The forest air felt heavier with every step. Warm damp leaves clung to the path under my feet, and shadows twisted over one another like moving shapes. I kept turning in circles because I was certain I had just stood in this exact spot. The same tree with the split roots. The same low hanging leaves brushing my shoulder. Every direction looked identical.
My pulse raced again. Too loud. Too fast.
“Chase,” I called.
The trees swallowed the sound.
I tried again, louder, voice cracking. “Chase.”
Nothing.
Only the distant murmur of the ocean, too faint to guide me.
I fumbled for my phone with shaking fingers. When I lifted it, the screen glowed weakly. One bar. Then none. The signal flickered like a candle fighting wind. A small gasp escaped my throat.
The panic returned with familiar c
