Chapter Four_For now

Elliot.

I had to keep moving, forcing my legs forward, even with each step heavier than the last.

The man I was dragging through the woods felt like dead weight now, his body limp, bleeding, and barely conscious.

I glanced over my shoulder, heart pounding in my chest. It was hard to see anything behind me, but I knew something was out there.

Lurking.

"Come on, man. Stay with me," I muttered through clenched teeth. His weight dragged me down, each step slower than the last. "Just hold on a little longer."

He groaned, his head rolling to the side in his barely conscious state. Blood seeped through his torn shirt, and I could feel the wetness of it on my hands as I tried to support him.

It was everywhere.

I glanced down at him, shaking him lightly. "Hey! Hey, can you hear me?"

His eyelids fluttered, and a weak gasp escaped his lips. "Run," he managed to say, though the words were barely audible.

"I'm not leaving you," I said firmly, trying to ignore the panic clawing at the edges of my mind. "Just hold on. I'll get us out of here."

The growl echoed through the trees, closer this time. So, so close.

I gripped the man tighter, forcing myself to keep moving. My legs burned with the effort, but I pushed forward, the weight of him growing heavier with each step.

Damn.

I was such a fool for skipping the gym.

Another growl.

Louder.

Closer.

I shuddered violently when I heard another howl. Whatever it was, it was following us.

Hunting.

"Shit." I muttered under my breath, my mind racing.

If I didn't get out of these woods soon, we'd both be dead.

I forced my feet to move faster, the man slumped against me, his breath ragged in my ear. I couldn't think about the creature chasing us or what was going to happen if it caught up to us.

All I could focus on was getting this guy to safety

But how the hell was I supposed to do that when I was half dragging him through the woods with no clear way out?

"Hang in there," I whispered, more to myself than to him. "We’re almost out."

"Not... safe," He croacked the words out, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes flickered open, and for a moment, there was something sharp in his gaze.. desperate. "They... they hunt."

"I know." I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening as I glanced over my shoulder again.

The fog was thicker now, swirling around the trees like a living thing, and I could barely see more than a few feet ahead of us.

"But we’re not going to die out here, alright? I’m getting you out of this. I promise."

The man groaned again, his body sagging even more against mine. His skin was cold to the touch now, his breathing shallow and erratic.

I could feel the weight of exhaustion pulling at my limbs, but I couldn't stop.

Not yet.

"Come on," I muttered, gritting my teeth as I dragged him forward. "Just a little further."

But even as I said it, I knew I was lying. I had no idea where I was going.

No idea how far we still had to go before we were safe.

I stumbled, almost tripping over a root, and for a moment, I thought we were both going to hit the ground. But I caught myself just in time, steadying us both with a shaky breath.

"Stay awake," I urged, shaking the man again. "Don’t pass out on me. You have to stay awake."

His eyes fluttered open for a second, then closed again, his head dropping to his chest.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath. "This isn’t working."

I glanced around frantically, trying to find some sort of landmark, something that would help me figure out where the hell we were. But the woods all looked the same. Endless trees, thick fog, and that damned silence.

Another growl. Closer. Too close.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat. It was right behind us now, I could feel it. My heart pounded in my ears as I slowly turned my head, scanning the fog for any sign of movement.

Nothing. But I knew it was there.

"We have to move," I whispered, more to myself than to him. "Now."

I took a step forward, but the man was heavier than ever. His body was limp, and I was barely holding him up at this point. My muscles screamed in protest, but I forced myself to keep going.

"Stay with me," I muttered again, my voice cracking. "Don’t you dare die on me, man."

I couldn't let him die.

Not after everything I'd been through, everything I'd seen. He was the only link I had to understand what was out there, what had attacked him, and what was hunting us now.

I had to know the truth.

"Come on," I urged, pulling him along as fast as I could. "We’re almost there."

But it wasn’t fast enough.

A snarl cut through the air, closer than before. My heart skipped a beat, panic flooding my veins.

I spun around, my eyes darting through the trees. I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel it. The threat. It was there, stalking us, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Come on, Elliot. Think," I whispered to myself, trying to keep the panic at bay. "You’ve been in worse situations than this. You’ve dealt with… worse…"

A shadow shifted in the fog, and my blood ran cold.

It was coming.

Without thinking, I tightened my grip on the man and began dragging him faster, my breath coming in short, ragged gasps. My legs burned with the effort, but I didn’t care. I had to get us out of here. I had to...

A sharp snap echoed through the woods, followed by a low growl that made my skin crawl.

Every instinct in me screamed at me to run, but that tug....

I couldn't. Not without him.

The man groaned, his head rolling to the side. "Run…" he rasped again, his voice barely audible.

"I’m not leaving you," I said firmly, my hands shaking as I pulled him closer. "We’re both getting out of here. Together."

I scanned the woods. There had to be something... anything.. that could help us.

A road, a cabin, a way out.

But all I saw were trees and fog.

A low snarl echoed through the air, and my blood turned to ice.

It was too close.

I could hear its heavy breathing now, feel the weight of its gaze on us.

With a final burst of energy, I hoisted the man up as best I could and began to move again, my legs trembling with the effort.

"Come on," I muttered through gritted teeth, dragging him forward. "We’re almost there. Just a little further."

I didn’t know if I was lying or not. But I had to keep him and myself moving.

Another snarl, this time directly behind me.

I didn’t dare look back. I didn’t want to see it. All I could do was focus on the man, on getting him out of the woods, on surviving.

"We’re almost there," I whispered again, my voice shaking. "Almost…"

As if on cue, the trees parted ahead of me, revealing the faint outline of my house through the fog. My heart leapt in my chest. I was close. So damn close.

I could make it. I had to.

With a final, desperate surge of energy, I dragged the man toward the house, my body screaming in protest. But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.

We made it to the front steps, and I all but collapsed, my chest heaving with exhaustion. The man’s body slumped against me, but he was still alive. Barely.

I glanced back at the woods, my heart racing. The growls had stopped.

For now.

I didn’t know how long we had before whatever was out there came back. But for now, we were safe.

For now.