The stale, icy air wasn’t the only thing that chilled me to the bone. An eerie silence hung over me and set my anxiety on high. My feet, fast and frantic, crunched the frosty earth below me. And my breath came out in short puffs of steam. Exhaustion pulled at my legs. I expected to hear signs of civilization by now, but there was only the uncanny hush of the forest. Ghostly shadows were casted on the forest floor and as daylight fled, the shadows grew.

It wasn’t until I looked up at the setting sun that my feet quickened and my breathing retrogressed into wheezing gasps. Did this forest have and end? I’ve long lost count of how many steps I had taken since I found my self in this unforgiving forest and the continuous crunch of the frozen grass underneath my fee ceased to give me comfort. All I knew to do was to keep walking.

The orange flow in the sky degraded to a dark purple. My body shook with a mixture of panic and adrenaline. Soon it would be pitch black and I’d be lost. Well, more than I already was.

Crunch, crunch, crunch. My feet coincided with the seconds ticking away, bringing me closer to the moment of utter darkness.