The branches were coming closer, inching their way closer to the curtain where William had hidden. Had they found him? William fervently hoped that they were simply attracted by the pattern of the curtain he was hiding behind, but that was not the case. He felt a snakelike tendril wrap around his ankle, and he knew that it was over. He knew that everything was over, but he still flailed around with his arms and legs, trying to get way but only managing to give more roots a chance to seize him, dragging him away from the cottage into the tangle of bushes. It was only when he felt a grapevine gently slide along his collar, around his neck that he gave up the fight. The grapevine contracted, constricting his windpipe and vocal chords, restricting his breathing to a raspy puff of air every now and then. The grapevine tightened its hold, and William's thinking went all fuzzy. All that he could manage to do was scream for help, for anyone to come and save him, but the strength was already seeping out of his body. With one final squeeze on his throat, William the traveller's body went limp, and the forest was once more filled with an eerie silence accompanied only by the rustle of the shadows feasting.
YOU ARE READING
Shadows in the woods
FantasyNo one has ever survived being in the woods for more than a single day, but will a traveller finally be able to cross it unscathed?
