Keep moving, just keep walking and you’ll be out before you know it. Things will start looking
familiar soon. Just you wait. But every large tree that Skye stepped around only showed more foreign
woods that stretched far ahead of her. She glanced around and tried to use her senses to guide her
back to the path.
Fading sunlight slanted across the trunks of the watching-guard-over-the-forest trees, turning
the leaves on the guardians of the forest a light golden shade and making the criss-crossing veins of the
leaves visible to Skye’s vision. Her nose took in the scent of dried up pine needles and maple covered
bark. Her eyes flitted up just in time to catch the flash of blue fluttering feathers shooting up into
nearby trees. The blue jays began their nightly call to the forest that dusk was here and it was time to
settle down for sleep. Alarm slammed through Skye.
You’ve still got time. Calm down. You’ll find the path, you just gotta keep walking. She quickly
began to make her way over fallen trees and knotted tree roots protruding from the rain-moistened
ground. Shadows were beginning to form along the ground as Skye pushed low-hanging branches aside,
and searched desperately for the path leading back to her cozy neighborhood. As she stumbled over
unfamiliar tearran she began to wish she had never wandered off of the path. Skye struggled to swallow
the anxiety that was crawling up her throat, and threatening to strangle her in her own subconscious
panic. Her heart began to pound against her ribs and her palms began to chill as the slight breeze found
the beads of sweat appearing on her trembling hands. Every minute that passed Skye got more and
more lost.
The path will be just around this corner, just you wait. Then you’ll feel stupid for getting all
worked up over something so insignificant. But every corner she turned there was still no path. The
hairs on the back of Skye’s neck rose to stand up straight and goosebumps sprang up along her bare
arms. She pushed her rolled up sleeves back down away from her elbows and tried to ignore the small
pockets of darkness forming among the trees. The sky was changing from it’s pillowy soft blue color to
dark purple, and rose petal pink with shades of fiery orange slipping between the mix. Only a sliver of
the sun was left visible.
Breathe, breathe. Don’t panic. That will just make things worse. Just breathe. But in the back
of her head pure horror began to ring and ricocheted off the walls of her mind. The little pockets of
darkness weren’t so little anymore. They were expanding, reaching out with claw-like hands for her
sneaker-clad feet. Skye felt her her chest tighten and the air that she had just inhaled froze in her throat
and lungs to clog her airway. She glanced behind her and let out a strangled shriek. A wave of cloudy
darkness was creeping across the ground, and throwing the trees and bushes in an eery shadow. Skye
began to run, every nerve in her body screaming to move faster.
Don’t look behind you, don’t look behind you. Just get out of this forest. Her legs carried her
over rotting stumps and moss-clad rocks. Fear skittered down Skye’s spine as she sprinted around a
sharp corner and nearly ran head first into another growing pocket of darkness. She skidded to a stop,
the pine needles crunching and slipping beneath the soles of her feet.
The other way! Quickly! Skye darted off to the left, dashing and rounding trees. Small slivers
of blackness snaked their way in front of her feet, making her leap and twist to avoid them. She could
feel their cold fingers brush her ankles every time she bounded over the multiplying blockades of
darkness appearing all around her. Skye dared a look behind her and a scream tore from her throat.
The darkness was behind her, chasing her down like a revolting inky black forest fire.
Faster damnit! The words echoed throughout her body making her ears ache and her legs
throb. The darkness was gaining on her, and coming at her from both sides. Looming trees leaned
toward her with their branches reaching for her billowing gold hair; the only light that led Skye on. Her
breath billowed out of her, scratching her already burning throat. Tears blurred her view and stained
her wind-blown cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut for just a moment to clear her vision and the sight
she saw when she reopened them sent her tumbling at full force to the forest floor.
The darkness had raced ahead of her and formed a wall right in her path.
Right! Go right! Skye scrambled up just before the claws could grasp her and pin her against the
rising tree roots. Her tired legs threw her to the right and sent her crashing through thick undergrowth
and tightly spaced trees. She struggled around the trees and brambles blocking her hasty escape. Out of
her prephial vision Skye could see the darkness racing up on her right trying to cut her off.
Your left! Turn left! Complete horror coated her veins and cries of despair scraped out of her
chest. She hadn’t even made it more than a few yards to her left when the darkness slid in front of her.
Her feet managed to stop her momentum from throwing her headlong into the churning blackness.
Slanted yellow eyes flickered open to peer at Skye from the shadows. The darkness formed a circle
around her and slowly crept toward her, closing her in with no escape route. Skye’s heart slammed
against her already beaten ribs and ice coated her limbs to freeze her in place.
It’s going to swallow me. The darkness is going to swallow me up and I won’t exist any longer.
Pearl white teeth with pointed fangs appeared underneath the blazing eyes, and they snapped at her.
Snarls reverberated in her fading trap of a circle. Skye spun around, desperately seeking for any sliver
of light in the darkness. The guardians of the forest became looming captors, with their branches
stretching for Skye’s jacket to pull her into the wall of black.
“Help me! Someone please, help!” Cackles rose around her, drops of blood sliding off of the
canines of the hidden monsters. Large paws with gleaming, black, gnarled claws appeared at the edge
of Skye’s fading circle as the darkness closed in on her. The snarls grew, the lips of the monsters curling
up into grins of satisfaction. They had her pinned in place.
She’s going to taste good.
Plenty for all of us to have.
I like the ones who are scared, they taste better.
She ain’t going nowhere.
Silent screams echoed in Skye’s head as she closed her eyes from the snapping fangs and
clawing tree branches but that didn’t stop images of those teeth tearing into her soft skin. Sobs spilled
from her mouth just as the darkness began to lick at her toes.
“Skye! Where are you?” Skye froze as her mothers voice reached her. Hope surged in her chest.
“Mom! Momma! Over here!” A small beam of white light came through the darkness and howls
of anger rose up among the circle of eyes and fangs. The pale yellow eyes blinked and were gone. The
white light spilled through the darkness and warmed Skye. Within moments her mother was there,
wrapping her arms around her daughter and shielding her from the impending black