A call from the darkness

DANGEROUS APPEALS!

Boots blasted across the dark forest that was as hushed as the lands of the dead. A figure of a man whizzed past the tall, primaeval trees, that had its heads of leaves dancing to the velocities of the breeze.

There were squat, slim trees that were cheerfully shaggy and depressed alongside the brown grass next to a hissing lake. Dead leaves were leisurely falling to the dry ground, making a noisy crackling sound as they touched the ground.

The runner's breath instantly grew frantic with the thought of being caught by the furred beasts behind him. His heart throbbed somewhere close to his throat. He could feel the earth beneath his feet quacking from his fear.

From a distance afar, his ears could perceive the different kinds of sounds that surrounded him but mostly, of the heavy breaths of the creatures that were running after him were flowing in his veins like poison.

"Keep running!"

A voice, lacking resonance and definition, rang in his head— encouraging his