Chapter 26 - Chapter 26

My lungs burned like they were on fire. The taste of blood sat bitter on my tongue from breathing too hard. My bare feet pounded against the forest floor, each step stabbing up through my legs as sharp twigs and hidden rocks tore into my skin. The wind whipped through my hair, tangling it across my face, but I didn't dare slow down to push it away. The trees closed in around me, their trunks tall and skeletal, reaching for me like they wanted to drag me back. Shadows jumped across my path, alive in the pale scraps of moonlight. Every sound the crunch of leaves under my feet, the rustle of branches overhead felt too loud, like I was screaming my location to the world. But the only sound that truly mattered was the one I didn't hear. The crazy Psycho. No footsteps. No breathing. No movement.