The footsteps grew louder, and my breath paused as panic rushed through me.

I raised a hand to my face, wiping at the tears that fell down my cheeks, though it did little to steady the panic rising within me. My breaths came uneven as I forced myself to stand, my legs weak beneath me. My head moved in every direction, searching desperately for a way to escape.

They were coming from the village—I was sure of it. Running near the open field to my right would only make me an easy target, a sitting prey waiting to be caught. My eyes shifted behind me, where the dense forest stretched into the shadows of a mountain. It was my only chance.

Clenching my fists, I walked toward the forest, my steps each in desperation and fear. The rough ground beneath me seemed to threaten to trip me with every step. As I reached the start of the forest, I stopped, frozen by the sight of the dark trees ahead. My heart pounded in my chest, and for a moment, the fear of the forest—of what might be waiting inside—held me. I had no choice but to keep going, but I couldn't shake the terror and fear I was having.

I didn't want to go in—I was always terrified of the monsters lurking in the dark, the ones people whispered about. The villagers, those same faces that screamed at me and called me a monster, used to laugh and tell me I should just go into the forest and let the creatures there take me. But now, with the hunters closing in, those monsters didn't seem so bad.

I hesitated for a moment, looking into the dark trees where shadows twisted and moved. Then, I thought to myself, "Well, it's better than being caught and killed."

With that thought, I took a deep breath, clenched my fists, and ran into the forest, my heart pounding in my chest as the trees closed in around me. The darkness inside felt suffocating, swallowing every glimpse of light, as if the forest itself was alive, waiting for its prey.

The rough ground beneath me made every step painful. I could feel the jagged rocks digging into my bare feet, sending sharp stings of pain up my legs. My face twisted with each step, my jaw clenching as I tried to push through the agony. But I couldn't stop. The thought of them catching me kept me moving forward.

I stumbled past a small, quiet lake, the water reflecting the dim light, before moving deeper into the thick woods. Hundreds of trees seemed to stretch on forever, their shadows twisting and merging into one endless sea of darkness. The forest felt like it had no end. It all looked the same. I couldn't shake the feeling, though—like the forest itself was watching me, waiting.

Then, suddenly, I froze.

I didn't want to, I had to. My legs trembling as an eerie feeling watched over me. Slowly, I tilted my head to the right, my instincts screaming that something was there. It was pitch black, and I couldn't see a thing. For some reason, I'd always had a sense for danger—a sharp, unexplainable instinct that had kept me alive more times than I could count.

I glanced a bit more to the right and saw it: a faint glimmer of light breaking through the trees. An exit. A shortcut to escape this dark forest.

I hesitated, my breath shaky as I took one step toward it. But then, I stopped myself. "No," I whispered, my voice firm despite the fear tightening my chest.

"I have to trust my instincts. It's the only thing that has never betrayed me."

Trusting my instincts, I turned and ran to the left.

As I ran, the moonlight, previously hidden behind clouds, broke through and illuminated the forest. That's when I saw it behind—something dark, shifting in the shadows. Its form was hazy, almost blending with the trees, but I could feel its eyes on me, cold and piercing. It stared at me, its presence suffocating and unnatural. Before I could react, it vanished into the darkness.

My breath caught in my throat as I tried to make sense of what I saw, but there was no time to think. I had to keep running.

I pushed on, my legs burning, the weight of fear pressing against my chest. Then, I heard them—shouting, the hunters. "We found her tracks! She's not far!" Their voices echoed through the trees, and my heart pounding more than ever.

But then, a new sound pierced through the air—screams. The hunters' screams. They were begging, desperate cries for help, their voices trembling with terror. "Help! Something's—it's—! Aghhh!" I continued to run, my breath shallow as I heard them, straining to hear every word. Their cries were frantic, filled with pain, and then abruptly cut off. The forest seemed to absorb their voices, leaving only an eerie silence behind. I couldn't tell what was happening, but it didn't sound like they had a chance.

I stumbled while trying to listen and fell, the rough ground scraping against my knees and palms as I hit the forest floor. I started coughing and my chest paining. I reached for the nearest tree, using it to push myself back up, my legs trembling under me. As I stood, still coughing, I pressed my arm against the tree to steady myself, the exhaustion pulling at every part of me. The forest felt endless, and I could barely keep going.

I stood there, my arm braced against the rough bark, my body trembling from the effort of running. The air was thick and heavy, pressing against me as I struggled to catch my breath. My legs ached, the pain in my muscles nearly unbearable, but I couldn't move yet. Not just because of the pain—because of the weight inside me, heavier than my exhaustion.

