A Missing Sheep – Part V
Very slowly she took a step backward as a sheep suddenly bleated from a tree above her. A young one. She looked up and regretted it immediately. Half a dozen imitacs were hanging in the tree above her, starring at her with their tiny eyes.
“No…,” she whispered, her stomach felt like she had swallowed a rock.
“Poor sheep?” the imitac asked.
“No? No!” another one answered. All of the creatures were now talking. They seemed to discuss which part of Arthema they would eat first.
“Poor sheep…,” they finally said sadly, followed by more bleating and a very high and animalistic scream that drowned everything else. It sounded very much like the death cry of a certain sheep.
Arthema joined screaming, spun around and started to run as panic gripped her. One imitac jumped on her, bleating madly. It left a deep cut in her back before she somehow managed to throw it off.
She tried to dodge trees and jump over roots but it was more of a tripping and fighting to stay upright than running. The heavy rain that had started did not help either. Her clothes greedily soaked up the water as more and more poured down on her; the canopy was almost no protection against it. Nevertheless, she kept running. She could feel and hear the creatures behind and above her. Bleating and screaming, shouting “Poor sheep!” and “No!” the whole time. Suddenly, the distance between the trees grew bigger. Her pumping heart nearly jumped as she could make out a clearing in front of her. If she made it there, she would be safe, or so she thought. With that thought in mind, she started to sprint the last feet, ignoring her burning lungs and her aching body.
