Every twist and turn in the woods seemed indistinguishable. A path had wound through these trees, Wendy remembered it distantly. It had been a calming ritual once, walking every Sunday to attend church. Now sweat poured down her face as she tore her way down the trail only present in her memory. It had been a long time since anyone had trod this path.
Behind her, branches snapped beneath the heavy footfalls of something huge. It was after her, hunting. Only narrow glimpses of the thing had presented themselves so far, but even that had made Wendy's blood run cold.
She focused on the path, but all the while, the image of the thing stuck in her mind.
It was large, larger than a bear, easily. There wasn't anything larger than a bear in these woods. Or, at least, there shouldn't have been. It had caught her scent on the breeze, standing on its hind legs, almost like a man, but it was all wrong. A long snout protruded from its face, and black fur the color of shadows covered every inch of its body. A body which, from even the most conservative estimate, was at least double the size of her own. Even through coarse dark fur and thick hide, she saw corded muscles tense as it turned and saw her. Then it had turned its snout up, and howled.
That had sent her flying off. Its howl, so loud, so haunting, had pierced her heart like a shot. A moment later it was after her. That small head start was all that had saved her, she knew. But it was gaining on her, and even with the adrenaline flooding her body, her legs were starting to tire. The twigs and branches whipped at her dress, leaving bleeding notches on her fair skin and pulled at her dark hair like malevolent fingers, doing everything in their power to distract her, but in her panic went nearly entirely ignored.
Finally, mercifully, the old chapel came into view. Its crumbling steeple rose above the surrounding trees like a tombstone from the grass, but even still, Wendy felt a pang of relief. If her situation were less dire, she might've fallen to her knees and uttered a prayer right there. She groped at the cross that hung around her neck, catching it mid-bounce and giving it a quick squeeze as she continued forward.
The small glade around the chapel had narrowed since the place was used. Unkempt nature crept in, grass growing tall and vines crawling over the gray stone of the walls and graves.
It was close behind now, its four-legged footfalls drawing ever closer. She swore she could feel its breath on the back of her neck. It burned like fire to the terrified woman. Surely, the beast would catch her. Wendy found her lips moving in silent prayer as she ran.
She prayed for speed. She prayed for strength. She prayed for sanctuary.
Wendy stormed up the steps to the immense doors. Behind her, something tripped the beast up, a loose stone or errant vine. Whatever it was, she had no time to check. Instead, she slipped through the narrow gap between the doors, thankful beyond measure that they were just slightly ajar, then throwing herself against it with all her might once inside. The great hinges squealed unhappily as the immense door gave way to her desperate pushing. As they moved, a brief moment presented itself, and she took it to gaze through the narrowing crack at her pursuer.
Close as it was, it seemed even more horrible. Claws, wicked sharp and practically the size of Wendy's fingers, scored the earth beneath it. Behind, deep footprints indicated the sheer weight of the creature. At the moment, it moved on the stairs awkwardly, recovering from its stumble. But as it regained its footing, it showed no sign of slipping again. Just as it righted itself fully, the sliver between the door and the wall closed with a deep, resonating
boom.
Perhaps as an act of divine providence, the large bar Wendy hadn't noticed came crashing down, slamming into place across the doors with a loud
bang
that nearly stopped her heart. She threw herself back, falling to the floor as she saw the bar now in place, dust long caked on its surface drifting almost peacefully to the ground. She scrambled back to her feet, and yelped as another
bang
rang out, echoing across the room.
A growl emanated from the other side, followed quickly by something between a bark and a shout, before another
bang
rattled Wendy to the core. Each impact shook a cascade of dust from the doors. It was subtle, at least by comparison, but the sound of wood slowly splintering accompanied each impact.
Wendy turned, looking frantically around the inside of the building. Ruin had asserted itself slowly on the inside, but thoroughly. The long stretch of the church's nave was littered with detritus; chunks of brickwork that had fallen from the ceiling and puddles of water. Pews, once laid in orderly rows, had been tossed about and scattered. Some were broken apart as if by force, while others seemed to have been undisturbed ever since the building's abandonment. All were crumbling in on themselves, hardly recognizable in the building's dark belly.
She hurried down the center, unconsciously walking what
should
have been the central aisle. A fine rug had once covered the floor, from the nave's opening all the way to the altar. It was totally gone now, disintegrated and replaced in some places by patches of moss or piles of dirt. Wendy passed them quickly, clutching the crucifix in her hand as tight as she could, muttering a prayer.
"Our Father, w-who art in Heaven, H-Hallowed be thy name..."
Buried beneath one of the crumbling pews, bones poked out. Wendy blanched when she saw it, and hurried her steps. The slamming on the doors continued.
"... Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on E-Earth as it is-"
A particularly violent slam made her jump, and round on the doors fearing that it would fall. They remained standing, but the bar across them had started to bow. She turned again, hurrying her way along and holding the crucifix almost directly against her lips, as though God might hear her better that way.
"-as it is in h-heaven! Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us!"
Her echo grew more distinct as she walked beneath the domed ceiling. The holes in the structure did little to dampen the echoes. Shafts of moonlight filtered through the openings, mixing with the light filtered through the shattered windows. Shards of that stained glass clinked under her feet, myriad reflections of her plain features twisted in fear cracking apart as she continued.
"L-Lead us not into t-temptation-"
A mighty crack shot through the chapel as the bar bent. The doors squealed open just an inch, and the beast's growls grew far more audible, joining Wendy's harrowed voice in the echo. It clawed at the doors, scratching deep grooves in the wood. Its teeth, long and sharp, glinted like knives in the light. She broke into a sprint, trying to get as far from the doors as she could.
"-Deliver us from the evil one, for thine is the-"
The beast withdrew its claws, and threw itself again into the doors. The bar gave up its last, splintering apart at the middle as the doors swung open. The creature burst through, giving its head a strong shake before peering around and sniffing at the air. Wendy glanced back over her shoulder, and saw its nose pull in her direction. For a moment their eyes met. Even at such a distance, something terrible in its gaze struck her. Her body grew cold, colder than the night air around her. She stumbled over something in her path and tumbled over, hard stone knocking what little wind she had left from her chest.