Even if I escape this forest... where will I go next?

The question stopped me, raw and unrelenting. Back to the villages where they'd spit on me, scream at me, call me a monster? I had no home, no place where I could belong. Would I just keep running forever, moving from one nightmare to the next?

Another thought pulled its way to the surface, one I didn't want to face. If I stop running, will it even matter? What's the point of surviving, of fighting, when the world itself seems to hate me? Maybe… maybe they're right. Maybe I should just give up.

I shook my head weakly, trying to push the thoughts away, but they only burrowed deeper, spreading like cracks in glass. My chest tensed, and I could feel the sting of tears forming again, but I didn't have the strength to cry anymore. The questions circled back, over and over, each one digging into me like thorns.

Why am I still fighting? Where can I go? How long can I keep running?

No answer came. Only the sound of my breathing and the distant talks of the hunters. My legs screamed for rest, a dull, searing pain radiating from my calves and thighs. I slid down the tree slightly, letting its bark press into my back. My body wanted to give up, to sink to the forest floor and just stop, but I clenched my fists, trying to summon any strength I had left.

The pain in my legs were worse now, every muscle tensed with each beat of my heart. My feet, scraped and raw from the rocks and uneven ground, felt like they could shatter at anytime. I closed my eyes for a moment, hoping for something—anything—to give me a reason to keep going. But the silence around me only echoed the emptiness inside.

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Fifteen seconds passed like an eternity. Each moment stretched and pulled, letting the weight of everything settle on me like a crushing tide. And yet, I forced myself to stand. Because, no matter how much it hurt, I knew one thing: stopping wasn't an option. Not yet.

As I took a moment to recover, a drop of liquid splashed onto my arm from the tree, and I glanced up. My eyes widened with terror as I saw it—the monster. Its dark, hollow eyes locked onto mine. It was hungry, watching me as if I were its next meal. I didn't even feel the pain in my legs anymore, not with the monster standing above of me. My heart raced, my body screaming in exhaustion, but fear and instinct pushed me forward.

Branches whipped against my skin, but I didn't dare slow down. I needed to find an exit—anything to escape this nightmare. Just when I thought I saw a break in the trees ahead, a shadow moved in front of me, blocking my path. My heart dropped as the creature revealed itself from the darkness. I barely had time to process the horror of it before another one appeared behind me blocking the path.

I couldn't escape them. Panic surged through me as the creatures slowly closed in, their eyes locked on me with hunger.

What do I do now? The question echoed in my mind, my thoughts racing, but every option felt useless.

Coughing harshly, my breath ragged, the exhaustion making my chest tenser. My mind raced—Should I fight? Should I keep running? But I knew. I knew I couldn't outrun them forever.

As the creatures closed the distance, my panic began to subside, replaced by a bitter clarity. My breath grew shallow, and my limbs felt heavier. There was no escape anymore—no more running. The reality of it sank in. The darkness was closing in, and I couldn't fight it anymore.

Maybe this was it. Maybe it was for the best. This nightmare had to end, one way or another.

But just as they leapt forward, something inside me snapped.

No. I wouldn't just give up. Not now.

I pushed myself harder, running to the side, hoping for a way out. The monsters paused for a moment, then leapt at me again, their movements terrifyingly fast.

I ran, gasping for air, my legs heavy and paining with every step. The burning in my lungs felt unbearable, and my mind screamed at me to stop. But I couldn't. If I stopped, they would catch me.

And then, something grabbed my leg from behind.

I screamed, the claws sinking into my ankle, pulling me back. I looked behind me and saw them—drooling, their mouths wide, and their eyes full of hunger.

The creature was dark, its body a shifting blur, blending into the shadows like it belonged there. It was fast—impossibly fast—its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. Jagged teeth glistened as it bared them, dripping with saliva. Its limbs were very long and twisted, reaching out from the darkness like unnatural shadows, claws sharp and ready to tear through flesh.

The other one reached out, its other hand trying to grab me, I kept on struggling to pull away. But the claws—they were holding me in place, and I felt my strength disappearing, like something was slowly draining from me. I was losing my will to fight, but I couldn't understand why.

Why did I feel so weak? Why was it getting harder to breathe, to move? Each second, I felt my body growing heavier, as though something inside me was being ripped away. My mind was clouded, and my thoughts were disappearing.

I tried to push back, to move, but I couldn't. The pull on my ankle was too strong, and my vision was starting to blur. My heart raced, but my limbs felt like stone.

And then, it hit me. It—the creature—was taking it all away. My energy. My will. Every ounce of strength I had left.

