shock of his sudden appearance, leaning against one of the trees, made Jenny notice that he was wearing a pair of black pants that hugged his hips tightly. He had on a black vest as well, that exposed the smoothness of his collarbone, and the devel of hips. The way he had his arms crossed like that exposed such large muscles, under beautifully pale skin-unmarred-perfect.

He was smiling at her so haughty that Jenny heaved out her shock in a scoff. She didn't know what to make of his appearance at first. She quickly searched around her, for some sort of explanation, but again her only response was the silence of the forest. There was nothing out there-Except this boy-This demon, who owned this forest.

She quickly turned, to leave, but when she did, the boy was there, leaning on a different tree. Jenny held her gasp back pretty well, but she felt the shock in the widening of her eyes, from the fact that he suddenly appeared in a new spot so quickly. He was in the same position, leaning against a tree, with his arms and ankles crossed, and that arrogant smirk on his face. He seemed pleased by her surprise because his smile only widened.

Thus she snapped, "L-Leave me alone." She really wish she had sounded tougher on that, but her thoughts were in shambles.

"Oh," he said coolly, "but you don't want me to, love."

The sweet name struck something odd in Jenny. No one called her anything like that, not even her parents. Hearing it from a demon was unnerving, and to have him say that-

"Shut up," she said, and she knew it was rude. Jenny was never rude. She always respected her Elders, never broke the rules. But, Hell, she had already broken plenty of those today, and it was only common knowledge that one wasn't nice to demons. So she spoke sterner toward him, snapping, "You can't get in my way. That's cheating."

"We never cheat," he said simply as he came off the tree. "We actually play quite fairly, by all the rules. You just have to find it."

He took a step toward her and Jenny immediately took two steps back. He took notice of this, eyes flickering to her bare feet before returning her gaze with a slight change in his smile. Jenny ignored it. She had to.

"F-Find what?" she dared to ask.

"The rule." He then started advancing on her, step after step, slow enough to watch her realize it-to see the panic in her eyes. She started backpedaling away, taking equal amounts if not more steps than him to keep the distance between them. All the while, he explained, "There's a rule to each of these rounds, you know. You must find out what it is, and solve it. Only then will you move onto the next round."

Jenny understood that, like a complex game of Clerk and Thieves that the children play in the market. She inevitably cringed at the realization that there would be more than one round of this torture. "And-" her voice broke when she stumbled into a tree, making her jump away from it to keep the space between them, but he turned after her, still walking towards her, with his hands politely behind his back, one slow step at a time. "There will be a new rule for the next round?"

"Yes," he answered smoothly. "If you win those rounds, you will win the game. I must warn you though; it will not be any easy task and the rounds will only get harder as you go."

Jenny was trying to fix her stumble, to move smoother while she was walking backwards, keeping her gaze with this demons who watched her so intently. "Then what's the rule fo-for this round?"

"I told you. You have to find it. I cannot tell you."

Well, Jenny should have seen that coming. "Then why are you here? If you're not cheating-" Then it hit her, making her feet stop with the terrible realization that made her eyes go wide. "You're distracting me."

Surprisingly, the boy stopped when she did, glancing up and down her body once more before asking, "Why do you think that?"

"Because you are. You just want me to lose."

His smile changed then-too dastardly for Jenny to comprehend. Then he was moving toward her again, too fast for Jenny to react in time. Jenny stumbled away, only this time, she hit a thicker tree, and the boy was on her before she could get away. He stopped inches before her, back in her breathing space just as they were only minutes ago-or was it hours? Jenny had to press herself against the tree, to keep her chin up and her fists ready at her sides to defend herself if he tried anything-

Yet, he didn't. He merely looked her over, breathed her in, with eyes brighter than the stars that shined on the darkest nights. "On the contrary, love," he purred in a voice as elemental as water over rocks. "I'm the only one who wants you to win."

