Present
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Leaves and branches scratched my arms, face and other parts of my body as I ran along the dark wooded forest. I didn’t know where I was going, but I was pretty575Please respect copyright.PENANAUojRApWmb2
sure I was running for my life from whatever was chasing me. The air575Please respect copyright.PENANA9jGues27QC
around me was cold and there was fog everywhere. The full moon had come575Please respect copyright.PENANARo69ohZvIc
up and it was as bright as ever. But its light wasn’t bright enough for575Please respect copyright.PENANAfZjqTquxnN
it to illuminate around the forest because of the foliage of the tree575Please respect copyright.PENANAyN5BEGFe3k
leaves above.
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I ran, trying to dodge every branch and jump over any fallen log blocking my path. I had fallen over a log at some point and must have badly injured my knee, but now575Please respect copyright.PENANA4A62CRfl9N
was clearly not the time to check myself. I could feel its presence and I575Please respect copyright.PENANANvbdv5Cb5f
knew it was coming closer and closer. I could tell it wanted me. I575Please respect copyright.PENANAsEx4fWRg8x
could tell it wanted to find me. I could tell it wanted to kill me.
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Whenever I felt it coming closer, I would try to push myself and run a little faster. Sweat ran down my face and I was panting so much. No matter what, I couldn’t575Please respect copyright.PENANAnXKqDyUwEz
stop running and I wasn’t planning on doing so any way.
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This was just like those American horror or Africa Magic movies about witchcraft I had watched. I never thought I would be going though whatever happens in such movies in my life. Everything's so real and my heart pumped so fast that the575Please respect copyright.PENANA5x8DP9zrYT
adrenaline that spread throughout my body had kept me going for what575Please respect copyright.PENANASjv2uxq6cJ
seemed liked hours.
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All of the sudden, I felt something grab my waist and draw me a few steps back. I found myself pinned to the bark of a tree. For a moment, I thought whatever575Please respect copyright.PENANAopOTKsPZW5
was after me had finally caught me. Before I could scream, a hand575Please respect copyright.PENANA3Cn3MhS1QE
quickly covered my mouth and I could tell I was with a person, but it575Please respect copyright.PENANAN1G1t2tu8Q
was too dark to even see who it was. I could tell it was a man because I575Please respect copyright.PENANAbnqVaHiUle
could make out the person’s physique even in the darkness. I could feel575Please respect copyright.PENANAez1xWK14uO
his other strong arm pin my whole body with my back against the tree575Please respect copyright.PENANAQG7JfHmoX2
that I couldn’t even move. The hand he used to cover my mouth was575Please respect copyright.PENANAUzoTG0YwQp
quickly withdrawn. He put up his index finger and placed it to his lips575Please respect copyright.PENANAe0qwwCyeHG
obviously telling me to be quiet. I silently nodded, and for once, my575Please respect copyright.PENANAUsbE88hgnj
breathing slowed down and I felt my body relax a little. I could tell575Please respect copyright.PENANAB2eDpkAVHk
that no matter what, this man in front of me was only trying to protect575Please respect copyright.PENANAKm6kDc63UD
me, but that didn’t mean I had forgotten about the danger around us.
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A chilling sensation came over me. The feeling became stronger and I knew it was coming closer. The man still had me pinned to the tree and he just waited in575Please respect copyright.PENANAL8RHN5m38m
silence. Then a black shadow passed us and it was moving as fast as I575Please respect copyright.PENANAIPTxzN8SEL
could have ever imagined. The shadow was going to catch me, no doubt575Please respect copyright.PENANAK8Cj6aOfEF
about that. Thank goodness the man came before anything happened.
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A few seconds later, the chilling sensation had subsided and I couldn’t help but feel relived. The man’s hand that held me to the tree loosened and he took me by the575Please respect copyright.PENANAD7oIM5J8GW
hand and dragged me along with him to wherever we were going. He didn’t575Please respect copyright.PENANARmyWyHftwJ
say a single word to me and it was best to keep quiet in these forests,575Please respect copyright.PENANAndLbbOS6Rc
just in case the shadow ever found us. We soon came upon an open area575Please respect copyright.PENANAnmVZ8xKr5R
with a few trees around, the moon shone brightly over us and I could see575Please respect copyright.PENANAIKageazyeW
the man’s back but not his face. As I continued to look at him, I575Please respect copyright.PENANAWClMAwiIQP
couldn’t help but feel that I know him. I wanted to see his face so575Please respect copyright.PENANAVNfUghlItm
badly and curiosity took the better of me: I spoke.
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“Do I know you?” I asked.
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The man stopped walking and I bumped into his back. I felt his body go rigid because of my question. I hoped I hadn’t upset him. He was the only key to getting out575Please respect copyright.PENANAJ7L2o24ug4
of here.
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“Now isn’t the right time for this,” he whispered, “and you better stop talking. We aren’t safe here.”
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“I just wanted to know who are you, that’s all,” I whispered. “I want to thank you for what you did for me back there.”
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“Don’t thank me; we aren’t out of the forest yet.”
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I couldn’t help but say, “You sound very familiar, do I know you?”
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For a moment there was only silence and all I could do was stare at the back of the man who had saved me. He sighed out heavily and he finally spoke:
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“Knowing you, you aren’t going to give up so easily, asking the same question just to annoy me. You’re always so persistent and stubborn, Diana.”
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It was now my turn for my body to go rigid. I stared at him with shock. How did he know my name? How did he know I was persistent and stubborn? I needed answers.575Please respect copyright.PENANAPtWZbPvYlW
And I needed them right away.
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I didn’t have to ask the questions that were running around my head as the man immediately turned to face me. My jaw suddenly dropped and I couldn’t help but feel575Please respect copyright.PENANAwJZ2kSVbeD
surprised and yet again happy when I saw his face. But some things575Please respect copyright.PENANAueT4QkP6xc
weren’t adding up though. How did he know where to find me in the first575Please respect copyright.PENANA6v3JnSEmhR
place?
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And why of all people did it have to be him?
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