Darkness Chills

The darkness surrounded her like a suffocatingly hot cloak in the middle of summer. Her eyes were wide as she attempted to see the shapes around her, but none were forth coming. She knew they were there, but did they know she was there as well? Could they sense her presence and, if so, when would they strike her down?

Her knees were weak and she longed to fall to the ground and cover her head, as if that would protect her. She was only human after all. A fragile, breakable flesh and bones human.
Flesh that was easily ripped, bones that were so easily snapped like thin, dry twigs in the middle of summer.

A shudder ran down her spine as the movement increased all around her, murmurings, whisperings. But no words were distinguishable from the voices. In fact she wasn't even sure they were voices... They could be things in the darkness talking but then again there was a breeze. Was her mind playing cruel tricks on her, making her hear things that were nonexistent? Oh yes, quite possibly. But if she took that thought and ran with it (literally) and it turned out she was wrong then she would be struck down within seconds of her flight to freedom.

So she was stuck. If she moved and it truly wasn't her mind playing tricks she'd be dead. Yet if she stayed where she was, eyes wide, breath coming in ragged uneven gasps and legs feeling as though they would fail at any moment, she would most certainly be found by those that lurked in the shadows.

The whisperings increased in volume and then abruptly halted. The wind continued to tickle her flesh, causing goosebumps to erupt. Then the wind died down and a whisper came from her left, unintelligible, but it was there. Her heart thudded against her chest and a sweat broke over her brow.

It wasn't the wind.

By the Gods the whisperings hadn't been caused by the wind.
All fell silent once more and her ears strained for any hint of noise. The silence was certainly worse than the whispering, hissing voices that had once surrounded her.