Sneak peek. Merry Christmas.

I thought I would give you all a small Christmas present. Below is an excerpt from Olivia's story. It is a rough draft with little editing so be kind. I know it is not ready to publish!

A Night to Forget

I glared at my phone and sighed. Nothing would change my friend's mind about the party, Emma would make me go, no matter the excuses I tried to make. As an artist I spent most of my time alone in my studio painting. I like it that way. People were annoying and created drama and problems, that's what I always told myself. In truth I was deeply shy and hurt by the betrayal of my fiancé three years ago.

Gregg had walked out on Christmas eve with no word. Later I discovered that Gregg had only been using me for a place to live. Once his father passed and the will was read, he left. He owned his family's properties and business and moved to London, without me. For weeks I cried to myself to sleep, texting and emailing every day until he finally responded. ‘Sorry, but it’s over. I’ve found someone else.’

After the text I threw myself into my art. I painted everything and my work sold well through my website. Within a year I bought and moved into a small two bedroomed house and shut out most of the world. I never wanted to give anyone the chance to hurt me again.

Now I would need to face another ordeal. With Christmas fast approaching my friends encouraged me to attend the parties with them. Never one to socialise much, I preferred my own company, but I occasionally went with them to keep the peace. The party at the social club was only ten minutes from my house, and I knew I could leave as soon as they were busy with the single men in the room. Nothing could have prepared me for this night. It is the night I long to forget.

It was dark and bitterly cold, but dry as I made my way down the street. The snow had settled in drifts and the pavement was slippery with ice. Pulling my black coat tighter around my shoulders I walked with dread in my heart. People were irritating. The crowd gathered outside the social club, waiting to go inside, was visible from a distance. Emma waved as I approached, her red face shining with joy. A shadow moving in the trees behind her caught my eye, I shivered and turned towards the door.

“Hey, Olivia. You remember Kate, right? I know you are going to ditch me as soon as I get distracted so I thought I better bring back-up.”

I smiled and nodded hello to Kate, keeping my teeth clenched to stop them chattering with the cold.

Waves of heat hit us as soon as we entered the club. Tinsel glittered under the disco lights and christmas music blared from the speakers. Shrugging out of my coat, I brushed the creases from my red velvet dress and made my way to the bar. The night proceeded as I expected. Within minutes Emma and Kate were busy entertaining the single men and I was left standing at the bar nursing a cosmopolitan. Until he came.

The man didn’t speak, he was tall with silky blond hair, icy blue eyes and the most handsome smile. He took my hand and pulled me onto the dancefloor spinning me until I was dizzy and unable to stand alone. Helpless and unable to protest, I held onto the handsome man.

Completely under his spell, I waltzed with the handsome man for what felt like hours. With no knowledge of who he was, I gave in to the rhythm of the music and the festive atmosphere.

As quickly as he came, he disappeared, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the dancefloor. I shook away the sadness that came over me and walked back to the bar. Emma and Kate were standing there staring at me and bombarded me with questions. I had no answers for them. As the evening wore on more men came asking for a dance. I refused them all, searching the crowd for a glimpse of the handsome stranger.

After what felt like hours, I saw him. I looked to the door, hoping for a way to escape, and there he stood. His eyes pinned me from across the room. I gasped. Something drew me to this stranger, as though fate had decided our paths should cross. A slight tilt of his head had me longing to follow him as the door swung closed, blocking him from sight.

I grabbed my coat and almost ran to follow. Nothing could have held me back. Pushing through the door I slipped my arms into the coat and looked around. A light snow started to fall as I caught sight of the man standing beneath a tree. He was close to the entrance of the wood that surrounded the small town and I followed without a second thought. Street lights pushed the dark away as I walked closer.

“Come.”

That one word sent a shiver down my spine, yet still I followed. Darkness slipped around me as I walked further into the woods and away from civilization. The music blared behind us as someone came out of the club. For just a second i turned. i wanted to go back, i wanted the safety of the lights and people, but something pulled me deeper into the darkness. The light snowfall thickened as i followed the main pathway through the trees. The handsome stranger was a few steps ahead, a shadow beyond the snow.

“Wait.” I called. “I can’t see you. Where are you going?”

An eerie moan was the only reply to my questions. It sounded muffled, but close. I stopped. The wind whipped my hair into my face and the icy snow stung where it struck my red cheeks. The moan came again. For a moment I was undecided. The handsome stranger was no longer visible on the path ahead and the strange sound seemed to be coming from a small pathway to my right. I stepped off the main path and followed the sound, certain that someone was in trouble. Who would be walking alone in the woods on a night like this? I wondered for a moment how sane the person could be before realising that I was also walking in the woods alone.

I glanced back the way I had walked, searching for a glimpse of the handsome stranger, but he was nowhere in sight. I was alone. Alone in the dark woods where no one would think to look for me. I knew my friends would assume I had gone home as usual. No one would wonder where I was for a day or two, if not weeks.

