The frozen lake cracked beneath his feet. He could still make out the tracks she'd left behind, though the snow had started to fall again, covering them ever so slightly. The quiet was broken only by the sound of the ice creaking under his weight, threatening to crack more should he step wrong. She weighed far less than him, so it made sense that the ice stayed strong under her but not for him. His way forward was treacherous, to say the least.


    The realization that he might lose her took hold. What would he do? If she were discovered, everything was over for him. A panic he'd never felt before washed over him. He redirected himself to thicker ice so he could move quicker. Though the tracks weren't as easy to see from this distance, he could still make out little spots of blood here and there. The bright crimson stood out loudly from the sparkling white snow that covered the land, almost as if they were a beacon for him, lighting his way.


    She knew better than to scream; no one was around to hear her. Wearing all black, hiding should prove to be difficult for her, yet he could not see her. He had not taken her intelligence into account...had not prepared himself for a fight this tough. No one ever got away from him. No matter his faults, not a single soul could say he was disorganized. He planned it all, down to the minute...down to every last hair ripped out or tooth pulled. Never leaving any evidence, never arousing any suspicion. This time, though....this girl could be his undoing.


    The spots of blood were becoming larger and darker. The balled up shirt she was using to stop the blood, it would appear, was fully drenched at this point. A few steps further, a few more spots of blood, and a few steps after that, he could tell that she gave up trying to stop the flow. He was gaining on her, yet still he could not see her. Was she lying in wait, ready to ambush him from behind just as he did to her? Was the mouse now hunting the cat? Or was she dying in a hole somewhere nearby? Succumbing to blood loss and darkness?


    CRACK! The sound of the ice breaking sounded like a shotgun blast in the silent winter evening. He jumped away just as the ice crumbled into the deathly cold water below. Swimming was his weakest skill...he never would have survived a trip under the frozen surface.


    Oriented again, he continued on his path. The trail of blood turned from spots to a steady stream. He found himself wondering how much more blood she could lose before slipping into unconsciousness. The bank was getting closer, and he could see the path of blood follow it up and then into the trees.


    As he made it, finally, to the woods on the other side, he could see that she was starting to slow down. She seemed to be having more trouble lifting her left leg. He found himself wishing he had been drawn to anyone other than her. But he started this and fully intended to finish it.


    He stopped to listen for a moment, his ears fine tuned to sounds of distress. Was that breathing I heard just now? Turning slowly on the spot, careful not to make any noise himself, he searched. Still, he could not see her. Maybe I was just hearing things...his thoughts trailed off, replaced once again by the deafening silence of the snow covered wood.


    Snow was falling thicker now, concealing her tracks more and more as the minutes passed. To him, it felt as though this chase had lasted a lifetime. Never before had it been this hard for him. And he vowed to himself that it never would be again.


    Why had he been drawn to this one? Why did he feel so much for her? He wanted her. Wanted to lay with his face in her beautiful, crimson colored hair. Wanted to feel her against him. Wanted to fall asleep with her in his arms...but just like all the others before her, she didn't want him back. Why didn't she want him? No one else can have her if she won't have me. She is mine. My lover. My enemy. Mine. Nothing would stop him from making his dreams come true.


    Fantasies had filled his head for his entire life, as far back as he could remember. Women, in particular, had always fascinated him the most. They way they moved, they way they spoke...the way they screamed and moaned, the way they begged and pleaded to be let go. This one took him by surprise, though. He really did think that she loved him in some way. In the same twisted, grotesque way that he loved her. Was she really just pretending? Couldn't she see what was right in front of her? Didn't she know what she was rejecting?


    Anger rose up in him, like a monster rearing its ugly head. His eyes felt hot as if the anger had started to boil his blood. He was enough for her, he knew it. He just had to make her see it...Biting back the beast, he took a deep breath to center himself again. He knew he'd never find her if he let his emotions get the best of him.


    They'd been playing this game for so long that the light had begun to fade. With the dark of night creeping in quickly, he knew he only had about twenty minutes left to find her. If only she'd stayed. If only she could see how much he loved her.


    A flash of red disappeared behind a tree about 50 ft ahead of him. She must have seen him coming. I found you...He trudged through the sleeping, white forest. There she was; laying face down, whimpering softly, her blood staining the snow under her. The chase was over. Now, you are mine. I will make you see me. I will make you love me.


    He knelt next to her near-lifeless body, tying a scarf around her thigh just below her hip to slow the bleeding. Taking in the beauty before him, he bent over and whispered in her ear, "It's time to come home, Mary."