Jenny didn't have to question that aloud. It was said all in her gaze, how her eyebrows pinched together in a confused scowl. This demon of a man stared at her for a moment longer, before his gaze flickered down from her eyes. When Jenny realized where he was looking, at her lips, and from such a short distance, the heat swelled in her cheeks. He saw it-She knew he did, because then he smiled much wider, before he turned away.

"You see," he began to explain as he slowly moved away from her, "every time your people perform that ritual, one of us gets to keep that sacrifice. They become ours, and we do as we please with them. Every cycle is a new Shadow Men's turn. This time…" he faced her again, only from a few steps away now, giving Jenny room to breathe-to process. He finished with his eyes pressing down on Jenny tightly, "Was my turn."

Oh.

Jenny now understood two things just from this moment. For one, she knew how an animal must feel under the gaze of its predator, and two, that this demon before her had leverage. And that just made him all the more dangerous.

When he approached her again, it was a lot slower than before, and Jenny held her ground this time, keeping her chin high and her gaze with his as he invaded her space once more. "If you lose, you will go to my Ancestors, and I will get your feeble little friend. But if you win…."

With each word, Jenny felt the pressure building between her lungs, compressing her breaths, her thoughts. When his voice trailed off, right as he stepped into her space, Jenny felt it burst. She jumped off the tree, away from him, but he turned after her, predatory gaze back on her lips, following her as she moved away.

"You will be mine," he finally finished in such a deep voice that rumbled in Jenny's eardrums more than she feared. "And I want you, love. So very much."

"I-I don't believe you," Jenny said, as he finally stopped walking toward her. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"You don't." He said it so simply, with that tiny smirk on his lips, that Jenny felt the fear creeping back up her spine. "But I am the only help you're going to get. So I suggest you trust me, Jenny."

Oh no.

The way he said her name, it sent a shiver down Jenny's back, tingling her skin in such a way-a feeling Jenny never felt before.

"I can't trust you," she snapped. "You're a demon. I'm playing against you-"

"Are you cold?"

The question surprised Jenny. Especially when the man raised his eyebrows in such an insinuating manner. He motioned his head for her arm, which was covered in goosebumps. Of course, Jenny didn't have to answer. She only scowled and rubbed her arm a few times to will away the cold. She was going to say something, or perhaps walk away to end this pointless conversation, until he asked, "Would you like a coat?"

He pulled the thing from behind his back, but it was impossible. The coat was as long as he was, and definitely thicker than his lean waist. There was no way he had that behind his back this whole time; she had seen his back just a second ago-He plucked it from the air.

Jenny knew her eyes were bugging out of her head, but she couldn't help it. Besides that, the coat was...beautiful. Unlike any of the coats in her village. This one was shaded blue, with very coarse fur lining, and what was most likely very nice sheepskin for the inside. But this coat had more than one button going up the front, and holes on the sides-No, pockets. There were details in the lining and a design sewn on the waist. A very high-quality jacket indeed.

Jenny heard herself ask, "How did you...?"

The boy smiled so wide now that his teeth were bared. "Does it surprise you? I can make anything. Even places, all with a single thought."

The boy then held it out to her, like it was the simplest thing in the world to just take it.

"You can have it," he said, then drew the coat back to himself, "for a price."

Of course.

Jenny let out a breath, which was slightly visible from the chill in the air. "You're messing with me," she sighed.

"Only because I adore how bright your eyes get when you're angry." Jenny really wasn't ready for that answer, especially when he continued like it was a part of a story he had read over and over. "Their deep, sensual shade goes as light as limes when you're angry. It's fascinating to watch,how they shine with fury."

Jenny didn't want to think on that-to try and understand the odd tingle she felt from it. "I don't have any currency, nor the time for this. I have a game to win."

Once again, she turned to leave, only to find the boy in front of her, in a new spot. He was leaning against the closest tree to her, holding the coat in his hands, running his fingers down the soft blue pelt.

"Of course you do," he countered smoothly, "but do you truly believe you will finish in one piece wearing that?"

Jenny didn't let him undermine her, no matter how vulnerable she felt in her nightgown. "And how is a mere coat going to help me?"

