Theana's touch was light on my shoulder, gentle but insistent, rousing me from the depths of slumber.
"Maude," she whispered.
I pushed myself up onto my elbows.
"Wha—" I started, my voice rough with sleep, but she placed a finger to her lips, silencing me with a glance that held more weight than words.
"Maude," Theana's voice was a whisper. "We need to run. Now." Her eyes locked onto mine, her gaze fierce and commanding.
Theana's grip on my arm was ironclad, her fingers digging into my flesh as if she could tether me to the earth with her touch alone. "Keep your eyes down," she ordered, a stern edge cutting through her hushed tones. The command was clear, brooking no argument or hesitation.
"Down?" My voice was barely a breath, yet it seemed too loud in the charged silence that enveloped us. "But what's out there, Theana? What are we—"
"Shh." She cut me off with a sharp look. Her eyes flickered with something dark and unreadable. We stood for a heartbeat, Theana's gaze drilling the urgency of her command into me without another word spoken.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to look at the ground littered with dead leaves and twigs.
Her eyes, usually so steady and sure, darted about with an animal wariness that set my heart hammering.
"Everything," she said, her voice barely above a murmur, yet it carried the weight of an encroaching storm.
Her next words came as a hiss, urgent and demanding. "Can you run?"
I nodded, not trusting my voice to carry over the thunderous pounding of my heartbeat. My legs, though tense and ready to uncoil, felt rooted in the damp earth. Yet, I knew when Theana asked me if I could run, it wasn't doubt that laced her question; it was a plea for affirmation.
For a heartbeat, I stood motionless, taken aback by the depth of her gaze. It was a look that spoke volumes, betraying a vulnerability I hadn't seen in her before.
Her fingers unfurled like petals, reaching out towards me. The world seemed to shrink down to that single offering.
The world blurred into streaks of green and brown as we surged through the forest, Theana's hand a vice around mine. Her gaze had locked onto mine for a mere second before we launched ourselves into the fray, a silent command that brokered no argument.
Branches whipped past us, snagging at our dresses like desperate claws.
As we darted between trees and leaped over gnarled roots, eerie whispers slithered through the underbrush, wrapping around the pounding of our feet. They were taunts, threaded with malice, promising despair. Growls rumbled in the distance, a chorus of hunger that grew steadily closer with each passing second.
But I clung to Theana's hand with a tenacity born of shared terror. Even as fear clawed up my throat, her grip was constant.
Every instinct begged me to look back, but Theana's earlier warning echoed in my mind: Don't look at anything. So I kept my gaze fixed on the ground just ahead, trusting her to navigate.
Legs burning and lungs searing, we pressed on through the dense thicket. The forest seemed to stretch on eternally, its end as elusive as the safety we so desperately needed. My muscles ached with the exertion, but it was Theana's laboured breathing that pierced the veil of my focus, reminding me she too was mortal, vulnerable despite her unwavering strength.
"Keep going," she gasped.
Her hand in mine was slick with sweat, her grip tightening with every stride as if to physically pull me forward through time, away from the encroaching peril. I couldn't help but wonder how much longer we could maintain this pace, how much further our bodies could carry us before faltering under the strain.
A cold shiver raced down my spine when the growls intensified, no longer just distant threats lost among the shadows. They were closer now, a maddening crescendo of hunger and rage that fuelled our desperation. A primal fear settled over me, urging my legs to move faster, even as they threatened to buckle.
It was then that I risked a glance upward, compelled by the need to understand our surroundings, to find some advantage in the unforgiving terrain. Through the web of branches, a sliver of hope revealed itself in the form of a shimmering expanse – a lake.
"Water," I panted, the single word laced with both dread and relief.
"Almost there," Theana affirmed, her voice a strained whisper that held a promise.
The proximity of the lake was both a blessing and a curse; it offered a potential respite but also signalled the narrowing of options. With the growls gnawing at our heels, we had little choice but to surge forward.
Theana seized my arm, steering us toward the steep descent that lay before us. A hill, a sudden drop in the forest floor, loomed like a gaping maw ready to swallow us whole. Her breath was ragged against my ear as she hissed instructions.
"Quickly, down here," she commanded, her tone leaving no room for hesitation.
I could barely process the rapid shift in terrain as my feet stumbled over the knotted roots and slick underbrush.
Amid the cacophony of fear and exertion, my foot caught on a hidden stone, betraying me. I pitched forward with a startled cry, yanking Theana along in my uncontrolled descent.
We fell—hard and without grace. The world spun, a whirlwind of green and brown as limbs flailed and leaves crunched beneath our tumbling forms. Pain lanced through my body with every jolt and impact, sharp stones and unyielding earth punishing us for our haste.
Finally, the ground levelled out, and our frantic roll abated, depositing us in a heap at the bottom. Dazed, I tried to gather my wits, gasping for air that felt too thick to draw into my lungs. The sound of rushing water filled my senses, the lake current a roaring presence.
"Maude," Theana's voice cut through the din, her hand already clasping mine with a vice-like strength. "We can't stop. Not yet."
I nodded, though every fibre of my being screamed in protest. The growls were a relentless tide, ever pushing us onward. With Theana's help, I scrambled to my feet, and together we faced the formidable rush of the steep lake current.
The world was a blur of motion and fear, my heart thundering like the pounding of the lake's current beside us. Theana's grip on my hand was the only real thing, an anchor in the chaos. But even as I clung to her, we both froze for a fraction of a second, our eyes meeting before we dared to look at what had encircled us.
