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He was coming for her. She could feel his presence, his faint footsteps closing in on her. She ran breathless through the forest, careful to not draw attention to herself. It was pitch dark but she knew her way. The forest was not new to her, she knew the trees like her palm. He was after her, hunting her like an animal, the way a predator would hunt his prey, ready to pounce on her like he did her family. But she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. She knew the forest just like him, maybe even better. She played hide and seek here, fetched firewood here. She wasn’t going to die here.

A movement caught her eyes and she froze, the hairs on her nape stood erect. She could smell his death stench. She dropped to the ground and peered through the thick shrubs. He was there, standing few kilometers away from her, staring at the opposite direction. He had a pointed knife in one hand and a long stick in the other. He looked like death itself, standing there for what seemed like forever, waiting. She held her breath, knowing that any sound would give her away. He sniffed the air and started towards her. She closed her eyes and waited, her heart beating wildly. The grass rustled beneath his feet as he approached. Time stopped, she tasted blood.

He paused, confusion flashed through his face briefly. She opened one eye in time and saw him disappear behind an oak tree. She bolted, adrenaline shooting through her arms and legs. She forgot every caution she was taught as a child as she fled. Her lungs burned but she didn’t slow down. She underestimated him and he had come so close. She turned right, entering a narrow path. The mud told her the river was close. She increased her pace. Few more steps and she would be safe.

Something flashed ahead, blinding her for a moment. She caught a glimpse of a dark figure before it vanished. She continued running. She could see the river now. She avoided the slippery grasses and sharp stones and ran in circle, heading for the bank. Haven at last. He stepped out of the water, his knife glistering.

“Have you finished running?” he smiled.

She stopped just as he threw a stick at her. The pointed end grazed her arm. Her eyes darted left and right. Holding her wounded arm with the other hand, she turned and headed back into the forest. Another stick caught her on one leg and she fell faced down. She lay still, waiting for the sharp pain of the knife. Nothing happened. She turned and saw him running back into the forest. She stared at his back in confusion.

Tell me your thoughts.

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