Darkness is a welcome embrace when we close our eyes and fall asleep. Sleep, succumbing to a delirious abandon, is the warm comfort we allow ourselves to let go and say goodnight to the world. When we close our eyes, we see darkness. We wake to the light, and the world as we left it.

My world changes when I wake in darkness.

It's pitch black. So dark, I can't see a single thing around me. I blink my eyes, but there is no change. No light, not even an inkling of it—just complete and utter darkness.

The dark has never been a fear of mine, but this kind of darkness gives me goosebumps. It's a foreign entity to a city girl like me. Streetlights are the norm and even blackouts aren't as pitch-black as this.

This abyss is definitely something to be afraid of.

Where am I?

The ground is cool and damp next to my cheek. I dig my fingers into the soil, its earthy fragrance growing stronger as I stir it up. The smell of tree bark and leaves surround me, both fresh and partially rotten.

Wrinkling my nose, I pull myself up, leaning on my arms with my legs lying straight out behind me. Looking around, I am still unable to make out anything. I run a hand over my dreadlocks, my fingers finding bits of dry leaves embedded in the quarter-inch thick strands. Pinching a leaf between my fingers, I pull it out and hold it up to my face, as if I’d be able to see.

Why am I in a forest?

I don't know why, and I don't know how I got here. My last memories are distorted, hazy, incomprehensible.

What happened?

"Hello?" I call out.

My only reply is a sound I have heard before, but never from a dozen trees surrounding me. Tilting my head up, the first droplet falls on my cheek. Soon, the faint drip-drop symphony trickles down to me and I am bathed in cold water, still unable to see a thing.

"Hello?" I call out again, fear beginning to grip me as my imminent reality sinks in.

I’m alone in a dark forest, and it’s raining. Fan-flippin-tastic.

I pull myself up onto two shaky legs and reach my arms out before me. The rough ridges of a tree trunk scrape against my palms as little streams of water dribble down over its uneven bark. I look up just in time to see a flash of lightning flicker between the dense treetops.

I must be in the mountains. The forests are not touched there and are very thick and wild as a result.

How can I be in the mountains?

Thunder rumbles, sending a shiver up my spine as more water trickles down on me. My skin tingles in terror. My mental faculties morph as all my senses kick themselves up to the next level. The unknown is a potent and disturbing threat.

I need to find someplace safe, but how? I might as well be blindfolded because there’s no chance of me being able to see anything around me. I’ll get even more lost if I try to find a way out, and most likely hurt myself tripping over roots or rocks in the process.

Or get eaten by a bear, or hacked to death by a terrifying masked man with a hatchet, or possessed by a wicked demon, or my veins sucked dry by a vampire.

My body shudders violently as I cross my arms over my chest and rub my triceps for warm.

I gotta get out of here!

Reaching out again, I feel around the tree for low branches, but find nothing to pull myself up from the forest floor.

Fear drives me to step forward, reaching out to the next tree trunk and feeling along it for low branches. Again, I find nothing. I hurry to the next one, desperation consuming me now.

There's a rustle of damp leaves behind me.

Stifling a gasp, I turn and press my back against the tree trunk, my eyes darting about the darkness.

Whatever made that noise sounds big.

Heart racing, I bend down slowly and search through the sodden leaves for a fallen stick. It might prove to be fruitless, but finding something to protect myself with is better than having nothing at all.

I find only small twigs and a fearful whimper escapes my throat.

Lightning cracks in the sky above and I look up in time to see a pair of large golden eyes reflect in the dim light ten feet away. Its large form is silhouetted against the various tree trunks in the darkness for only a moment. Its wet fur glistens silver as raindrops splatter against his sleek body.

I am frozen as darkness swallows me again.

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