The forest swallowed her whole. Adrian stumbled through the thick undergrowth, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her heart pounding against her ribs like a trapped bird. The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, leaving the woods cloaked in an oppressive darkness that seemed to breathe around her. She had taken a shortcut, a foolish decision made in her naivety, and now she was paying the price. The innocent good girl from the city had no business being here, lost in this primordial wilderness that had no place for her.

Branches scraped against her arms, leaving thin red welts on her pale skin. Her designer clothes, once pristine, were now torn and mud-stained. The familiar comfort of her routine life felt like a distant dream. Adrian’s mind raced with possibilities—wild animals, falling into a ravine, spending the night alone with only her fears for company. But she hadn’t considered the possibility of being hunted by something far more terrifying than any forest creature.

The first sign was a sound—barely audible at first, but growing steadily in the darkness. A low, guttural chuckle that seemed to echo from all directions at once. Adrian froze, her eyes wide with terror, straining to see through the darkness. There was nothing but shadows, but the feeling of being watched was overwhelming. Her body trembled, not with cold, but with a primal fear that made her blood run cold.

“Looking for something, little girl?” The voice came from behind her, deep and menacing, sending a wave of terror through her body. Adrian spun around, her heart in her throat, but there was no one there. Just the impenetrable darkness of the forest.

The second figure emerged from the shadows to her left, silent as a ghost. He was tall and broad-shouldered, his features obscured by the darkness. Adrian backed away, her movements clumsy and frightened, but he followed, matching her retreat with predatory grace.

“Please,” she whispered, her voice cracking with fear. “Please, just let me go. I’m lost, I’ll just go back the way I came.”