within the shadows

Can't Hide

Chapyer 11 "run for your life"

As Leon lay motionless from their intimate workout, Alex saw his chance to escape. He tiptoed around the sleeping form on the small bed, quietly gathered his shoes, and made a run for the door.

The rain-soaked environment blurred around him as he sprinted through the unknown terrain, dodging puddles and wincing with each jarring step that sent pain shooting through his injured leg. After what felt like hours, Alex slowed, his breath ragged. "He won't catch me," he whispered, hope flickering to life. But a new worry crept in: "Now, where's the campsite?"

As the sun dipped below the horizon, regret seeped in like a chill. "Should've stayed home," Alex muttered, kicking himself for coming on this disastrous trip. "Where the hell am I?" His heart thudded in his chest, his head spinning with every snap of a twig or hoot in the darkness.

The forest, once a serene haven, now loomed like a predator, its beauty twisted into something sinister. Every step felt like a death sentence, his blood running cold with each creak of the underbrush. "Fuck!" he'd hiss, his heart racing at every unknown sound. Was he more afraid of Leon's wrath or the unknown beasts closing in? The answer was complicated – Leon was a beast himself, and after what Alex had done, the woods might be the safer bet.

With newfound determination, Alex summoned his last reserves of energy and sprinted forward, his tired legs pumping despite the searing pain in his injured limb. Hunger gnawed at his belly, but he pushed on, driven by desperation. Suddenly, he burst into a small clearing surrounded by trees, a crude headstone standing like a sentinel in the center. For now, it was irrelevant – his gaze locked onto the glint of fresh water.

Using his Boy Scout training, he assessed the water's safety and, with a nod, dropped to his knees to drink. As he lifted his head, a jolt of fear electrified his veins. Across the pond, a pair of glowing eyes watched him, piercing the darkness. "Shit," he breathed, rising slowly, his eyes fixed on the predator. The eyes vanished, only to reappear mere feet away, charging towards him.

Before the beast could pounce, a towering figure leapt from the shadows, knife flashing in the dim light. Alex stumbled back, shocked, as the stranger plunged the blade into the creature. "WTF?" Alex's mind reeled.