FAUX

CHAPTER 1 PAGE 2

The deep forest stretched before you, its towering trees casting long shadows as the sunlight filtered through the dense canopy above. Each step you took seemed to echo in the stillness, but the sensation was soothing, not unsettling. You were used to the quiet of the wilderness—its tranquility wrapped around you like a familiar cloak. The scent of pine and moss hung in the air, grounding you as you ventured deeper into the woods. The only sounds that accompanied your journey were the occasional rustling of leaves or the distant call of birds. It was peaceful here, and you let your mind wander as you navigated the overgrown path ahead.

You had no particular destination in mind, only a vague sense of adventure, the pull of the unknown leading you. The thrill of travel, of moving between places where no one knew your name, was a constant companion. With each new step, a sense of freedom grew stronger, an almost addictive feeling of independence. You were accustomed to being alone, embracing the solitary nature of your wanderings. There was no place that could hold you. No place that could claim you. The open world was all that mattered.

A faint breeze ruffled the leaves above you, and for a moment, you stopped, letting it wash over your skin. The calmness of it was intoxicating, and you stood there for a moment longer than you had intended, taking in the stillness. But something was nagging at the edge of your mind—an unease that you couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t enough to make you turn around, but the hairs on the back of your neck prickled, and your senses heightened. The forest felt a bit too silent, too still, as though the usual hum of nature had been muted.

You shrugged it off. Your instincts had served you well in the past, but you were a wanderer, and instinct had a way of twisting things when left unchecked. With a quick, dismissive shake of your head, you continued onward, pushing aside the nagging feeling. It was probably nothing.

The path began to narrow, the underbrush thickening around you. Your boots crunched over the fallen leaves, and you swatted at a few low-hanging branches that reached out to catch your cloak. The deeper you went into the forest, the more isolated it seemed. The trees were older here, their trunks twisted and knotted, their branches gnarled like the fingers of ancient, forgotten things. You couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer size of them, their roots curling into the earth like veins of some immense, silent creature.

Still, the feeling lingered—a presence at the edges of your awareness. It was subtle, like a shadow slipping across your peripheral vision. You paused again, listening. The forest had fallen eerily quiet, as though even the wind had stopped moving. You glanced around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Only the dense foliage, the stretching limbs of trees, and the quiet depths of the woods. You took another deep breath, forcing the unease to the back of your mind. If you wanted adventure, it was here in this quiet, untamed world that you would find it.

As you pressed forward, the path veered into a small clearing, and you stopped to admire the patch of sunlight breaking through the trees, casting everything in a golden glow. The moment seemed perfect, too perfect almost, like a scene from a dream. You knelt down to examine a particularly beautiful wildflower growing at your feet, reaching out to touch the delicate petals when a subtle sound broke the stillness—a soft rustle in the underbrush just beyond the clearing.

You straightened slowly, eyes narrowing, instinctively stepping back as the sound grew slightly louder. It was strange. The forest had always been alive with noise, yet the way the rustle came and went felt... controlled. Almost deliberate. You paused, breath caught in your throat, trying to listen carefully. Your pulse quickened, your eyes scanning the woods for any movement, any sign of what might be hiding just out of view.

Nothing. The clearing remained undisturbed, save for the occasional flicker of movement from the leaves, but that was normal. The wind was unpredictable here, and it often carried branches or twigs to and fro. Still, something didn’t sit right. You had spent enough time in the wild to know the difference between normal forest noise and something... off.

"Just the wind," you muttered under your breath, attempting to reassure yourself, but even as you spoke the words, you felt the creeping feeling of being watched—a sensation you couldn't shake. Every instinct screamed that you weren’t alone, but there was no sign of anyone. No tracks, no footprints. Just the sound of your own breath.

The hairs on your neck prickled again as a new sound reached your ears, this time the faintest scrape, like a metal blade against stone. You froze, every muscle in your body locking up. A cold shiver traveled down your spine, and this time, it wasn’t from the chill of the air. No, it was something much deeper, a primal instinct telling you that something—or someone—was far too close for comfort. Yet, despite the oppressive silence, there was no indication of any presence near you.

You turned on your heel and walked briskly, now with an urgency you hadn’t felt before. It wasn’t the forest you feared, not really, but the strange sensation that something was stalking you—something that didn’t belong here. You focused on the path ahead, on the rhythm of your footsteps, trying to block out the feeling that someone—or something—was just a step behind you.

As you moved deeper into the forest, the shadows seemed to grow longer, the air thicker. The underbrush became more tangled, and the light began to fade, the sun’s rays no longer reaching the ground as the trees above you grew denser. Your eyes darted back and forth, the unease settling heavier into your bones with every step. But still, no sign of anything out of place.

"Just keep moving," you muttered, trying to calm the growing anxiety in your chest. "It’s nothing. Nothing at all."

Yet even as you spoke the words, a soft hissing sound—barely audible—slipped through the air, its source unseen. Your heart skipped a beat, and you turned quickly, but there was nothing. Just the trees. The ever-looming shadows.

You kept walking, but the sensation grew stronger. A presence now, lurking just behind you. No sound. No footsteps. But a presence. It slithered through the leaves and the branches, just outside of your sight. The air felt heavier, suffocating, and yet when you turned again, you saw nothing—only the creeping shadows of the forest floor.

A slight breeze brushed against your skin, and for a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Suddenly, you caught a glimpse—a flash of something long and silver, moving just beyond the edge of the trees. You stopped in your tracks, heart pounding in your chest, as the world around you seemed to hold its breath.

The creature, sleek and coiled, slipped through the shadows just out of your view. The glint of its presence was unmistakable—like the reflection of moonlight off steel, but there was something about it that felt... off.

The faintest whisper of a laugh reached your ears, the sound like the rustling of dry leaves, but undeniably human-or atleast half…

You spun around, eyes wide, but the creature was gone. Nothing but the whisper of leaves underfoot. But now you knew, deep in your gut, that you weren’t alone. Something was out there. And it was watching you.

SABIS YAP FEST

(I was stuck on how to write this and just got it done so please forgive me if it feels rush😓)

On another note, Bruce Wayne as a werebat is making me feral😋‼️