Panic settled like a lump in my chest and I forgot about the sound I had heard. Rushing forward, I gasped for breath as the snow hit my face the second I came out from under the trees. The icy air tore at my lungs, burning me from the inside. my eyes watered as I finally recognised the danger that awaited me. The ferocity of the storm made it impossible to see more than a few inches in front of me. The tree's shelter had concealed the storm's rage.

I squinted, peering through the snowflakes. I was standing on the edge of a meadow and could just make out the trees behind me. Fear made me shiver harder when I realised I had no idea where the meadow was or how I had got there. I walked in these woods most weeks and had not come across the meadow before. Nothing seemed familiar.

I pushed my hands deeper into my coat pockets, my fingers slipped across the smooth surface of my mobile phone. With a cry of relief I pulled it out. The screen blazed bright in the dark night as I tapped in my password. No signal. I screamed my frustration into the night sky and cursed myself for my stupidity.

The treeline was close, just a few steps away. I walked, pushing through the snow that now lay higher than my ankles. A cluster of evergreens gave me some shelter that I badly needed. The bottom of my dress was soaked, heavy with snow and I could barely feel my feet. Shivering against the wind, I pulled my coat tighter around my hunched shoulders. With the small torch on my phone, I searched the surrounding darkness. Something was close. I could feel it. Something was watching me.

“Hello?” I peered into the darkness.

The shadows shifted just beyond the light from my phone. I ran. I had no idea where I was going, whether I was heading deeper into the woods or back towards the social club meant nothing. I only knew that I had to move. Intuition told me that to stay in the cluster of trees would mean my death, so I ran.

The snow and icy crunched under foot as I sped along unused and overgrown paths. my dress caught on a low branch and the flimsy material ripped as I pulled away, screaming in fear. Tears froze on my face as I fell to the ground sobbing. Heart hammering in my chest, I gasped for breath. Nothing seemed quite real as I peered through the darkness.

I reached out and picked up the phone from where it had fallen. The screen was shattered, but the light still worked and I could see the path ahead. I climbed back to my feet and checked myself for injuries. A shallow cut on my wrist stung as I pulled a small piece of glass out. It bled freely and I was mesmerised by the flow as each drop fell to stain the snow at my feet.

I stood, undecided. my ankle and knees hurt from the fall, but they held my weight as I peered into the darkness, searching. Step by step I made my way carefully through the trees. The snow was thinner on the ground here, but I could still hear the wind howling through the treetops. The storm was far from over. The shadows shifted all around as I made my way through the trees. Nothing came close and slowly my heart returned to its normal rhythm. I walked on calmly, until I found myself back in the meadow.

I collapsed to the floor and sobbed. I sheltered in the same cluster of evergreens and cried out into the night. Hopeful thoughts crossed my mind. Maybe someone had followed me from the party. Maybe the handsome stranger was lost in the woods as well and they could help each other find a way out. Maybe one of my friends had seen me walking into the woods and was looking for me. Even as each thought crossed my mind I knew I was fooling myself, but the small hope was all I had to hold on to.

I didn't remember closing my eyes, but a scream tore through the night and jolted me awake. my whole body was stiff and cold, i struggled to stand and whimpered from the ache in my legs. Pain stabbed through my ankle as I hobbled forward into the snow filled meadow. Without thinking I walked towards the scream. Terrified and wanting to run, I fought against the urge that pulled me forward.

The snow and wind buffeted me from all directions, but I walked on and finally reached the far side. The trees were further apart here, but it was still more sheltered than the meadow. Fear tried to take control again, but I pushed it aside, knowing I needed to keep my head if I wanted to survive. I paused, closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm my nerves.

I walked on, not knowing where I was going. Something pulled me forward. I used the tree trucks to stay on my feet, leaning on them as I passed. The feel of the rough bark beneath my fingers held my mind in the world that I knew and stopped the terror from taking over, until I tripped.

I hit the ground hard and pain shot through my injured wrist and knees. Tears filled my eyes, but I fought them back, not wanting to give in to the panic. I would not give in to the part of me that wanted to give up. I reached for my phone, safe in my pocket and tapped in the password. It still worked. I flicked on the light and turned it to see what tripped her. my scream pierced the night.

A body lay at my feet. my handsome stranger, half frozen to the ground. His icy blue eyes stared out into the darkness above, unseeing.

I waited for my heart to slow and tried not to look into the eyes that had captured my attention earlier that night. Was it really just a few hours ago, I wondered. It felt like I had been lost in the storm for days. Alone and afraid.

Something was wrong. As my mind started to work again, I noticed that there were no marks. Using the light from my phone, I searched for any signs of what had killed him, but there was nothing. No blood, no bruising, nothing. If his eyes were not frozen open I could almost have believed that he was just sleeping, but the fear was etched in every line of his face. Something had terrified him to death.

Movement to the left drew my attention, something was coming closer. I watched as a shadow, about seven feet tall, ducked behind a tree just out of the light from my phone. my breath caught. I stared, my eyes frozen to the spot.

