Lendle

Excerpt:
Kara moved through the darkness of the forest, her nimble feet barely touching the worn path she traveled, a small torch held tight in her grasp. Low bending branches fanned above her as the moon glowed a shade of crimson, a foretelling of danger to come. She hurried along the trail, her gaze darting back and forth along the path. A cool wind had begun to push through the forest, its caress light across her skin. As she leaned against an ancient decaying oak her mind began to wander through the blackness of the night. Her internal warning system kicked in, alerting her to the subtle disturbance in the air, as if the forest was changing, taking on an ominous feel.
All her senses fanned out. She returned her gaze to the sky as a large blanket of dark clouds began to move in, shrouding the sky from the earth below. Her head spun back to the woodlands. “Oh no, gods please don’t.” A feeling of dread had begun to spread through the night like a web woven in intricate patterns. Her head turned. She tried to listen for any sound of movement but silence was all she found. An opaque mist began to swirl in the confines of the forest, causing the shadows to grow in size. A shift seemed to have occurred in the fabric of the forest and the change wasn’t good. Mist descended upon her, enveloping her small figure in a dense cocoon. The sheer force drove the air from her lungs, her eyes burning from the contact.
Kara closed her eyes until she could hear her friends in the distance as they continued to go further into the woods, their voices laced with carefree laughter. Unaware of the danger, they never faltered. They continued into the darkness, their footsteps an echo on the wind. Above the canopy of the forest, two owls called out to her, their voices eerie in the silence of the night. Kara watched as they bolted skyward in search of prey or something more, she wasn’t sure. Their sudden departure though, was a warning of something unnatural roaming about the shadows. She attempted to take in her surroundings, to memorize where she was and where the danger seemed to be headed. Something unseen continued to follow her every move, a phantom that mimicked her steps. No matter which direction she moved she could feel its stare boring into her soul, chilling her to the bone. She needed to find her friends and soon. A flash of red eyes caught her eye, the phantom they belonged to moved quickly and quietly. Her heart stuttered at the close proximity of evil that she knew had invaded their woodlands.
Her voice rang out into the night. “This isn’t funny Gaaby, where are you guys?”
Deep down she knew her cries couldn’t be heard. Gaaby and the others had gone ahead. She continued to sprint through the foliage, calling for her friends, hoping to hear some faint sound from up ahead. Each step forward drew a cold veil of foreboding across her soul. For as long as she could remember, she could sense when death was near and the call of it was so strong that she fell to her knees, her head reeling from the onslaught of emotions that flowed from the cool breeze. Kara placed a torch into the soft ground in an attempt to shed light on her surroundings, to gain some semblance of where she was.
Slowly the orange glow of the flames began to spread across the area; the sudden light pushing the shadows back into the forest. Her eyes adjusted to the increase in light, a stifled cry lodged in her throat as her vision took in the wriggling form of her friend gasping desperately for air. Gaaby’s eyes, wide with fear, tore into Kara’s mind and burned the image of Gaaby’s ashen face onto her soul.
“Help...me...please...” Her words, mere broken whispers barely audible, were laced with raw terror.