The Climb The climb was long and treacherous, the mountain peak beckoning like a white beacon. I panted with the effort of walking, my legs straining and threatening to give way under me. Just a few more moments, i assured myself. I heard a deafening, unearthly screech behind me and looked around. Behind me was only the bland snowy path and rocks lining along side them. I was being hunted. After failing to spot the source of the sound I went back to my trek, shivering from the frost. I thought back to what my father had told me a few weeks before "Fear resides only where you believe it resides. Threat however is real. Do not believe in the threat and fear will evaporate" The saying had never made much sense before then yet at that time those words had never be truer. I wanted to believe there was no threat but fear still gripped my heart like a vice, crushing me slowly. I felt a wave of fear down my spine and heard the cry again, much closer now. I kept on placing one foot in front of them, determined to reach the summit. I stared at my feet, making sure they did not let me down. The same questions kept going through my head; what was following me? What was waiting for me at the summit? Why was I there? When I looked up…I was there. The summit was a small flat snowy patch holding only a single tiny steel box. I walked towards the container, transfixed and confused by its existence. I did not understand; why was there a box at the entrance at the heaven? Where were the gates I had been told of? What was supposed to happen? Before I reached it, I felt a rough, toothed mouth clamp around my legs and pulling back, to the floor. I desperately attempted to pull free and get up but the mouth remained there. I got a glimpse of my attacker; a huge, black dog with three ferocious heads and shining red eyes. I had heard of the demon said to lurk on the mountain yet had dismissed the tales as folklore to scare the kids. The savage beast brutally tugged me backwards and I felt my legs go over the edge and the monster let go, dropping me into oblivion. I screamed as I plummeted back down to the foot of the mountain and I hit the ground with a deathly crack. My vision blurred and pain swarmed over my body as I died.