You turn tail and head for the kitchen. There are quite a few windows that you can open. Though they have screens on them, it's not hard to shove them out of the way usually. Picking the largest window that you can easily access, you slide the window up as quietly as possible. You know the screen won't come out without a noise, though, so you tense and wait.

The knocking comes again, more insistent this time. A voice calls out to you, but the words are muffled by the thick wooden door. You shove at the screen and it clatters to the ground outside. You hold your breath as you climb out of it and drop as quietly to the ground as you can. One foot hits soft dirt, but your other foot slides forward on the screen and you hit the ground hard on your knee.

When you stand up, you can feel your knee already beginning to swell. You know it's gonna hurt as soon as the adrenaline stops pumping, but you need to get out of here. You look around, knowing that whoever is at the door probably heard you exit the house. All around you, the forest of the mountains is pitch black, with the only light being what escapes from your cabin lights through the windows.

In front of you, a familiar shimmery figure beckons you. Luke. You grit your teeth and start off toward him, trying to find the right balance between speed and caution. A twisted ankle is the last thing you need right now.

Your breath starts to come a little more raggedly, and sweat builds over your brow. Luke seems to always be in the distance, just out of your reach, beckoning you. Time means nothing out in the true dark of the mountains. You can't even see the stars through the clouds above you. That's when you remember that it's supposed to rain soon.

You weave through the trees, carefully scramble over large rocks. Your feet hurt, you left your shoes behind. The air is heavy with impending rain. You're not cold, but your thin nightgown is clinging uncomfortably to your body. It offers no protection against the coming storm.

Finally, Luke seems to be getting closer. His eyes are dark brown again, but he's almost invisible in the darkness. He's just another shadow, but he holds his arms out for you.

You slide into them, and he turns , shoving you down and back until you fall into the base of a hollow tree. Inside smells like rotten wood and feels like creepy crawlies. You barely stifle a scream.

Luke looks to the direction you come from, and then he fades again, leaving you all alone in the middle of the woods at night.

The night animals call around you. Twigs snap in the distance. Rocks shift. Your heart nearly explodes. A boot comes into view, stepping carefully over the dark ground. You only see it because it's movement in the darkness.

Another foot comes into view. They stop in front of your tree. You stop breathing.

Please don't notice me. Please don't notice me.

[Go to chapter: Thirty One]