In an attempt to escape the suffocating grip of my constrained reality, I ran–furiously, desperately and mindlessly–like a storm breaking loose. Almost like Flash, except when he pushes himself beyond limits, he ends up time–traveling into alternate dimensions. Where as ME? I ended up somewhere far less exciting: the heart of an unfamiliar, shadow–drenched forest that felt as if it had swallowed the world whole.
The disorientation of not knowing where I was should have terrified me first. But it didn’t. What claimed the top spot on my list of panic–inducing problems was the searing ache in my abdomen, the stinging strain in my legs, and the deafening thud of my heart that slammed against my ribs like a warning siren, I had run too hard, too fast, for far too long.
Clutching the side of my waist, where a sharp pain in my muscles screamed with every breath, I gasped for air like a fish out of water. Each inhale was ragged, and every exhale felt stolen. I had missed too many breaths in my wild escape, too focused on putting distance between myself and Kaiden. My skin, slick with sweat, clung to the fabric of my pastel pink dress, turning the soft cotton nearly see–through, like the rain had drenched me instead of my own body.
“Lucy!” I heard Kaiden’s voice echo faintly through the trees, raw with worry. “Lucy, for God’s sake, where are you?”
I froze, every nerve in my body reacting to his voice like an electric jolt. All that sprinting, the pain, the drenched dress- completely in vain. It wasn’t the world or society or even my mother I was trying to outrun–it was him. And now he was close. Too close.
“Damn it, Lucy. I know you’re trying to avoid me,” he shouted again, his voice carried by the wind, now alarmingly near. “But this place isn’t safe. This jungle’s known for wild boars. Come on, let’s just go home. I swear, I won’t say a single word on the way.”
I glanced toward the direction of his voice and saw him moving through the forest, his figure cutting through the shadows like a ghost determined to haunt me. Despite his promise, I wasn’t naive enough to buy it. It’s Kaiden. He didn’t know how to keep his mouth shut, especially when silence was most needed. He could get under my skin with just a glance, let alone words.
Holding my breath, I lifted myself onto the balls of my sandals and tiptoed away, disappearing behind a thick, bark–covered tree. As he came even closer, I crept deeper into the woods, weaving through the trunks like a shadow slipping away. Every time he was about to spot me, I melted into the background, hiding behind tree after tree, becoming part of the forest itself.
“Fuck!” he growled, the frustration in his voice making my pulse spike. “Where the hell are you, Introvert?”
The nickname, the way he muttered it–half anger, half affection–sent a chill up my spine. He scanned the dense woodland with sharp eyes, his presence almost animalistic, like a predator zeroing in on prey. For a fleeting moment, he was just a breath away. I didn’t think–I simply moved, faster than instinct. I ducked behind another tree, holding my breath so tightly I thought I might faint.
He lingered for a minute, silent and alert. Then, finally, I heard the sound of leaves rustling under his sneakers as he turned and walked away. The tension in my shoulders dropped. I exhaled, quiet and shaky, finally letting my body release from the statue–like stillness I had maintained. And just like that, I stopped hiding.
ONE HOUR LATER…
I
guess…. this was a stupid decision. No, scratch that–it was the stupidest decision I’ve ever made. I should’ve just swallowed my pride and gone home with Kaiden. At least then I wouldn’t be freezing in the middle of some godforsaken jungle that looked the same in every damn direction.
The towering trees mocked me, each one a replica of the last–like some twisted prank of nature. My phone still had no signal. No GPS. No map. And… the battery icon was mockingly hanging on at 5% on top of my phone’s screen. I was stranded. Lost. Alone. This jungle was worse than a mirror maze. I swear, I’d happily sign an affidavit with my blood to declare that as a legal fact.
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Chapter 93
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Midnight had crept in unnoticed. The forest had transformed into a pitch–black labyrinth of whispers and shadows. The cold wind gnawed at my skin, slipping under the damp fabric of my dress, making me shiver from both fear and frost. My legs ached with every step, yet I trudged forward, directionless.
Then–snort.
A harsh, guttural sound tore through the stillness. It echoed so loudly that it seemed to come from everywhere at once. My breath caught in my throat. The hair on the back of my neck stood upright.
Snort. Again.
But this time… I recognized it.
That wasn’t just a strange noise–it was the unmistakable, threatening growl of a wild boar.
Terror surged through me, crashing into my chest like a tidal wave. My heartbeat grew erratic–frantic, trembling–as if it was trying to leap out of my cheat and run.
Another sound–crunching leaves. Footsteps. From behind me.
A part of me hoped, prayed, begged it to be Kaiden. Or at least someone human. I spun around and aimed my flashlight at the source, a fragile string of hope pulling me forward.
That hope shattered in the next second.
The light hit it square in the eyes.
The boar.
It was bigger than I imagined, its body low to the ground but thick, muscled, menacing. Its eyes flared as the beam struck its face, and with a furious squeal, it roared—a deep, angry sound that made the trees around me feel suddenly much thinner.
The light had pissed it off.
Panicked, I tried to switch off the flashlight, but my fingers were slick with sweat, slipping uselessly over the screen. It wouldn’t register. The damn thing wouldn’t turn off.
The boar bellowed again–and charged.
I screamed, flung the phone to the ground without thinking, and bolted, running for my life with only the pale moonlight as my guide.
“Help! Somebody, please help!” My voice was raw, desperate, cutting through the woods, hoping someone–anyone–would hear me.
I was fast. I am fast. An athlete, trained and timed. But whatever species this boar belonged to, it was apparently training for the animal Olympics. It bulldozed through the underbrush like it was nothing, its thundering footsteps right behind me. Too close.
If I wasn’t moments from dying, I would’ve admired the way it moved–so wild and heavy, yet quick as a whip.
My energy was crashing. My body was begging me to stop, to fall, to surrender.
-And then-
A hand. Out of nowhere, gripped my wrist firmly, and yanked me sideways–so fast I barely had time to blink.
I stumbled into someone’s chest, the world blurring around me.
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Chapter 93
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The boar charged past, its momentum carrying it forward, crashing through where I had been just seconds ago, it kep going, completely missing me.
I was safe.
Barely.
My breath hitched as I clutched the stranger–no, the savior–and looked up, heart still hammering like a war drum in my
chest.
To be continued…
