Recent Narrow Escape

The Day of my long waited-for meeting finally approached. It was a cold, windy evening and in the light of a street lantern I could notice, for the first time that winter, snowflakes. In one moment I regretted that I had accepted to meet an architect so far away from my home.
The frost made the streets very slippery so I had to be very careful in order not to cause any accident. After over an hour of looking for a right place, I finally managed to locate the building. To my great astonishment I found myself in a completely derelict house. With slight hesitation I moved towards it.
While I was passing next to the hedge I felt that somebody or something was watching me. "It's just my imagination" - I calmed myself down. Little did I realize what I was still going to discover. On the front door, there was stuck a piece of paper with a couple words on it: "You came in, but you will not get out of here". A few drops of sweat appeared on my forehead.
A second later I heard a rustle of leaves behind me and saw two sparkling eyes staring at me. I began to move back very steadily. My hands were trembling. For a few seconds the world stopped spinning around. A great, black panther emerged from the bush. I turned back into the direction of the gate and begun to run as fast as never before. I then grabbed the handle but the gate didn't open at all.
Without thinking I started climbing. Yet I was not fast enough. The panther grasped a piece of my coat and tried to pull me down. With one last effort I managed to escape. When I got into the car I felt a sight of relief. "Had I reacted three seconds slower, God knows what might have happened". - I thought to myself.