33

Swallowing hard, you steel yourself—and turn to look behind you.

You don't see anything—anyone—on the path. You can't see very far into the forest between the dense trees, but there's no sign of anybody there either. Just a bird that goes flying up from one of the branches.

You watch the path for a couple minutes longer, wanting to make sure there's nothing that might take you by surprise. Eventually, however, you're satisfied that you're the only living thing in sight. Everything else is just as still as ever.

In fact, it's even more still.

Lowering your eyes to the undergrowth, you notice the little screws have stopped moving.

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You stand where you are. The pulse that was guiding you, steering you through the trees, is gone. All you feel is the air on your skin.

A bird caws up in the canopy, and for a moment, the sound echoes before fading into the distance. The vast forest around you swallows it up.

You couldn't even begin to count the number of trees around you. All you know is that they seem to go on forever—

And you don't know where to go.

The bird cries out again.

This time, it's a little closer over your head.

The very same instant that you realize what it means, you hear another crack.

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