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 pretty534Please respect copyright.PENANAqJofVCoS0s
sure I was running for my life from whatever was chasing me. The air534Please respect copyright.PENANA0VDeOlU4DP
around me was cold and there was fog everywhere. The full moon had come534Please respect copyright.PENANA9XjYva4SXK
up and it was as bright as ever. But its light wasn’t bright enough for534Please respect copyright.PENANAKLpxLnYY6D
it to illuminate around the forest because of the foliage of the tree534Please respect copyright.PENANAsUIACn2ep1
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 now534Please respect copyright.PENANAjgfnM8wbFS
was clearly not the time to check myself. I could feel its presence and I534Please respect copyright.PENANAzmJBkbooQf
knew it was coming closer and closer. I could tell it wanted me. I534Please respect copyright.PENANA53XoKVvsUB
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’t534Please respect copyright.PENANAxW3louAn6G
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 the534Please respect copyright.PENANAn9nWYRxRW0
adrenaline that spread throughout my body had kept me going for what534Please respect copyright.PENANAlLOyEQeUsZ
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 whatever534Please respect copyright.PENANA08CvCbZYCU
was after me had finally caught me. Before I could scream, a hand534Please respect copyright.PENANAwxalkZMzcB
quickly covered my mouth and I could tell I was with a person, but it534Please respect copyright.PENANAMWfsT5jWLk
was too dark to even see who it was. I could tell it was a man because I534Please respect copyright.PENANA9xN5sbTkKT
could make out the person’s physique even in the darkness. I could feel534Please respect copyright.PENANA2FgFfoe1GA
his other strong arm pin my whole body with my back against the tree534Please respect copyright.PENANArJSYvzHxax
that I couldn’t even move. The hand he used to cover my mouth was534Please respect copyright.PENANAljeLQdRKAq
quickly withdrawn. He put up his index finger and placed it to his lips534Please respect copyright.PENANArUZoOtFrI7
obviously telling me to be quiet. I silently nodded, and for once, my534Please respect copyright.PENANA18g2XeGREh
breathing slowed down and I felt my body relax a little. I could tell534Please respect copyright.PENANAuZ51EfV2Se
that no matter what, this man in front of me was only trying to protect534Please respect copyright.PENANAmaeGXTUUkb
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 in534Please respect copyright.PENANAUn7UTpH3Zv
silence. Then a black shadow passed us and it was moving as fast as I534Please respect copyright.PENANATIXHUHuVIu
could have ever imagined. The shadow was going to catch me, no doubt534Please respect copyright.PENANAoaWUHPo9g9
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 the534Please respect copyright.PENANAjEmZ8knYrY
hand and dragged me along with him to wherever we were going. He didn’t534Please respect copyright.PENANAQGS12uAvZC
say a single word to me and it was best to keep quiet in these forests,534Please respect copyright.PENANAHdIKxC2mrX
just in case the shadow ever found us. We soon came upon an open area534Please respect copyright.PENANADXY9PJqce1
with a few trees around, the moon shone brightly over us and I could see534Please respect copyright.PENANAVQIg0W0SEq
the man’s back but not his face. As I continued to look at him, I534Please respect copyright.PENANAUENKjgqpi9
couldn’t help but feel that I know him. I wanted to see his face so534Please respect copyright.PENANAvgFOkTzjQe
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 out534Please respect copyright.PENANAYYZCQgvSk9
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.534Please respect copyright.PENANArD2Lhp42KB
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 feel534Please respect copyright.PENANAHhgOBN2JkQ
surprised and yet again happy when I saw his face. But some things534Please respect copyright.PENANAsSqQlR65PM
weren’t adding up though. How did he know where to find me in the first534Please respect copyright.PENANAL1hceE3Oig
place?
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And why of all people did it have to be him?
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