It's dark. All around you are weird sounds and chirping. You're not sure exactly where you are, but you can feel sharp rocks digging into your back. You sit up, wincing as your left knee throbs with pain. Did you fall?

You look down at your hands, but it's too dark to see if you're scraped up. What happened? You try to remember the path you took to get here. It was dark when you started to run. Run? Why were you running?

Your hands are slick.

You force yourself to get up. You can't stay still. You don't know why, but you do know you have to keep going. You have to run. You can't run.

Beneath your weight, your ankles tremble. How long has it been since you ate? You look up. The stars are beautiful pinpoints of light above you, but the constellations are foreign. You search for the one star you should always be able to see: the North star. Polaris.

It's not there. No moon, either. Was it a no moon night? You can't remember what day it is today. Tonight? Maybe it's tomorrow. Time slips away from your consciousness as you place one foot in front of the other.

Move. You have to move.

Your breathing is uneven. Your ribs heart when you breath in too deep. Your knee throbs. Your neck aches. You have to keep moving. Gravel crunches underneath your steps. You count them. One. Two. Three.

Don't tell him any lies.

Four. Five. Six.

Don't touch the light.

Seven. Eight. Nine.

Ignore her when she cries.

Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

Whatever you do, don't go out at night.

Thirteen.

Destiny is calling you. Lucky number thirteen.

You laugh, and the sound is pure hysteria. Panic wrapped up in more panic. Behind you, another set of footsteps disturbs the gravel. Your heart rate spikes. Move. Move. Move.

A hand grabs your neck.

You wake up, gasping and covered in sweat.

[Go to chapter: Two ]