The Girl Who Ran, The Forest That Waits

XIII

"THE END....... FOR ME"

SOPHIE'S POV

The ground exploded beneath my feet, each pounding step a desperate counterpoint to the frantic drumbeat of my heart. My lungs, mere burning bellows, clawed at the thin forest air, but I dared not falter. The image of Lucas, alone and imperiled, fueled my tortured sprint, pushing me deeper into the emerald labyrinth. Just as a shard of hope dared to pierce the oppressive darkness, the Manglalayak's voice, venomous and cold as slithering snakes, slithered through the dense foliage. It coiled around me, squeezing the air from my already starved lungs: "So, you'd truly abandon your friend... for a boy?"

The mocking question hung heavy in the humid air, each word laced with barbed irony. It plunged a poisoned dagger into my already fractured conscience. Was I abandoning Joyce? The guilt threatened to cripple me, to bind me in invisible chains just as the Manglalayak's roots did in my nightmares. But the vision of Lucas, facing whatever horrors awaited him alone, spurred me on. He needed me, and the thought of failing him fueled a defiant fire in my belly.

Sweat stung my eyes, blurring the verdant textile of the forest around me. Thorns ripped at my clothes, leaving trails of crimson on exposed skin, but the pain was a welcome distraction from the turmoil within. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig, sent shivers of fear down my spine. Was the Manglalayak toying with me, savoring my anguish before delivering the final blow?

No. I wouldn't give it the satisfaction. Gritting my teeth, I pushed on, fueled by a desperate hope and a burgeoning anger. This wasn't just about Lucas anymore. It was about proving the Manglalayak wrong, about defying its twisted game. I wouldn't be its pawn, manipulated by guilt and fear. I would find Lucas, warn him, and together, we would face whatever awaited us.

But even as I made that vow, the ground shifted beneath me, sending me sprawling. The mocking laughter of the Manglalayak filled the air as its gnarled roots erupted from the shadows, coiling around my limbs, squeezing the life from my scream. My vision swam, the verdant canopy dissolving into a dizzying kaleidoscope of green and gold. Yet, even as darkness threatened to consume me, the image of Lucas, his face etched with worry, flickered before my eyes.

"He's not just a boy," I shot back in my head, not daring to break my stride. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig sent shivers down my spine. Where is Joyce? Is she safe? The thought gnawed at me, adding another layer of worry to the ever-growing burden. "Wait for me, Joyce. After I'd get to warn Lucas, I'll come back for you. This decision will benefit us both, I promise". The words I whispered through the air.

"I'm coming, Lucas," I rasped, the words a defiant whisper against the rising tide of oblivion. "And nothing, not even this twisted forest, will stop me."

The Manglalayak wasn't merely an obstacle; it was a predator toying with its prey. Its gnarled roots, once innocuous branches, morphed into obsidian vipers, slithering from the shadows to snag at my ankles like skeletal fingers. Each rustle of leaves, each snapping twig, became a chorus of taunts, echoing my ragged gasps and the frantic drumbeat of my heart. Sweat, hot and slick, turned the book into a treacherous beacon, pages blurring in my shaking grasp. It held the fragile hope for Lucas, Joyce, and myself, a lifeline I clung to with the desperation of a drowning man. Even the forest felt hostile, the oppressive covering looming like a predator's maw, ready to clamp shut at any misstep. This wasn't a race, it was a twirl on the cliff, each desperate leap testing the boundaries of my strength, each tremor of fear threatening to send me plummeting into the abyss. But giving up wasn't an option. The image of Lucas, alone and facing whatever horrors awaited him, fueled my resolve. Even if the forest floor drank my blood, even if the roots tightened into a chilling embrace, I wouldn't relinquish the hope clutched in my hand. Let the Manglalayak play its twisted game; I would become its nightmare, not its victim. In the face of its relentless pursuit, a different kind of strength bloomed within me, a fierce defiance carved from fear and love, a promise whispered on the wind: "I will not fail."

Desperate, I flipped through the book's pages, searching for a weakness, a chink in the Manglalayak's armor. "Each branch you break," it intoned, its voice dripping with delight, "the slower the Manglalayak gets, but the angrier it becomes. Be warned, for its wrath is terrible."

The risk was immense, the potential consequences dire. But the image of Lucas, alone and vulnerable, fueled my resolve. Without hesitation, I grabbed a low-hanging branch and snapped it in two. The effect was immediate. The Manglalayak faltered, its movements sluggish, but its fury intensified, the forest vibrating with its silent rage.

Seizing the opportunity, I bolted, adrenaline coursing through my veins. My feet pounded the earth, each thud a battle cry against the encroaching silence. Adrenaline sang in my ears, masking the throbbing ache in my lungs. "Lucas!" I screamed, my voice hoarse, ragged, but filled with desperate hope. It was met only by the mocking whisper of wind through the leaves, snatching away my plea like a stolen breath.

Just when despair threatened to engulf me, the ground rushed up to meet me in a brutal collision. Pain, white-hot and searing, lanced through my body, stealing my breath. But it was the betrayal that burned brighter, a consuming inferno in my chest. I looked up, vision swimming, to see Joyce's face contorted in a mask of hurt and fury.

"Joyce?" My voice croaked, disbelief battling the agony ripping through me. Every fiber of my being screamed betrayal, yet her pain mirrored my own, a reflection in her tear-filled eyes. Was this truly her hand that slammed me down? Her choice that left me sprawled, vulnerable, at the mercy of the lurking darkness?

"J-Joyce? Why?" I stammered, the world tilting around me.

"So, you'd leave me again," she spat, her voice laced with venom. "This time for a boy?"

"No, Joyce, you don't understand!" I pleaded, desperation clawing at my throat. "Lucas is in danger, he needs my help-"

"What about me?" she interrupted, her voice trembling. "Did I ever not need yours?"

Her words were like shards of ice piercing my heart. Shame washed over me, the weight of my actions crushing me. I had failed her, just as I was about to fail Lucas.

"We're in this together, Joyce," I choked out, my voice thick with tears. "But Lucas needs us now, and together, we can help him. Please, Joyce, something terrible will happen if we don't-"

Before I could finish, roots erupted from the ground, coiling around me, squeezing the air from my lungs. Joyce flinched, her eyes welling up.

"I'm sorry, Sophie," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Confusion mingled with the pain, but one thing remained crystal clear: Lucas was still out there, alone. The urgency clawed at me, pushing past the betrayal, past the agony. I had to reach him, even if it meant crawling, even if it meant facing his danger and my own pain simultaneously.

"No, Joyce, please!" I cried, but my pleas were drowned out by the tightening grip of the roots. As they hoisted me upside down, I saw Joyce turn and run towards a shimmering portal, the escape route back to the real world. Her tear-streaked face was etched with guilt and pain, a reflection of my own fractured emotions.

Betrayal. Regret. Despair. These were the emotions that choked me as I hung suspended, the forest's cover is blurring above me. My vision flickered, the world fading to black. In that final moment, a single thought echoed in my mind:

"I love you, Lucas. Even if our paths diverge, my love for you will remain constant."

And then, darkness.

The end... for me.