The woods were darker than they should have been, even for nightfall. The fog that had swallowed Ridgemont was thicker here, clinging to the twisted branches like tendrils of some unseen beast. Rachel ran through the underbrush, her breaths coming in ragged gasps, her pulse pounding in her ears. The air was thick and suffocating, making it hard to breathe, as if the very forest itself was pressing down on her, trying to pull her deeper into its grasp.

Her feet stumbled over roots and rocks, her hands slashing through low-hanging branches that cut into her skin, leaving red, stinging welts. But she couldn’t stop. Not even for a second. She had to keep running, had to keep moving, because she could hear it—the sound of something following her.

The branches snapped behind her, the crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot growing louder with each passing second. She didn’t dare look back, didn’t dare slow down. But she could feel it—something was there. Chasing her. Hunting her.

Her heart pounded in her chest, every beat like a drum signaling her desperation. Sweat mixed with the blood that trickled down her arms from the cuts, and her legs burned from the effort of running. But the fear—the absolute terror—drove her forward.

A branch snapped right behind her, so close that it sounded like it had cracked underfoot no more than a foot away. Rachel’s breath hitched, and she instinctively glanced over her shoulder.

There was nothing.

No shadow. No figure. Just the endless darkness of the woods, the fog swirling like ghostly fingers through the trees.

But she could feel it.

A hot, heavy breath grazed the back of her neck, warm and wet. The sensation made her skin crawl, her muscles tightening with a visceral fear she couldn’t shake. It was right there, even if she couldn’t see it. Her legs moved faster, her feet slipping on the damp earth as she ran harder, faster, pushing through the pain and exhaustion. The world around her was a blur of branches and fog, but all she could hear was the relentless pounding of footsteps that matched her own, a rhythm of pursuit that wouldn’t stop.

Her lungs screamed for air, her throat raw from the cold night. She choked back a sob of terror, refusing to slow down, refusing to let whatever was behind her catch her.

Snap.

Another branch, closer this time. She could feel its presence closing in, like it was breathing down her neck, its hot breath in her ear, its unseen fingers reaching for her. Rachel’s pulse raced, her mind screaming at her to keep going, but her body was faltering, the fatigue setting in.

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She couldn’t keep this pace much longer.

A sharp pain lanced through her leg as her foot caught on a root, sending her sprawling forward. She hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from her lungs as dirt and leaves scraped against her skin. For a second, the world spun, her vision blurring from the impact. She gasped for air, her chest heaving as she pushed herself up, her hands trembling with the effort.

The sound of footsteps stopped.

The silence was sudden, deafening.

Rachel’s breath caught in her throat as she lay still for a moment, listening, her heart pounding so loudly that it drowned out everything else. She wanted to believe it was over, that whatever had been chasing her was gone. But she knew better.

The woods were never silent.

Slowly, she turned her head, her body trembling as she looked behind her.

Nothing.

Just darkness. The fog hung in the air like a suffocating blanket, obscuring everything beyond a few feet. But the feeling remained—the presence was still there. She could feel it. Watching. Waiting.

A low growl rumbled from somewhere deep in the fog. The sound was guttural, primal, like something from the depths of a nightmare. Rachel’s skin prickled with terror as she scrambled to her feet, her legs shaking beneath her. She had to keep moving. She had to get out of here.

But then, before she could take another step, the breath was back—hot and wet, brushing against the nape of her neck like the whisper of death. Her body froze in place, her blood turning to ice as her mind screamed for her to run.

And then the pain came.

A sharp, searing pain tore through her side, a feeling like claws raking through her flesh. Rachel screamed, her voice echoing through the trees as she stumbled forward, clutching her side. Blood poured from the wound, hot and sticky, soaking through her shirt and dripping down her body.

She collapsed to her knees, her hands slick with blood as she pressed them to the wound, trying to stop the flow. But it was no use. The blood kept coming, pooling around her, staining the ground beneath her.

The growl came again, louder this time, vibrating through her bones. And then she felt it—the cold, sharp fingers of something unseen, wrapping around her shoulders, pulling her back into the darkness.

Rachel’s scream was cut short as the claws dug deeper, sinking into her skin, ripping through muscle and bone. The pain was unbearable, a searing agony that stole her breath and made her vision swim. Blood poured from her body in thick, violent gushes, staining the forest floor a deep, sickening red.

Her body convulsed, the world spinning around her as she tried to fight, to claw her way free. But the more she struggled, the tighter the grip became, the claws digging deeper, shredding her flesh like paper.

She could feel the breath against her ear again, the hot, rancid stench of decay filling her nostrils as the unseen thing dragged her deeper into the woods. The fog swirled around her, closing in, suffocating her, until all that was left was the darkness.

And the blood.

Rachel’s vision blurred as the life drained from her body, her strength fading with each passing second. She tried to scream again, but no sound came. There was only silence—the same suffocating silence that had followed her since the beginning.

As the darkness closed in, she felt the thing lean closer, its breath hot and wet against her skin, its claws tightening their grip around her body.

And then it spoke, its voice low and full of malice, a voice she had heard so many times before.

“You can’t run from me, Rachel,” the Crawler whispered. “You never could.”