"Trust me," he said in a much calmer tone. "It will."

Oh, Jenny didn't like this. The way he spoke to her, how deceiving he was. She never expected the demons that tortured her village to be like this; this cunning, this convincing.

"And I'm a Shadow Man, Jenny," he added. "I don't want your currency."

He said it again-that name. Jenny didn't think demons had names or titles, even. She didn't think they'd look like people either, or offer her help. With that thought, she realized they had no use for money either. No, they took people, lives, fear, that's what they used.

Jenny couldn't read into his smile. She couldn't decode his actions, making her very wary on whether or not she should even answer him. One thing she did know, however, was that it was probably wise not to try and trick him, even if his offer to help was most likely a lie.

So she spoke honestly, but sternly. "I'm not going to ask you what you want, if that's what you're expecting. If you want to help me, why don't you just tell me the rules yourself?"

"Because that would be cheating," he answered simply. "And I'm not allowed to cheat so much as you are. I will tell you, however, that you have a time limit for each round."

That sparked the fear right through Jenny, making her body slump with an anxious exhale. She was almost about to run, to stop wasting her time, but her knees went weak-too weak. She felt ready to fall.

"I can also tell you," the boy went on. "That we can see everything you do. Everything you're thinking, everything you fear, your own memories. Even memories...you don't recall, yourself."

Oh, the regret washed over Jenny so fast that she was surprised she didn't fall into a heap on the ground right then and there. But she remained standing, unfortunately, before this demon in this terrible, terrible land, with other demons watching her every move-everything she thought-even her worst fears-

How was she supposed to win? How was she supposed to get around their tricks if they were going off of everything she was doing?

"You see, Jenny…" The boy's voice came to Jenny almost in an echo, deep and mesmerizing. It inevitably drew her gaze up, where he was closer, slowly closing in on her there, with eyes as blue as the sky right before the sun disappears over the mountains. He spoke softly, almost in a whisper, just for Jenny's ears only, as if keeping the words from the forest around them from hearing. "I know exactly what's going to happen in this game. What my Ancestors have planned for you, what you're going to see… I can provide you just enough information, to get you through them. You don't have to trust me, but even so, you have so much more to lose. Am I wrong?"

Jenny understood. She knew what he was saying. That either way Jenny was doomed, but it wasn't her life she was fighting for. In that regard, she had everything to lose. She didn't know anything of this game, or of these demons' nature. If she wanted to save Summer, she needed to win. And to win, she needed to know. Which meant, whether or not this demon just wanted to trick her, to make things harder, she had no other chances of winning.

Jenny saw it, the confirmation in his mystical eyes, knowing she really had no other choice. Thus, with a deep breath, Jenny reached out and touched the coat. The boy's smile stretched from ear to ear, wickedly pleased.

The thing really was as soft as it looked, surprising Jenny upon its touch. The only thing soft like this was from the sheep in the fields, which Jenny rarely got to touch, but this was softer-ran smoother under her fingers. With what little light there was, the coat even gave a beautiful blue gleam, making her mind reel at what animal could possibly have fur that color. Jenny was staring at it, still hesitating upon truly taking it. Yet, the boy pulled it away.

"Allow me," he said politely, then moved around her, opening the coat for her like a...gentleman.

Jenny hesitated greatly, but eventually opened her arms out to her sides where the demon carefully slipped the coat over her arms. He did it gently, without so much as touching her with his own skin. He allowed her to slip one arm in first, then the next. As Jenny shrugged her shoulders into the larger jacket, the boy ran his hands down her back, smoothing the fur in an almost reassuring gesture. Being dressed by a man she knew was anything but human was more unnerving than she thought. The sudden warmth and comfort of the coat, however, shielded a bit of her fear.

"I must be a fool," she breathed to herself as she wrapped her arms around herself once the coat was on.

She felt the boy's hand still on her back, where it remained even as he stepped aside her, close enough where his chest grazed her shoulder.