I shook my head trying to convince myself I had imagined the shadow. I didn't want to stay with the body, or the shadow. I stood and leaned on a tree for support. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I glanced, one last time, at the man who had danced me around the room. I would probably never know his name now. There was nothing I could do to help him, but try to remember where he lay so his body could be recovered later.

I tore strips of material from my dress and tied them to branches as I made my way through the trees again. There was nothing to do, but try and find a way out. I followed one overgrown path after another, searching for the main path that would lead me out of the woods. The shadows moved around me and occasionally a screech pierced the darkness. I pressed on.

After a while the wind dropped and I could hear everything that moved over the frozen ground. The snowfall was less of a blizzard now and I could see a few feet in front of me, but still the moving shadows stayed just out of sight. I knew I was being stalked, but not knowing what it was terrified me.

People often told stories of hikers who got lost in the woods, but I never believed I would become one of them. I spent my time in my warm house surrounded by paint and canvas. Usually the only time I went out was to go shopping or take photos. The panic in my heart tried to take over again as I stumbled over the roots of a tree. I grabbed at a low branch and held myself up, looking around for anything familiar.

The night was silent. No birds chirped and no animals scurried in the brush, but I knew I was not alone. I pulled my phone from my pocket and flicked the light on. A single bar in the corner made me gasp. I had a signal, quickly I dialled Emma's number and listened to the ringing. The normalcy of it brought tears to my eyes. No answer.

‘Lost in the woods. HELP.’ I typed the message onto the glowing screen. After hitting send, I waited. The phone beeped in my hand, low battery.

“No.” I screamed as the light died and I was plunged back into darkness. Tears slid down my cheeks. There was no way to know if the text had been sent before the phone died. No way to know if help was on the way. Now I truly felt alone.

I shoved the phone back into my coat pocket and leaned back against the tree trunk taking deep breaths. I focused on my breathing, blocking out everything until I felt a warm breath on my face.

I opened my eyes and screamed. Orange glowing eyes filled my vision. The animal, whatever it was, growled and backed away before darting back into the darkness. I could hear it moving around and took off running. I wondered for a moment if I should have stayed still. i remembered some nature programs say it was best not to run from an animal as it might chase you, thinking you are pray. How could I possibly know what was the right thing to do?

When the wind and snow hit me in the face, I stopped and looked around. I was back at the edge of the meadow again. Exhausted and frustrated, I sank to the ground in the middle of the open space. How did I keep ending up back here? I was certain I had not turned around, my sense of direction was usually good, yet here I was. The evergreens stood tall, their branches reaching out for me, almost seeming to mock me for trying to leave. Once again the shadows shifted beneath the trees.

I watched as something crept to the edge of the meadow. It did not step out of the shadows but I was certain it was the same creature that had stalked me for hours. Moving away from the creature, I headed towards the evergreen trees on the opposite side of the clearing. The storm had almost passed and I could see, but the snow was still falling and the temperature would only get lower through the night. I cursed myself for not checking the time before my phone died. How long was it before dawn? Would I be able to find my way out once it got light?

Once I reached the evergreens I looked around. The shadow creature circled the meadow, coming closer. A large sycamore tree stood to one side of the evergreens and I began to climb. My tattered dress hindered my progress and my coat snagged on branches as I climbed. I pulled free ignoring the tearing sound and climbed higher. I stopped only when the branches became dangerously thin.

The shadow creature circled the tree truck. Now I could see it better, I thought it might be a wolf. It seemed far too large and there had not been any wolves in the area for over a hundred years but it was the only logical explanation. After a few minutes the creature howled. The noise echoed across the meadow and bounced around the trees. I watched as it paced around the tree three times before bounding off into the woods.

The branches swayed around me as I sat, clinging to the tree trunk. I started to drift off to sleep then jerked awake when my hand slipped. There had been no sign of the creature for at least an hour so I decided to risk climbing down. Once my feet were safely on the ground, I peered into the trees. Nothing moved.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes trying to visualise the direction I faced. I knew the direction I had walked from the social club and should be able to find the path if I stayed calm. The storm had blown over and the snow no longer obscured my vision. Setting off across the meadow, I hoped she was right. A distant howl made me want to run, but I refused to allow the fear to take over again.

As I walked I knew I needed to find shelter soon. My feet and hands were numb from the cold and I could barely feel my face. I stumbled every few minutes, but refused to give up. The seven foot shadow moved through the trees to one side, but I could hear other movement all around me. I stumbled and fell when howls filled the trees.

I lay still, too exhausted to rise again and waited. Howls were interspersed with growls, then followed by a scream of pain. I heard footsteps running away as I drifted, then a warm breath hit my face. I clenched my hand as my arm was lifted gently. Fur filled my palm, shifting between my fingers as I lost consciousness.

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Merry chistmas, until next time...

Grab a book. Snuggle up and read. A good story can take you anywhere.

Just believe.