Inspired by shows such as Bridgerton and Outlander, write your character being thrown back in time. Or alternatively for the lovers of fantasy, send your character to another world that is in someway inspired by such historicals.

The consistent pounding on the door woke me.  Groggily I sat up, automatically reaching for my glasses.  Once on I peered through the half darkness at the clock.  No good.  The low light from the t.v., now playing some movie I didn’t recognize, wasn’t enough to light up the clock.  Standing up I shuffled past the side table, pints of ice cream lying empty, over to where my phone was plugged in. 

3:00, showed up bright on the display.  What the fudge.  Who would be knocking at the door of my little one bedroom apartment at three in the morning?  The pounding grew louder.  More insistent for every second I ignored it.  Anger building I threw the door open ready to ream out the miscreant interrupting my sleep.

I froze.  No one stood in the hallway.  I looked down one way and then another.  Nothing.  I was about to retreat back inside when a leaf floated down, just grazing my nose on its way.  My breath caught in my throat as I looked up.  A huge canopy of leaves stretched overhead.  What the fork?  

A small part of my brain said I should just go back inside.  It’s just a weird dream, induced by too much ice cream and sappy movies.  However a larger part of me was curious, and, if it is a dream after all, no big deal, right.

I took a step outside.  There was a loud squelching sound as my foot descended into cold slimy mud.  “What the,” I said out loud as I tried to take a step back.  My foot was stuck fast and I found myself falling.  Hands flailing, slipping and then the wet ick of much all over my face.  “Ugh,” I said, pushing myself up.  It took a minute but I slowly crawled my way out of the mud and stood to take a look around.

Mouth hanging open I did a total 360 trying to parse what I was seeing.  A single tree stood above me.  All around me stretched a field of, what, heather?  Maybe?  It reminded me of pictures I had seen of the mores of Scotland or some such thing.  

My introspection of my new surroundings was interrupted by the baying of dogs.  Long and low, coming from a line of trees that stood not too far off.  Quickly it grew closer and a sense of unease welled within me.  Before I could see what was making the sound I had already started to back away, my eyes locked on that line of trees.  

The howling and barks grew louder.  A flock of birds cried out as they took wing to the sky and not a moment later a large black form shot out from the treeline and onto the wild moor. My heart leaped into my throat.  The beast was larger than any dog I had ever seen and sported two heads, each barking with bared teeth.  A low growl emanated from the things throats even as two more black dogs, slightly smaller and single headed, joined it on either side.

Heart pounding I needed no one to tell me to run.  Turning on my heels I dashed away as fast as possible, my feet stumbling on the uneven ground, threatening to topple me.  Deafening barks rose up behind me and I could feel the beasts running after me, their hate filled eyes boring into my back.  Oh God, my thoughts flew up to the sky.  Never having believed in such an entity before did not stop my heart screaming out for help from the heavens.  

I stumbled, nearly falling, but the twist of my body and head had my eyes casting upon another copse of trees to my right.  The only scant hope I could see.  Maybe.  If there were trees to climb and I could get there in time.  An impossible hope.  

Yet I still shifted my trajectory towards those trees.  The dog’s were getting closer.  I could hear the pounding of their paws and their barks and growls were becoming deafening.  I ran.  My lungs burned and my legs ached but I pushed through the pain.  I kept going.  It wasn’t enough. 

Mere steps away from the tree line a huge paw crashed into me.  Claws bit into my back and I went crashing down to the ground.  Dirt ground into my already muddied face.  Breath was pushed out of my lungs as the huge paw crushed me down, keeping me pinned.  Hot breath spread across my neck sending a chill of complete fear down my spine.

This is it, I thought.  I’m dead.  My eyes screwed shut, I froze, waiting for the end. There was a howl and then a whine.  The paw on top of me released, leaving scratches down my back that oozed blood. Fear still shooting through me I sucked in a lung full of air but otherwise stayed still.  

A chaos of commotion was all about me.  Dog’s barked and growled and whined.  I could feel the heat of bodies moving around me.  I even once was almost crushed by a fur covered body before it was suddenly pulled away.  Through it all I did not move or open my eyes.  Fear dictated that I simply wait.

Finally silence reigned yet I could feel the presence of something close by and the smell of blood cloyed at my nose.  Biting my lip I waited, and waited some more.  Eventually, I couldn’t stand it anymore and opened my eyes to peer up at whatever was close to me.  

Black shoes and pants, close enough that I could reach out and touch them.  Looking further up I saw a black shirt tucked in, sleeves rolled up to the elbow and strong arms, hands holding a cloth, wiping off blood.  Further still and a pale face framed by long raven black hair.  An aquiline nose and a strong jaw.  Then, two eyes as black as coal and deathly cold turned to me and stared.  

“Why are the Baskerville Hounds after you?” The dark man asked.

“The, the what?” I stammered out.  The Baskerville Hounds?  Wasn’t that a Sherlock book?

“The Hounds,” the man said, squatting down next to me.  “Why were they chasing you?”

“I, I don’t know.”

“Not a good answer,” he said. 

“Well it doesn’t matter if it’s a good answer,” I said, pushing myself to my knees and hissing in pain.  “It’s the truth.”

“Which county are you from?”  he asked.

“County?” Why would he be asking that?  Why not city, or state?  I shook my head.  Yeah I knew which county I lived in but I was starting to have a hard time taking everything in.  Wondering, I looked around and immediately regretted it.  The dog’s lay not far away.  All of them cut to shreds.  Pieces of body lay strewn around.  Blood soaked the ground.  Immediately my stomach rebelled and I lost all of the ice cream from last night in an instant.    

None of it hit the man.  He was immediately several feet away from me scowling at me.  Shakily I rose to my feet and staggered into the treeline.  My only thought was to get away from the sight and smell of that horrible scene. 

Before I could get very far into the trees a large hand grabbed my arm, yanking me to a stop.  “Where are you going?” the man asked.

“Away from that?” I said weakly waving my hand towards the gruesomeness I had just left behind.  

The man looked in the direction of the bodies before turning back to me and looking me over.  “I can’t let you leave until I know what you are doing here.” 

Blearily I stared up at the man, swaying on my feet.  I really couldn’t do anymore and was afraid that I was about to pass out when the man unceremoniously picked me up and threw me over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.  The sudden rush of blood to my head woke me and I screamed out as we suddenly accelerated to a speed that I knew humans could not reach.