What Was Left Behind

Chapter 9: The Chase

The air around Maia felt thick, oppressive, as if the fog itself had turned into a living thing, wrapping its cold fingers around her throat. Her heart pounded violently in her chest, the echo of Camilla's twisted smile burned into her mind.

"You'll be next."

The words reverberated through her like a death sentence, chilling her to the bone. Camilla's not real. She couldn't be. That wasn't the friend she knew—it was something else, something darker, something wrong.

Maia stumbled back from the spot where Camilla had vanished, her legs barely able to hold her up. The shadows in the woods seemed to stretch longer, creeping closer, suffocating. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but her legs were frozen, locked in place by fear. Her eyes darted through the fog, searching for any sign of movement, but there was nothing. Only the stillness. The emptiness.

And then, in the distance, she heard it: a low, guttural growl.

Her body jolted into motion.

Run.

The thought snapped her out of her paralysis, and Maia bolted, her feet slipping on the wet ground as she sprinted away from Black Creek. Branches lashed at her face, and the underbrush clawed at her ankles, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. Her breath came in ragged gasps, each one sharper than the last, as panic took over her body.

Behind her, the growling grew louder, the sound now unmistakably human—a rasping, animalistic noise that sent ice through her veins. It was coming for her, whatever it was. Something was hunting her.

The path ahead was barely visible through the thick fog, but Maia didn't care. She had to get away. She had to make it to the road, to somewhere safe. But was anywhere safe now?

Her mind raced as fast as her feet, flashes of Camilla's face, her blank eyes, her eerie smile, flickering through her thoughts. What had happened to her? What had taken her and twisted her into that thing Maia had seen?

The ground beneath her feet sloped down suddenly, and she lost her balance, tumbling forward into the dirt. The impact knocked the wind from her lungs, and for a moment, she couldn't move, the world spinning around her. Pain shot through her hands and knees as she tried to push herself up, but the fog was so thick now she could barely see.

The growling was closer.

Too close.

Maia scrambled to her feet, ignoring the sharp pain in her ankle, and took off again, adrenaline pumping through her veins. Her pulse hammered in her ears, drowning out everything else. The trees were thicker here, their branches twisting like skeletal hands reaching for her as she dodged between them.

The growling morphed into something else—a voice, distorted and faint, but unmistakably human. "Maia..." it hissed through the trees. "You can't run."

She bit back a scream, pushing herself harder, faster. But no matter how fast she ran, the voice was right behind her. It wasn't Camilla. It couldn't be. This thing—whatever it was—wasn't human.

She glanced over her shoulder and nearly lost her footing again. In the distance, through the fog, she saw a shape moving—tall, shadowy, moving unnaturally fast. The figure was gaining on her, its limbs jerking at unnatural angles, like it didn't quite belong in this world.

Panic shot through Maia's chest. It was faster than her. And it was closing in.

Her only hope was to find the road, to get out of the woods and back to the town. Maybe she could find Levi, maybe she could figure out what the hell was happening. But the road was still so far, and her legs were growing weaker with every step, exhaustion setting in.

"Maia..." The voice slithered closer, the sound seeping into her bones. "You're next."

She turned sharply to the left, weaving between the trees, hoping to throw it off her trail, but the figure was relentless. Every time she thought she had gained ground, the shadow reappeared, moving closer and closer, its twisted form stalking her through the fog.

Maia's lungs burned, her legs aching with every desperate step. The terrain was uneven, and she stumbled over roots and rocks, the forest floor slick with mud. She could feel the creature closing in, its presence thick in the air, pressing down on her like a weight she couldn't escape.

The world spun around her as she ran, her vision narrowing, her focus consumed by one single thought: survive.

And then she saw it—a glimmer of hope through the trees. A light. The road.

She pushed herself harder, ignoring the pain in her chest and the burning in her legs, her eyes locked on that single point of light. She was so close. She could make it. She could—

Her foot caught on something, and she fell hard, her knees slamming into the ground. The jarring impact sent a wave of pain shooting up her legs, and for a split second, she couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. No. No, not now.

The growling was right behind her.

Maia forced herself to move, her hands slipping in the mud as she tried to crawl forward. The light was just ahead—just a few feet away. But the creature was so close now. She could feel its breath on the back of her neck, hear the twisted voice whispering her name over and over again.

"Maia..."

She pushed herself up, her legs trembling as she tried to run again, but it was too late. It was on her.

A cold hand clamped down on her shoulder, its grip like iron, yanking her back. Maia screamed, thrashing against the hold, but the creature's strength was overwhelming. She felt herself being pulled down, her body crashing into the mud as she struggled to break free.

She kicked out, her foot connecting with something solid, and the grip loosened just enough for her to wrench herself free. Without thinking, she reached into her jacket, her fingers brushing against the small utility knife Levi had insisted she carry.

Maia pulled it free, the blade glinting in the faint light as she turned, slashing at the shadowy figure. The blade connected with something solid, and the creature let out an unnatural screech, its form recoiling into the fog.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she scrambled to her feet, the knife clenched tightly in her hand. She could barely see the figure now, but it was still there, lurking in the mist, its twisted shape writhing in pain.

But she couldn't stop. Not now.

Maia turned and ran, her legs barely holding her up as she sprinted toward the road. She could see the headlights of a car approaching in the distance, the sound of the engine cutting through the oppressive silence of the woods.

Please, let them see me.

She broke through the tree line, stumbling out onto the asphalt just as the car's headlights swept over her. She waved her arms frantically, her breath ragged, her body trembling with exhaustion and fear.

The car screeched to a halt, and the driver's door flew open.

It was Levi.

"Maia!" Levi's voice was sharp, filled with panic, as he rushed toward her. "What the hell happened? Are you okay?"

Maia collapsed into his arms, the adrenaline finally giving way to the overwhelming fear that had been coursing through her veins. She was shaking uncontrollably, her body refusing to calm down, her mind still reeling from what she had seen.

"Something... something was chasing me," she gasped, her voice trembling. "It—it wasn't human, Levi. It was—it was something else."

Levi's eyes darkened, his jaw clenched as he scanned the fog-covered woods. "We need to get out of here," he said, his voice low, urgent. "Now."

Without another word, Levi helped Maia into the car, slamming the door behind her. As he started the engine, Maia glanced back toward the woods, her heart still pounding in her chest.

The fog swallowed the trees, hiding whatever had been hunting her. But she knew it was still there. Watching. Waiting.

And now, it wouldn't stop until it had her.