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 pretty966Please respect copyright.PENANAtwD42EdAg9
sure I was running for my life from whatever was chasing me. The air966Please respect copyright.PENANASqYLQp0osK
around me was cold and there was fog everywhere. The full moon had come966Please respect copyright.PENANALwaLh2Tvxn
up and it was as bright as ever. But its light wasn’t bright enough for966Please respect copyright.PENANAtyOR9KtFa1
it to illuminate around the forest because of the foliage of the tree966Please respect copyright.PENANA3qMf9VRaK6
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 now966Please respect copyright.PENANApcqfJ1jlxg
was clearly not the time to check myself. I could feel its presence and I966Please respect copyright.PENANA6VZslGXenR
knew it was coming closer and closer. I could tell it wanted me. I966Please respect copyright.PENANAin5G0CEo5O
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’t966Please respect copyright.PENANAH4cIdHwQJa
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 the966Please respect copyright.PENANAPwuqnila2g
adrenaline that spread throughout my body had kept me going for what966Please respect copyright.PENANAcI9WeYZXjY
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 whatever966Please respect copyright.PENANAlavccpwwSB
was after me had finally caught me. Before I could scream, a hand966Please respect copyright.PENANA4WoIBYYfUG
quickly covered my mouth and I could tell I was with a person, but it966Please respect copyright.PENANArqlpMMXCx7
was too dark to even see who it was. I could tell it was a man because I966Please respect copyright.PENANAthGDAlEOOz
could make out the person’s physique even in the darkness. I could feel966Please respect copyright.PENANA6d6wD0lyCp
his other strong arm pin my whole body with my back against the tree966Please respect copyright.PENANA3NQPLZQ5su
that I couldn’t even move. The hand he used to cover my mouth was966Please respect copyright.PENANAgR7nC9m36F
quickly withdrawn. He put up his index finger and placed it to his lips966Please respect copyright.PENANA2VVpQc5l7l
obviously telling me to be quiet. I silently nodded, and for once, my966Please respect copyright.PENANAQfkNDmsAE7
breathing slowed down and I felt my body relax a little. I could tell966Please respect copyright.PENANAaQoEuVm22E
that no matter what, this man in front of me was only trying to protect966Please respect copyright.PENANApVCiF1hhtI
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 in966Please respect copyright.PENANAQKeOVgr08k
silence. Then a black shadow passed us and it was moving as fast as I966Please respect copyright.PENANA8q6FV8ewob
could have ever imagined. The shadow was going to catch me, no doubt966Please respect copyright.PENANAtmrcbNlKyX
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 the966Please respect copyright.PENANAspSsR0sGnB
hand and dragged me along with him to wherever we were going. He didn’t966Please respect copyright.PENANA7ESXfVABqi
say a single word to me and it was best to keep quiet in these forests,966Please respect copyright.PENANAEoar8TZzlX
just in case the shadow ever found us. We soon came upon an open area966Please respect copyright.PENANA11JK6xNAvZ
with a few trees around, the moon shone brightly over us and I could see966Please respect copyright.PENANA3pleJLI529
the man’s back but not his face. As I continued to look at him, I966Please respect copyright.PENANACyJce2wrkw
couldn’t help but feel that I know him. I wanted to see his face so966Please respect copyright.PENANAzriROfXeIr
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 out966Please respect copyright.PENANA7pPk1tqLU1
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.966Please respect copyright.PENANAaIYJnDBNhK
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 feel966Please respect copyright.PENANADJjvlM5hMS
surprised and yet again happy when I saw his face. But some things966Please respect copyright.PENANAQWUO9ziHFW
weren’t adding up though. How did he know where to find me in the first966Please respect copyright.PENANArvz7HLS4Xl
place?
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And why of all people did it have to be him?
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