Staring down at...what?

Tuesday's writing prompt: Staring down at...

How did you complete that sentence? What did you come up with? Here's how I did it.



Staring down at her hands, Jane shivered, opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out. So much blood. Wet and sticky it dripped from her skin, bright red tears landing on the glistening white snow. She had to get it off, make it go away. Heart pounding against her chest, Jane scrubbed her palms over her pants, slid them down her thighs. She looked again. The blood was still there.

“Why did it not go away?”

“Ja-ane,” a voice sang out across the crisp, cold air.

Fear shot up her spine, twisted her gut. Heart caught in her throat, Jane ran. She slugged through the snow in her boots, made an effort to lift her knees and gain speed but her knees refused to cooperate.

“Ja-ane.”

Jane glanced over her shoulder, tripped, and fell sinking into the snow up to her knees. The cold hit her like a punch to the chest, knocking the wind out of her.

Keep going. Do not let the bastard get you. Get up! Move! She reached out, her hands plunging into the snow and halted when her fingers hit something hard, solid. Her breath came in shallow pants as she tugged. She lost her grip, slipped, and fell back on her ass. Tears threatened to escape as the wind whooshed out of her. Try again! Do not give up! Scrambling to her knees, Jane thrust her hands back into the snow and felt around blindly.

Got it! She curled both hands around the object, braced herself, took a deep breath that had nails of frigid air spiking her lungs and yanked with all her might. Her scream rent the air, echoed in the mountains.