Her feet dipped in and out of the water, swinging seductively. Reaching down, she trailed her fingers over the top of the water, barely caressing it. This was her home. Surrounded by nothing but love and creatures and green as far as her eyes could see.

Tanis looked up, staring out at the forest that held the lake in it’s embrace, never letting go like a loving mother. Her sanctuary.

The sound of a stick snapping close by caught her interest and her eyes searched the trees. Her heart pleaded for it to be the sign that her dog had returned. Her mind told her to get dressed and run. But no one was ever out here.

Another stick snapped and she jumped. That was definitely closer, and goosebumps began to raise on her arms. She shouted out for her dog and heard nothing. ‘Now would be a good time to run,’ she thought.

Her fear had her frozen. Eyes focused on the area where the sounds were coming from. Please no.

As she plead, a man stepped from behind a tree. His scruffy hair and green eyes immediately caught her attention. Then Tanis did what she had always been taught. As he approached she studied him, trying to remember the fine details.

He had a tattoo of a snake winding up his right arm, and his legs were covered in deep scars. His eyes seemed lifeless, thick scruff covered his chin and upper lip, a scar was on the left side of his face.

He grabbed her then, pulling her up by her arm and placing her back onto her feet. There was silence, both looking into each other’s eyes. Her mouth wide with fear, his face stern.

He took a deep breath, letting her go, leaving her blinking at him. “Run,” he whispered. “Fucking run.”

And she did.

Blindly taking off into the forest, she tripped over rocks and slammed her hands into branches and trunks. She was bleeding and in pain, but she refused to stop. Her naked body seemed to be pulled through the greenery by some unknown force. Tanis stopped suddenly, unaware of where she was, she turned sharply to her left and continued to run.

Where ever she ended up, she hoped she found someone to help her.