"My dear Jenny, I have seen plenty of fools in my time. You do not even compare."

Jenny didn't know how to feel about that. She didn't want to know. All she wanted to know was this game, and what she was going to have to do. So she didn't turn away from this demon. In fact, she faced him more accurately, meeting his gaze as strongly as she could when her heart was fluttering in her chest.

"So am I supposed to wander this forest until something tries to kill me?"

This man's smile was back, gentle but amused. "Or until something greets you." His face lit up in the next second, like a child who just remembered something wonderful. He removed the hand from her back and rose his finger in a very matter-of-fact way. "Did you know in some cultures, it is considered rude to make eye contact with someone unless given permission?"

Jenny let that thought simmer in her head for a moment. She wasn't unsettled just from the fact that she hadn't known this, considering Jenny knew nothing of other lives or villages outside her own; but from the fact of why he had even bothered mentioning it. Then again, she knew nothing of the temper and logic of demons.

Yet he shrugged that off before Jenny could even question it, and he turned away from her. "I'll save the story on that for another time. Perhaps...after this game."

It was the way he looked back at her over his shoulder, with a gaze so salacious, that Jenny was hit with the realization of her actions; that if she did win, if she did go to this demon, to what he would do to her-

She was staring at his back in shock as all the possible images came to her mind, wild, and terrifying thoughts, but they all died instantly when something ruptured behind her.

The ground shook so hard that Jenny fell, having to catch herself on the nearest tree. The tremors were followed by a noise so inhuman, so animalistic that Jenny felt her blood drain to her toes. She whipped her head around so fast that something in her neck kinked. She couldn't see the beast, but it was crystal clear. The thing, whatever it was, was large, wild, and utterly enraged.

Jenny looked back to the demon, to demand he explain what it was, but he was gone. His disappearance shouldn't have surprised Jenny considering his sudden appearance had first shocked her. But she didn't have time to think about it because the ground trembled again. The beast roared again, and this time a flock of birds came fleeing from a tree behind Jenny in fear.

Jenny ran in the same direction the birds did.

It came up on her fast, the ground-breaking with each of its bounding steps. It was like the whole earth tremble in each step, making Jenny stumble again and again. Too soon, the breaks between each bound got shorter; the beast was getting faster. Jenny tried to run faster, but it was impossible when the trembling got worse. The growling was behind her now, close enough to be heard, fierce, sharp. The next pound into the Earth was too much, harsh enough to knock a tree right out of the ground, and Jenny's instincts kicked her in the rear.

She dove behind the nearest tree, which wasn't nearly as thick enough as she needed it to be.

There was one more ground-breaking pound into the Earth, before it stopped. Jenny immediately covered her mouth to stifle her gasps for breath. It was right there. Just a few feet behind her. She could hear each of its massive huffs for breath. Each growl echoed in her mind, trembled in the air. She could feel its rage from behind the tree, so palpable that it was choking her.

The beast shuffled around, inhaling sharply-sniffing. It was looking for her.

Jenny held back the whimper in her throat. The only angry animal she ever dealt with was a dog that didn't like to be petted. Horses would freak out sometimes and the chickens always ran from her. In fact, animals never really liked her, but a beast-a monster-Jenny had never faced one. She had heard tales of the beasts, other than the demons, that ventured from the forest, but Jenny had always brushed them off.

Now she could feel the weight of the beast every time it hit the ground. It growled, snarled, then swiped at a tree, nearly exploding the trunk into splinters. The shock made Jenny flinch, but she held back her cry.

There was a clearing in the woods ahead of her, a space in the thrush with just enough light to see, but the path to it was cloaked in shadows. And if she moved, if the beast saw her-

Jenny couldn't help herself. Slowly, impossible slow, Jenny peeked her head around the tree.

