The portal and the crave 1

    He felt Katrina take hold of his hand, pulling him along behind her without hesitation, as they ran deeper into the woods. They hadn’t spoken since that horrifying incident, only listened to each other panting and struggling to keep their balance. She pulled him along faster, pushing him forward with a gentle tug of encouragement.

    He tried desperately to keep pace with her and stay conscious. But exhaustion overwhelmed him. He tripped over a tree root and fell forward, hitting the ground hard with a heavy thud. He heard her gasp and cry out his name, but she didn’t slow down for a second. She continued walking in front of him. He struggled to lift his head to look at her, but failed miserably, and his eyes closed again.

    The trees grew denser, and soon enough they found themselves running across a narrow path that led into a clearing. In the center of the clearing lay a dark