Hurt

Chapter 26 - Hurt

I ran through the thick of the forest—the taunting of the night creatures gaining on me. My foot snagged a root throwing me into the ground. My face smacking off the dark earth, my nose crunching under pressure. I didn't have time to stop the bleeding or fix the break. I only had time to get up and continue running. I could hear the howls and snarls growing closer with each passing second.

“Immeldaa.” The voice taunted as it hunted me. I was the prey, and it was the predator, a role I was never meant to play. The voice was a haunting echo mixed between demonic and a phantom whisper.

I scrambled to get back on my feet. My knees threatening to collapse beneath me. I could feel my face already bruising, breathing becoming harder as my nasal passages swelled shut. My heart pounded in my chest, threatening to break through my rib cage. Sweat