My body was weakening, my limbs heavy, but I wouldn't stop. I couldn't. Even as the darkness closed in, I refused to give up.

I kicked out with my other leg, trying to shake off the creature's grip, but it only tightened. My hand reached for a tree, but my fingers slipped against the rough bark. Nothing worked. I could feel the cold reality settling in. There was no escape. I was going to die here.

Just as I felt myself falter, another monster's claws wrapped around my other leg. My heart pounded in my chest as I looked into their faces—horrific, dark, their eyes glimmering with hunger. But there was something more in those eyes. They were... happy. Delighting in my terror.

As I gave up all hope, I realized the truth: this nightmare would end with me as their feast. And I couldn't fight it anymore. I accepted the last moments of my life.

Before my vision blurred more, I saw both monsters look away from me for a second, their focus shifting to something on the left. One of them loosened its grip on my leg, slowly shifting its weight and walking to the left side with heavy, uneven steps. My body was numb, but I tried to force my eyes to stay open.

Through the haze, I saw him—a boy. He was walking straight toward the monster, unaware of the danger closing in. My heart sank, a weight pressing down on me.

No, not him too. He didn't know. I wanted to scream, to warn him, but I hesitated.

He was one of the hunters. He wanted to kill me, I thought bitterly, feeling an ache of helplessness. But even so, I didn't want him to die like this. It didn't matter

He was still a person. A life, like mine. I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else dying here, even if they were one of the hunters. They might've been chasing me, but I didn't want them to die like this—not like the others.

I closed my eyes for a moment, wishing him a better life, a life free of all the pain I'd known. I thought about how long I'd been running, how long I'd been running from everything—my past, my fears, my regrets. I didn't want anyone else to suffer the way I had.

Not like I ever truly lived. A life where I never truly felt alive, just surviving in a world full of suffering and pain.

My life had always been a struggle, a never-ending fight to survive. I had learned early on that nothing ever comes easy, that even the smallest moments of peace are fleeting. And now, as my strength drained away, I realized that this boy—this hunter—deserved a chance at something better. Something I would never have.

I didn't want him to die here, in this forest, with nothing but the monsters as his witnesses. I wanted him to run, to live, to see the world beyond this nightmare.

Even if they had once been the ones hunting me, I couldn't wish that fate on anyone. Not after everything I had been through, everything I had lost.

With the last bit of strength I had, I forced out a weak scream, barely a whisper through my dry throat, but it was enough to say one word: "Run!"

The monster didn't hesitate. It leaped toward him in a blur of motion, hearing my scream as if it had been waiting for me to make a sound.

I was dragged closer to the other monster's mouth, its jagged teeth now looming in front of me. The world started to darken as I prepared for the end. But just before I shut my eyes, I saw him again.

The boy. He threw something—his sword—across his body, shifting it from his left hand to his right with swift precision.

In that split second, the joy that had been in the monster's face vanished. It was replaced by sheer terror. I saw it in its eyes just before it was too late. My vision swam as tears blurred my sight, saying my goodbyes to the world.

The wind rustled the leaves, making them whisper in the dark. Birds scattered from the trees, their wings a blur as they fled into the sky, their cries echoing in the distance. The forest felt alive in a way that only made the moment feel more urgent, the silence before the storm almost deafening.

Then, I heard it. The sound of slicing—so fast, I could barely note it at first. A blur of metal and sharp cracks filled the air, followed by the monster's screech. The earth trembled, and I could feel the vibrations in my bones, my heart racing with every passing second.

The monster was screaming in pain, its howls almost sounding like it was begging for help. I couldn't believe it—this terrifying creature, so full of malice, was now desperate.

I reopened my eyes; not sure how much time had passed. My energy slowly crept back, inch by inch, until I could see again.

The creature that had been holding me? Its head was gone, cleanly severed from its body. And then, my eyes moved to the left. The rest of the monster's body was torn apart—sliced over fifty times, each mark deep and precise.

The grip on my ankle loosened, and I collapsed, falling to the ground. Confusion clouded my mind. I couldn't quite understand what had just happened, the whirlwind of pain and shock making everything harder to understand.

But before I could fall unconscious, something strong caught me. My head rested against someone's chest, and I blinked up, still dizzy, still unsure.

With my vision blurred, I could barely make out the shape, but then, through the blur, clear beautiful blue eyes stared back at me.

He placed his warm hands behind my head, almost as if trying to comfort me. He smiled, a brief but reassuring look. "Looks like I was in time."

And for the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself to feel hope.