Cadaverine

The Forest For The Trees - The Night Prior

All Leah wanted was to take in the natural beauty of the forest.

Unable to sleep late into the night she donned a coat and made her way into the beckoning woods, a sketchbook under her arm and a pencil tucked into an inner pocket. She had done this many sleepless nights before and could normally find a flat rock to sit on.

The moonlight hitting just between the barren tree branches lit her work.

Leah spent her whole life in the cold, she felt prepared. She didn't intend on exploring so far it would be impossible to find her way home and the crunch of the snow beneath her boots was a familiar, joyful feeling. Gently whispered memories were stronger than the winds blistering howls.

The way the wind blew her long blonde hair felt more like her mother's loving fingers than a warning.

So she pushed forward.

Finding her favored spot o

nce again she groaned, the dirt freshly moist from the fallen snow. This didn't deter her much. It was always much more cozy in her bed after these outings. She would drift away like her bed was being rocked by a gentle sea.

Tonight her dreams were the closest thing to inspiration she could find.

She sucked her teeth as she looked around, finding no humor in making it all this way only to find herself more tired than she knew. Leah reached into her jacket to grab her pencil anyway, the wool reminiscent of her big fluffy comforter.

Perhaps, she pondered, if she rested her eyes, even just for a moment, she could replenish some of her energy and the ideas would start flowing.

These woods were a friend, open armed and willing to share their secrets.

A rock in front of a tree wasn't an ideal resting spot, but it proved dangerously comfortable this time. The silence was enveloping and warm, and within minutes, she had drifted off to sleep. As hours passed, Leah's rosy red cheeks became a more irritating crimson. If she sat there much longer she would be a popsicle by morning.

Leah was finally awoken by the snapping of a tree branch. Her symptoms hit her within seconds of regaining consciousness.

"Oh what did I do to myself..."

She mused out loud, rubbing her face with her hands like she might start a fire. It felt like someone was squeezing her head. Short naps always tended to give her headaches but it was clear this was from the cold.

Leah was even more exhausted than she was before she fell asleep. Working off her few hours of sleep she stumbled up straight and began to wander aimlessly.

Even in this state, she was confident her feet would take her the right way home. Even as the concentration of trees became more dense. Even when the terrain was the exact same in every direction.

In her mind's eye the trees grew upwards into an all encompassing cage.

A crisp, grassy scent was replaced with stale dampness. Mold and mud that crunched with each step, crumbling animal bones under foot. It wafted upwards and replaced her breath with the stench of death.

Another twig snapped, and then three more.

Her heart rate slowly climbed and nausea began to bubble up in her stomach, not only was she utterly lost, but she clearly wasn't alone.

As quickly as this thought entered her mind there was a tug on her jacket.

Leah let out a loud groan. Her head hit the rocky soil just soft enough to leave her alive. Only for her face to be targeted next.