‘He’s chasing me!’ Donatella thought as she ran through the field. She hiked up her long, white dress to keep her from tripping. She held it up with one hand as she held a lantern with the other, running to save her life.

“Come to me,” the stranger called out.

Donatella looked back, regretting her decision when she saw the stranger pick up his pace. She had to run faster if she wanted to get away.

She didn’t know who the stranger was or why he was after her. She had seen him earlier that night at the tavern where she was a barmaid, but paid him not attention. Just another drunk. That’s all she thought he was, but didn’t think he meant any harm.

When she left the tavern, that was when she noticed he was following her, calling out her name. At first, she wondered how he knew her name, until she realized he must’ve heard someone say it at the tavern. She knew that she didn’t know him and that was why she was trying to outrun him.

‘Where am I?’ She looked around. There was nothing but empty space, a dead field of some kind of crop. She couldn’t tell what used to be there, but this was an area she never ventured to before. She was far from her village and she didn’t know how to get back.

The footsteps of the stranger got closer. Donatella started to run again, forgetting to lift up her dress, causing her to fall to the ground, dropping the lantern out of reach. She tried to get up, but she had no more strength left in her.

The stranger got closer, spotting Donatella on the ground. He walked to the spot where she laid and stood over her body.

“Did you really think you could escape me?” He gave a sinister laugh.

“Why are you after me? I…I don’t know who you are,” she started to cry.

The stranger lowered himself to the ground. “You may not know who I am now, but you will soon,” he whispered into her ear.