(Proofread by KillerRobotQuote)

Trees whizzed past as I rushed through the undergrowth, dodging and weaving between bushes and shrubs. The sound of my thumping heart pounded inside my ears like the beat of a war drum. I quickly snapped my head back to see that my pursuer was still close behind, getting closer by the second.

Redoubling my efforts, I tried to avoid serious injury as I ploughed through the thick foliage, lest the creature catch up and eat me alive. I continued my desperate onslaught and begged for this nightmarish horror to cease.

I stumbled as I tripped on a tree root, but regained my balance. Unfortunately, this meant that the beast was now only a few metres away! I was dead meat if I didn't do something quickly!

You're probably wondering 'Who is this guy and how did he get into this mess?' Right? Well, let me introduce myself. My name is Scott Hilton, a 30 year old British doctor who lived in Tunbridge Wells and worked in a hospital up in London. In my free time, I was either working out or playing on my console. I had a loving mother, father and brother whom I loved dearly. So, my life was pretty good, if I do say so myself. But I was always left wanting more...

I often dreamt of travelling to a far off land, a utopia, my utopia. Away from corruption, debt, war and crime. That one day, I would find the paradise I so very much longed for and live there for the rest of my life.

And I know what you're thinking, that such a place couldn't exist and I'm being selfish because I have a decent life, with a lovely family and brilliant friends and I want to leave them behind. I'll admit that it is pretty selfish of me to think in this way, but with everything that has happened over the past decade or so, and with everything that is happening right now plus the stress of everyday life, sometimes I just feel like getting away from it all.

That's enough about me. Now on to why I was being chased through a forest by a rather very unfriendly abomination.

I woke up at 0630 to the annoyance that is my alarm. Hauling myself out of bed, I wandered downstairs to have breakfast. I went back upstairs after two bowls of cereal to get changed for work. I left my house and drove to the train station and caught a train to Charing Cross. Work at the hospital was surprisingly slow that day, as I had only attending to two patients. So what do most doctors do if they aren't helping patients?

Paperwork...

Lots and lots of fucking paperwork!

And that's all I did for the next couple of boring, mundane hours.

After I returned home, I changed into some casual clothes, grabbed a can of Coca-Cola and switched on the TV to watch whatever tickled my fancy. It was only when I was interrupted by the sound of my growling stomach that I decided to make dinner.

Chicken Tikka Masala and rice. You can't go wrong with that! I repositioned myself on the sofa with my meal and continued my viewing. I watched 'MythBusters', 'Doctor Who', and 'Top Gear' before deciding to head off to bed.

Completing my bedtime routine, I flopped onto my invitingly comfy bed. I was too tired to take off my clothes, but also I didn't have work the next day so I didn't need to worry about getting up early in the morning.

It was 1037 and I was lying awake, thinking about my dream destination. The image slowly formed in my head as I slowly drifted to sleep.

'A silent enclosed beach. The sun was blinding as it emerged; it rose like a yellow balloon on the distant horizon. As the sun gradually started to appear, a new day unfurled. As the gentle waves lapped against the shore, a shoal of crowded fish darted to and fro. Seagulls swooped down from the sky, determined to catch their unsuspecting prey. The never ending golden sand stretched out as far as the eye could see. The silent echo of the lifeless sea is startling as the day begins; it was almost as if it had sucked out the souls of the nearby creatures.

Shopkeepers prepared themselves for the crazy day ahead by displaying their merchandise on the pavements to attract the bustling customers. Buckets and spades adorned on the shop windows and children - captivated by the bright colours - rushed to spend every single penny of their pocket money. The golden blanket was outlining the silvery sea. A pod of large grey dolphins leaped out of the water, showing off to each other and dancing from one place to the next. It was a breathtaking sight. Every movement of the dolphins was picture perfect, the way they glistened in the sunlight and revealed that welcoming and beautiful smile. Rows of freshly painted beach huts stand proudly side by side; like soldiers on parade.

As the sun gradually started to disappear, nightfall arrived. This signified that the day was drawing to a close. The happy sounds of laughter that were once there echoed around the empty beach. The gloomy shadow of dusk descended over the sea. Feeble light from the few remaining streetlights appeared to dim as the night clouds rolled in. Birds silenced their song and fled to the safety of their nests. Sandcastles are washed away with the seawater by the changing direction of the tide. Any last remaining footsteps disappeared, and were buried beneath the sand. The wind played with the sand, tossing it around in the air like a tornado, but then quickly released it again. It was once again a perfect end to a perfect day in a perfect paradise.'

I was forcibly yanked from my musing. I rubbed my head to try to ease the headache that plagued the front of my skull. As I gingerly sat up, I observed my surroundings. Instead of being in my bed with soft cotton sheets, I was sitting in the middle of a clearing on crisp leaves and soggy dirt. What replaced my bedroom was a vast sea of dark, gloomy, bizarrely shaped trees. I looked up at the sky to see that it was morning.

"Where the bloody hell am I?!" I exclaimed to myself.

Slowly, I picked myself off the damp ground and brushed off the few clinging leaves and clumps of dirt. A deep, low roar filled my ears and kept me firmly rooted to my spot. A large shadow stood just beyond the clearing. It crept into clearing, and what I saw was unlike anything I had seen before. The creature stood at about 5 feet. Though I was a good foot taller, it scared me shitless. Its head and body resembled that of a lion, but it had a pair of bat-like wings and a scorpion's tail. My breathing became laboured as I started to hyperventilate while I leaned against the tree, pressing my back hard against the bark. My legs shook uncontrollably.

At this point in time I had 3 options:
1) Stand still and try to make myself look bigger and threatening to scare it away.
2) Slowly walk away and hope that it doesn't follow.
3) Be a complete and utter pillock and try to outrun it.

Now, I like to think of myself as an individual who doesn't panic in stressful situations, being a doctor and all. But for some untold reason, I panicked. And when I say panicked, I mean I screamed in fear and ran for my life.

So now that you know who I am and the events that lead to me being chased, let's continue with the story.

"FUCK!" I screamed as I ducked out of the way of the pouncing creature, sending it on a collision course with a rather thick oak.

Much to my horror, the force of the impact shattered the tree, firing splinters everywhere. And the thing hadn't stopped. With this, I ran harder and faster than I had in my life. My calves were burning with the building lactic acid. I was exhausted. I didn't know how much longer I would be able to keep this up.

But in the distance, I saw an opening and past that, there was a village. I'm saved only if Mr. Kitty fucked off.

'Come on, come on. You can do this! I thought, encouraging myself to make the final push.

As I reached the opening, I slowed down, not by much. But it was still enough for Mr. Kitty to get a good swing at me, sinking its claws into my back. Despite the pain, I kept running to village, hoping that the inhabitants could help me.

Upon entering the village, I looked back to see that Mr. Kitty had walked back into the tree line. I sighed in relief as my ordeal ended. Now all I needed to do was find someone to deal with my wounds.

But life works in funny ways. In my case, painful ways...

I swung my head back around and saw that I was three metres from a wall and running at full tilt.

'This is going to hurt!' I thought as I braced for the impact.

Oh boy, did it hurt. As I fell to the ground, I heard someone speak before losing consciousness.

"Oh sweet Celestia! Spike, we need to get him to the hospital! Contact the princesses!"

Author's Notes:

And there it is. I hope you enjoyed the opening chapter to my first story.
Tell what you thought of it and suggest anything that needs adjusting.
Also post any ideas on how the story should go because so far, I only have plans for the first 3 chapters. So you input will be much appreciated.
See you in the next chapter!