The group pressed on through the dense forest, their boots crunching against the dry leaves and twigs that littered the ground.
Each step felt heavier than the last as panic clawed at their throats.
The eerie laughter of Lyerin, faint and distant at first, was now creeping closer, louder with every passing moment.
It didn't matter how fast they ran, how much they tried to weave through the trees to lose him; his presence loomed ever nearer, as if the very shadows carried his voice forward.
Scarred Soldier, leading the charge, glanced back over his shoulder with wide, fearful eyes.
"He's gaining on us," he growled, his tone laced with frustration and dread. "This isn't working!"
"You think I don't know that?" Younger Woman snapped, her voice high-pitched and trembling as she struggled to keep pace.
Sweat dripped down her temples, and her breathing was labored, her chest heaving with exertion. "Do you have a better idea?"
