The subject

Chapter 7

We tried to run, but the teenagers were too fast. They surrounded us, their eyes empty and cold, their skin gray and decaying. Seth watched with a twisted grin, enjoying the terror he had unleashed.

"You should have stayed out of this, Dylan," he sneered, his voice dripping with malevolence. "Now, you're just a pawn in the forest's deadly game. And the forest always wins."

The teenagers closed in, their hands grasping like claws. We fought back, but they were too strong, their grip like a vice. Just as all hope seemed lost, Lyla emerged from the shadows, her eyes blazing with a fierce light.

"Seth, you're finished," she spat, her voice venomous. "You've played your last trick. And now, the forest will claim you."

Seth's smile faltered, and for a moment, we saw fear in his eyes. But then, his expression hardened, and he pulled out a knife, its blade glinting in the dim light.

"You think you can beat me, Lyla?" he sneered. "I've been playing this game for years. And I always win. Because I have the forest on my side."

As he spoke, the trees seemed to shift and twist, their branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. The wind howled through the forest, a mournful cry that sent shivers down our spines. We knew we were trapped in a living nightmare, and the forest was determined to claim us as its own.

Suddenly, the teenagers attacked, their hands grasping, their mouths open in a silent scream. We fought back, but they were too strong, too numerous. And then, just as all hope seemed lost, the forest itself seemed to come alive.

The trees closed in, their branches wrapping around us like a noose. The wind howled louder, a deafening roar that drowned out our screams. And then, everything went black.