He was running out of time.

The boy was pacing through the fields, the tips of long grass brushing the edge of his boots. The fields resembled a maze. Every step he took swallowed him deeper into the labyrinth. The warm colour of the grain shone like gold.

Out here, he was safe, at least for some time. It would take them a while to find him here. He came to a halt, running a hand through his dark hair as a gentle breeze blew past him, his breath heavy.

He desperately needed a plan.

In the pocket of his tailcoat, he could feel the mask, sitting there, as if it were waiting for him to use it. That was his backup plan, if he couldn't think of any alternative. He loosened his cravat slightly, allowing him to breath more, and he glanced around.

The countryside stretched out for miles around him; the shoots of grass dancing slightly with the wind, the gentle ups and downs of the ground forming hills. It would have been cut off from all civilisation, were it not for the small building in the distance that he had run from.

Behind him, there was a gathering of trees, that expanded out into dense, dark forest. He had always thought the forest was foreboding, it intimidated him a little, but in the worst case scenario, it was somewhere he could hide.

In the distance, he heard the faint murmuring of voices, ripping him from his thoughts.

His head whipped around towards the building, to see where the voices were coming from. There was a group of figures, five or six of them, edging their way towards him. He must have underestimated how long it would take them to find him.

Without thinking, he darted quickly into the woods behind him, pressing his back against the firm trunk of one of the trees. His hand reached for his pocket, the mask still resting there. He had lost too much time and wished he could just freeze this moment, so he could properly think. This wasn't the way he wanted it to go, but deep down he knew that there was no other choice.

Carefully, he took the mask out of his pocket, letting his fingers trace the elaborate patterns across it for a few moments. It was made of a black material, a similar shade to the night sky, and it was encrusted with various small beads and jewels that glistened in the light.

It looked like a mask that a noble gentleman might wear to a masquerade ball, however that was hardly the use the boy had for this particular mask.

He glanced behind him, looking out of the corner of his eye to see how close they were.
There was still some distance, he still had time. Their faces were blurry, but he could make out their features; tall, broad shoulders and dressed in vermeil attire.

Taking in a breath, he lifted up the mask, slipping it over his face. His eyes slowly closed, and his mouth made a silent wish that this would buy him time, let him find a solution.

And then.

The boy faded,
vanishing from the woods.