The beast was unlike anything Jenny had ever seen. Larger than a horse-than two horses combined, with paws as large as a traveler's wagon and a head the size of a shack. It was covered in a fur that was blacker than coal, but it was missing in pieces, as if it was shedding; there were bald spots all over the creature, and it was-

Bloody. The creature was covered in blood. It matted its fur, dripped from its claws. When it swiveled its large head to the side, she could see its face was scrunched up, with little nubs for ears, a black nose, and teeth-no, those were jaws; a mouth so massive that it could swallow her whole-

Jenny didn't realize she gasped aloud until the creature whipped its head around, finding her instantly-staring her right in the eyes immediately.

She didn't get the chance to even try and hide from it. The beast pounced on her tree, swiping for her with such ginormous claws. Jenny dove away with a scream as the tree was ripped up from the ground, but she then she was running, for the clearing. Yet, she barely made it halfway before the she felt the bounds of the beast behind her-there was nothing for her to hide behind-she wouldn't make it to the line of trees in time-

Jenny jumped back. She forced herself to change direction, throwing herself in full-sprint off to the side. She heard the beast's commotion, clawing into the dirt to stop its momentum forward and throw itself after her. Oh it was fast. Jenny just barely reached the trees again when it swiped for her again. The bark exploded just behind her head.

There was a perfect space, almost like a trail that Jenny found stretched ahead of her. It was clear, wide enough for her to run through without ripping over anything-

-wide enough for the beast, too.

Jenny didn't look to see if that thought was accurate. She jumped back into the thick of the woods, through the trees that were more clustered together. She bobbed and weaved through the trunks, running as hard as she could. She ignored the burn in her lungs. She ignored the pain striking against her bare feet. She just kept running, anything to throw the beast off her. The entire time Jenny waited for the thing to jump on her. It was massive, there was no way she could outrun it forever. And yet it stayed behind her, constantly on her heels.

It was only when Jenny looked back at it over her shoulder that it reached her. As soon as she met its gaze, the beast lurched forward, snapping its jaws right for her.

The heat sliced up the back of her leg, making Jenny scream and stumble. Yet, she caught herself on a tree and forced herself to throw herself forward just as the beast jumped on it. The tree came crashing down, her leg was on fire, but Jenny kept running.

Finally Jenny saw her chance. Two trees, grown too close together that they sprouted up into a V. They were large, thick, and just barely enough space for someone to fit through. A child perhaps, but a woman like Jenny-

She didn't have a choice.

Jenny mustered the last of her strength and charged for the trees. With the bounds of the beast just on her heels again, she took a deep breath and launched herself through the trees. She landed horribly, the gash on her calf making her leg go out on her instantly. She crashed into the ground at the same time as she heard the beast slam into the tree. Jenny had to scramble for a grip on the ground in order to stop herself and by the time she did, she realized she didn't hear the tree collapse.

The beast was stuck. Its massive girth of a head was between the two trees, fur torn and bloody around the cheeks where it had forced itself through. It looked like a poor dog that got its head stuck in the sheep fence last year. It swiped at the trees pathetically, clawing through the bark like tissue paper, back legs digging into the dirt to try and pry itself free.

For a moment Jenny could only stare at the beast. As she sat there and caught her breath she realized she had beaten it. She must have. It was clearly stuck. It didn't get her. She won. That thought was enough to make her smile in relief.

That was until the beast looked at her again.

It was as if meeting her gaze spurred the beast with a surge of strength. With a good swipe of its claws and a twist of its head, one of the trees snapped in half-freeing it-

Jenny tried to scramble back to her feet, but she couldn't look away from the monster. She stared at it as it tore its way free, then charged right for her. Jenny got to her feet, but the pain raced up her leg, making her stumble. There was a flash of something, a glint of light against metal that inevitably caught Jenny's eye amongst the chaos.

A blade. A short knife similar to the ones she used in the kitchen. It fell from her pocket, she saw it-Right there at her feet-

All she saw the blur of matted fur before the weight slammed her in the gut.

It knocked her right off her feet, so easily, like swatting a fly out of the air. Her lower back hit the ground first, before she rolled and stopped by slamming into an unforgiving tree.

