He and Poppy

A sudden, overwhelming wave of fear cascaded over me as my eyes tried to focus in the dark. I looked all around me, desperate for somewhere to go. Anywhere. As long as it was away from the nightmare behind me.

The moonlight was distant and barely reached the forest floor from where it shone above. All around me, I was surrounded by trees. So many trees. Why were there so many goddamn trees? Where were the people? Where was help?

As I stood there, I heard something behind me. My breath caught in my throat. Looking back, I realized that there was a deer standing a few feet behind me, seemingly just as startled as I was at seeing it. We stared at one another for a few moments, two beings in sync with the moment and one another.

Then, suddenly, the deer leaped away into the darkness. I watched it fade into darkness and wished I could follow it to safety.

Observing my surroundings, a heavy weight began to build in my chest. Every moment I stood there, the closer the nightmare grew to me and the more the pressure in my chest increased.

As if pulled by a string, I found my legs stumbling toward the left, where the deer had disappeared. I followed the only sign of hope I had seen in a long time.

I didn't know how long it would be until my absence would be noticed. Perhaps it already had been. How long until He came after me? I felt a sickening twist in my stomach at the thought of Him. I pushed myself faster.

-

Poppy was trying to start her life over. She just wanted to forget her past. After a bad break up with her ex, she moved to Charlottesville in an attempt to move on. What she didn't expect was for her freedom to be taken away by Him. And He would be the one to take her away from the rest of the world. For she would break, one way or another.