27: A Maddening Dash

We tore through trees, and I almost fell every few steps. Thanks to the forest's many natural obstacles—downed trees, uneven ground, exposed roots—our escape from whatever shrieked felt impossible. Staying upright proved more of a challenge than simply keeping up with Fabrienne. Her grip on me was my only salvation.

An aggressive howl erupted behind us, mixed with a screaming voice that sounded just like Fabrienne, but I was the one behind her. That was an impossible echo. If the other voice actually screamed any words, they weren't clear enough to make out.

Maybe that creature, whatever it is, found something else to—

The sound of trees being smashed apart and crashing to the ground behind us changed my mind. I’d only heard growls and smelled the thing until it vanished and Fabrienne made her confusing, abrupt return. Now, the angry thing hunting us sounded powerful as it demolished the forest in its wake.

Nope. It’s still coming!

At least something else had replaced that awful stench. The smell inside the hood was familiar, but I couldn’t place it. My mind was too worried about getting away, so I took another deep breath and kept running with Fabrienne.

The world's colors flared and faded in beams of sunlight poking through the leafy canopy above us. Then something flickered in the light, catching my attention in the twisting forest. It matched Fabrienne's speed, never slowing down. Something else was watching us, waiting in the shadows. Glowing eyes began popping up all around us, tracking our route and casting their gazes on us like spotlights. I blinked, and they vanished, replaced by sunbeams, but I knew what I saw.

They—It's everywhere! The whole forest is—She's not rescuing me, she's dragging me right towards its belly!

I pulled, fighting against her grip. My arm was sweaty, but didn’t budge. She had me trapped.

"What are ya doing?!"

"Stop it!"

"No! It’s got our scent now. We can't stop. Not yet!"

Something scratched my face and caught the headband that used to be my shirt sleeve. The thief knocked back the cloak's hood, and I whipped my head around. A clawed hand at the end of a branch held the piece of dirty cloth like a taunt. It almost had me.

"Let me… go!"

I grabbed at her fingers, trying to pull them back and loosen her hold on me.

"Now's not the time, Skyler! Do ya want to die?!"

No! Don’t listen to her. She wants to hurt—!

More twisted trees swiped at me with outstretched claws. They closed in, trying to catch me, wanting to smother me in the increasing shadows. Their trunks warped, stretched, and morphed into grotesque shapes. Hollow, wrinkled faces formed in the bark, mocking me with crooked, jagged smiles. They laughed at me. They knew I was letting Fabrienne lead me to my unavoidable doom without a fight. Then her laughter joined the roar of theirs.

"Stop! It… It’s not funny! Stop laughing at me!"

I stomped a foot down and tugged my arm. Her grip remained as strong as ever. I had to break free, but all I accomplished was a stumbled misstep. There was no stopping her. I punched and clawed at her wrist, but she wouldn't release me.

"Skyler! That's enough!"

"Shut up!"

"I told ya—!"

"You're not helping me!"

"Yes, I am!"

"It's all a trick! Everything you told me was a lie! I don’t… I'm… Let go!"

"No! I'm saving—!"

She looked back at me. A devilish grin with wicked intent flashed across her face. I only saw it for a second, but I knew the truth. If I let her continue to drag me along, escape would no longer be an option. Time was running out.

"Liar! You're… You hate me! You want me dead! You…!"

"Nysh! What’s all over…? Ya have it everywhere! When did ya get covered in… Are those pallumb—?"

"No! You're taking me away from… I was already safe!"

"It's… I’m not—!"

"I need—NO!"

"It's the spores! Listen to me! They're makin' ya—!"

"Your promises were never… You’re just a monster! Get away!"

"I'm not a—!"

A gnarled hand burst from the ground. Skeletal fingers snagged me, wrapping around my ankle. It caught me with its mangled grasp and I tripped. They were obviously one of Fabrienne's previous victims, left half buried in the same nightmarish hellscape she was dragging me through.

For a moment, Fabrienne's hold on me faltered and loosened. It was just enough to tear my arm free. I rolled and kicked, breaking away from her last victim's clutches, and scrambled to my feet. I made a hard left, tapping into an unexpected reserve of fear-driven adrenaline to keep my newly earned freedom, and took off.

"Skyler! Come back!"

It was my turn now. I abandoned her.

I didn't bother looking as she shouted more lies. I wouldn't give her the chance to deceive me again. Seeing right through her sympathetic act, I knew I shouldn't have ever trusted her. Her shouts grew into desperate screams, becoming little more than an echo that soon mixed with the wailing creature's thunderous return.

She was leading me deeper into a trap! I knew it! I was still bait! Not anymore!

Every nerve and muscle fiber was on fire, pleading for everything to be over. Losing steam, I slowed down as my well of adrenaline ran dry.

No. I… I can't… can't… do it. Can't… get away. Can't… breathe!

My panic-lit fuse burned down, then burnt out until something exploded and swallowed me from the inside. The time to freeze was over. Rapid gasps for air filled my lungs and left just as fast. My heart crashed against my ribs, threatening to break free from its pathetic excuse for a prison. Each thought screamed for the same goal: survival.

Can't stop!

Inhale.

Can't fail!

Exhale.

Can't die!

I needed out—to escape the forest, Fabrienne, and everything else behind before anything could devour me.

Sweat drenched my face, running into my eyes along with my hair, and blurring my already gruesome visions. I didn't know what I was looking at anymore. Dizzy and desperate for fresh air, I ripped my way through bushes and the forest's undergrowth. My muscles and lungs burned with each step. I wrenched my feet from the ground, as even it turned against me and tried to hold me in one spot.

Eventually, the trees thinned out. The sound of running water filled the air. It had to be the stream Fabrienne told me about. We were supposedly following it to reach Docheo, her home. I guess she told me one truth. I kept pushing myself through the trees, reaching desperately for the sunlit world of freedom I craved. Relentless limbs grabbed hold to mutilate me and prevent my escape until I crashed through the final barrier of fiendish tree demons.

Finally safe, I embraced my freedom. Then the ground suddenly dropped. The world flipped and spun around me. Landing on my shoulder, I clumsily tumbled down the slope of a grassy embankment like an inebriated acrobat. When I stopped, I found myself at the water's edge.

I laid there exhausted with the side of my head in the water. I couldn't get up. My arms and legs were nothing more than numb, dead weight. My body felt like it was barely there. It wouldn’t move. A sensation of pins and needles slowly coursed through me, creeping up my limbs and into my chest. Panting heavily, I gulped down clean air.

"I-I’m… out!" Deep breath. Swallow. Breathe out. "Is it… Am I… safe… now? Here?"

The world continued spinning—I could feel and see it—but I was certain I was laying still. Even so, I sank my fingers into the cold, wet silt of the shore to hold on, anyway. I didn’t want to risk the chance of being wrong and sliding away.