Jenny's back hit the tree, knocking her breath away, but she didn't even get the chance to recover from the pain because the beast was on her, growling just above her head, weight hovering over her entire body-Jenny froze. Barely in a sitting position, with her head down, body pressed tight to the tree. She didn't even breathe. It's jaws were right in front of her, teeth growling in her ear, horrible breath burning her eyes-

Don't look it in the eyes, she heard the Shepard's voice echoing in her head, scolding her when the dog had growled at her last week. Don't move. Look down. Just don't make eyes contact-

Eye-contact.

"...eye-contact was considered rude unless given permission?"

What the demon had said-Before, it had only swiped at her after she looked at it. Right now, her eyes were on the ground. It was just snarling at her-teeth on the verge of pressing against her arm, threatening to bite her, but it wasn't. Jenny waited, truly honestly expected the beast to snap her arm off, but it was just standing there, its entire body over her.

If she looked up, would it kill her? Rip her throat open? Crush her skull between its jaws?

Jenny saw the glint of light again-The knife was just there, right behind the beats's paw. But it was impossible. She had seen it across the way, there was no way it got knocked over here with her-But it was, just in arm's reach.

The image of stabbing it, the thought of actually trying to-to kill the thing- made something hot and sick churn in her gut. Jenny never harmed a thing in her life, except for swatting at bees when they got too close. She couldn't even be around the barns when it came to slaughtering hour. To have this beast chase her-to give her a knife-

They wanted her to hurt it. Hell, killing it could be impossible. They wanted her to stab it, to piss it off-But it was going to kill her-No, it was sitting there, growling against her. It gave a huff of disapproval and scratched its claws in the dirt, making Jenny flinch. It moved with her, pressing its jaws so close to her skin that she felt its drool-or the blood from something else-

Jenny had to open her eyes to will away those images, of what it could have killed, but she kept her gaze down, into the dirt. She waited, just a bit longer, and still the beast did not attack her.

Somehow, Jenny understood. That man-that demon-said there were rules-that they played fairly. Was that the rule? That it was rude to make eye contact with a furious beast-that making eye contact with it was its permission to attack? Oh it seemed impossible, to fight a beast simply by not looking at it, but then again so was pulling a coat out of thin air; so was the idea that a demon wanted to help her-

No, he wanted her to attack it. That's why he gave her the coat, with the knife in the pocket. But he told her about the eye-contact. Was he tricking her? God, she couldn't tell anymore.

What she did know was that he said they were watching her-that they could read into her better than she could herself. If that was the case, then Jenny was going to show them what she was made of. That whatever they saw inside her was nothing to what she could do.

Slowly, so slowly, Jenny lifted her arm.

The beast immediately opened its jaws, which made Jenny dig her head back into the tree harsh enough to hurt-But it didn't attack. It stayed there, teeth just on the verge of her skin. Jenny breathed, counted to three, then moved again. Just slightly, she picked the blade up off the ground. The beast growled, deeply-warning her.

Jenny made sure she had a good grip on the knife before she flung it as far as she could with as little movement as possible.

The beast roared at her and although jenny did jump, she didn't look at the beast. She closed her eyes, head back against the tree, and waited.

It felt like forever. Every second felt like minutes, minutes like hours. But Jenny didn't focus on that or the stench or the growling right in her face. She focused on her breathing, on the blood drying on her calf, and waited.

The beast stayed and growled in Jenny's face some more. It even gave a fierce shriek at one point, as if to make her jump or look its way-But she didn't. She remained still, patient, with her head and hands toward the ground.

Then just like that, after what seemed like ages, it gave a huff of disapproval, turned and walked away. It took Jenny a minute to fully accept that fact with the sound of her own blood roaring in her ears louder than the beast had, but once it cleared-Once the adrenaline died and Jenny heard nothing but silence, sweet cruel silence, she lifted her gaze.

Nothing but forest stretched before her. The relief was so overwhelming that Jenny collapsed on herself, bowing her head into the dirt with a silent whimper.