They were like shadows coalesced into form, nightmares given flesh—creatures with too many angles to be natural, their bodies twisted in grotesque mockery of life. A shudder of revulsion wracked my frame at the memory of one on top of Theana, the memory of the ichor that had coated my hands still fresh in my mind.
I didn't have time to respond, to ask how we could possibly escape, when they moved. It was a fluid, horrifying lurch, a dance of death as one of the creatures sprang forward. Its maw opened wide, revealing rows of serrated teeth designed to rend and tear.
And then, with a force born of desperation, she shoved me.
I plunged into the torrent, the shock of cold water engulfing me, stealing the breath from my lungs. For a heartbeat, the world was nothing but a maelstrom of frothing white and the roar of the current.
"Theana!" My cry was a ragged shred against the river's tumult, lost to the rush and churn of relentless water. I fought to surface, to find air, to find her.
Ivory locks upon the surface of the water, not far from me, though as my head went under, I saw no sign of any of her, as if I had imagined it.
Eyes stinging, I scanned the roiling surface, searching for any sign of Theana. But she was gone, swallowed by the river's gaping maw. Panic thrummed in my veins, a drumbeat urging me to keep fighting against the pull that sought to drag me under.
My limbs were heavy, weary from the exertion. The current swept me forward with frightening speed, and there, in the midst of this tumultuous escape, a grim realization dawned upon me—I was approaching a cliff edge.
I rasped for air, my gaze locking onto the precipice as the current hastened me towards it. Beyond the edge, a vast expanse of open water spread out beneath me, a large lake that appeared deceptively serene from this distance.
With a desperate lunge, I tried to angle my body towards the shore, but the river was indifferent to my struggles, its flow dictating my path with unyielding force. As the edge loomed closer, I dared to steal a glance at the bank, hoping for Theana's silhouette against the backdrop of wild greenery.
Instead, my eyes met with a sight that clenched my stomach with dread. The creatures were there, lurching grotesquely at the water's boundary.
Their eyes, like orbs of malevolence, seemed to follow my erratic dance upon the waves, tracking each movement as the river carried me towards the edge.
My breath came in ragged gasps, mingling with the spray that assaulted my face as I was pulled inexorably toward the drop-off. The creatures' hisses and snarls reached my ears over the roar of the waterfall.
With every ounce of willpower left within me, I braced for the fall, the chasm of water below promising nothing but uncertainty.
The world blurred into a furious rush of water and air as I hurtled towards the precipice.
And then, without warning, the solid world vanished beneath me, replaced by a stomach-churning drop. The thunderous applause of the waterfall swallowed my cries as I descended.
Darkness claimed me.
*
Grogginess clung to me like a second skin as I blinked back into consciousness. The scent of antiseptic and the underlying tang of metal filled my nostrils, the sounds of soft shuffling and the occasional clink of glass an odd symphony in the background. My mind, sluggish from its forced slumber, finally registered the beige canvas above me, stretched taut.
With a jolt of panic, I shot my gaze around the tent's interior, desperate for a familiar face. Medical supplies lined the shelves neatly, their sterile presence mocking my dishevelled state. Beds, some occupied with silent forms, others empty and waiting, promised rest but gave no comfort. But it was not the beds nor the vials that held my attention—it was the absence that screamed at me.
"Where is she?" I mouthed silently, my voice betraying me, refusing to rise above a whisper.
I attempted to push myself upright, but the world swayed precariously, tilting on its axis. Before I could steady it, two immovable forces pressed gently against my shoulders.
"Easy," came the deep, grounding voice of a man, his hands wide and encompassing as boulders. "You've taken quite the fall. Best not to rush it."
His companion, just as formidable in size, offered a nod of agreement. They were like sentinels, their mere presence exuding a quiet strength meant to protect, but also to restrain. Even lying down, I felt small between them—not just in stature, but in my ability to command my own fate.
"Your body needs time to recover," the other added, his tone broaching no argument. "You've suffered injuries."
Panic clawed at my chest, a wild thing desperate for release as I writhed beneath the weight of their hands. My limbs, heavy and uncooperative, betrayed my urgency to flee, to find her. The tent was a beige prison, its walls closing in.
"Where is she?" I managed to shout. It cut through the hushed murmurs of the tent like a blade.
A woman, an unmoving silhouette against the dim light filtering through the fabric, loomed over me. Her eyes held a measure of empathy that did little to quell the tempest inside me. She didn't speak immediately, and in that silence, my dread bloomed like a dark flower, its petals unfurling to reveal the worst possibilities.
"Please," I begged, the word torn from somewhere raw within me.
My gaze locked onto hers, searching, pleading for an answer that would soothe the storm.
The woman's eyes flickered briefly to the two men pinning my arms, her expression unreadable. As if on cue, they adjusted their hold, ensuring I wouldn't injure myself in my frenzied state.
"Please," I whispered again, my throat tight with desperation. My chest heaved against the constraints of their hands, the panic mounting within me reaching its crescendo.
Without a word, the woman turned on her heel, her long braids brushing against the fabric of her shirt as she moved.
"Rest now," one of the men murmured. His voice was a deep rumble, yet there was gentleness to it that felt incongruous with his towering presence.
"Can't you tell me anything?" I implored, meeting his gaze.
Their silence was a heavy shroud, stifling my cries and my hope. I lay back, the fight seeping out of me as a tear escaped, tracing a hot path down my cheek.