“Is anybody there?!” He shouted to the empty darkness. His voice flew off into the endless black space, resonating like microphone feedback. Expecting no answer, Daniel sighed hopelessly. There was nobody in sight. The forest seemed to stretch on for thousands of miles. Leaves fluttered to the ground like snow, covering the ground below Daniel. Step, step, step. With each step there was a shiver that ran down Daniel’s spine. He felt it, the presence, that presence you feel when somebody; or something, is watching you.
Daniel stared at the sky. It was completely empty, flooded with black. No moon in sight. Not even a single star. The icy winter wind cut deep to the bone, making him shiver with cold. It was bitter outside, with the wind flowing through the deep, dark forest. Daniel looked behind him, gazing at his footprints left in the endless piles of dead leaves, which seemed to go on forever. And then, after hours of walking through the dark landscape, he heard it.
It wasn’t a loud sound. Quite the contrary in fact, it was very quiet. Barely audible and far away. A low, deep howl could be heard throughout the wooded terrain that echoed for what seemed like hours. Suddenly, it stopped, as quickly as it had begun. An eerie silence fell over the wood, which chilled him to the bone. As Daniel walked between the trees, he realized that he couldn’t hear the leaves crunching beneath his feet anymore. He looked down, and noted that the ground was now flat, and devoid of living flora. The trees, however, were still there, but they were as dead as doornails. No leaves grew on these huge, towering trees.59Please respect copyright.PENANArndRw7yU4q
And then, the footsteps began approaching.
As soon as he heard it, Daniel began running frantically. He didn't want to take the chance and stick around to find out what was making those footsteps. Loud roars began screaming from all around him, sounding eerily like sirens. Panic flowed through Daniel's body as the world moved in slow motion. He heard a crash behind him. Shooting his head around, he saw what can only be described as a fissure breaking through the terrain. Daniel sprinted faster and faster, bolting through the dead forest as fast as he could. Jumping just in time, Daniel threw himself over a fallen log in front of him, falling onto the ground and rolling on his side. He heard the footsteps getting closer, and closer, and closer, and closer...
When Daniel came to, it was as silent as a wolf's den. He was still in the dead forest, but there were no more footsteps, roars or fissures cracking through the ground. It was devoid of all life once more. Daniel rolled over onto his back and sat up, peering at his surroundings, taking in all there was. Again, it wasn't very different from before. Daniel stood up and looked around, spotting something in front of him.59Please respect copyright.PENANACzTHRgk5LI
There was a towering mountain ahead. It was looming over the dark skyline, eerily lit up by some unknown star. It was going to be a long day, and Daniel knew it.
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