The Running Shadow

The Running Shadow

By HKR

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The forest was alive with whispers.

Evelyn tightened her jacket around her, the chill of the autumn air biting at her skin. The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, leaving the woods cloaked in an inky darkness. Her flashlight flickered weakly, casting erratic beams of light that danced across the gnarled trees and tangled underbrush. She shouldn’t have come here. Not at night. Not alone.

But she had no choice.

Her younger brother, Liam, had gone missing hours ago. He’d been playing near the edge of the woods, chasing after his dog, Max. When Max returned alone, whimpering and covered in mud, Evelyn knew something was wrong. She’d searched the neighborhood, called his name until her voice was hoarse, but there was no sign of him. The woods were the only place left to look.

The flashlight flickered again, and Evelyn smacked it against her palm. “Come on, don’t die on me now,” she muttered. The beam steadied, but only barely. She pressed on, her boots crunching over fallen leaves and twigs.

“Liam!” she called, her voice echoing through the trees. “Liam, where are you?”

There was no answer. Only the rustling of leaves and the distant hoot of an owl.

Evelyn’s heart pounded in her chest. She’d always hated these woods. Even in daylight, they felt oppressive, as if the trees were watching her. But at night, it was worse. The shadows seemed to move on their own, twisting and shifting in the corners of her vision. She told herself it was just her imagination, but the unease clung to her like a second skin.

She stumbled over a root, catching herself on a tree trunk. The bark was rough and cold beneath her fingers. As she straightened, her flashlight caught something on the ground. A small sneaker, caked in mud.

“Liam!” she cried, scooping up the shoe. Her hands trembled as she turned it over. It was his, no doubt about it. She recognized the scuff marks on the toe and the frayed laces.

“Liam, answer me!” she shouted, her voice cracking.

A faint sound reached her ears. A whimper.

Evelyn froze, her breath catching in her throat. The sound came again, weak and muffled, but unmistakable. It was coming from deeper in the woods.

She hesitated, her instincts screaming at her to turn back. But she couldn’t leave Liam out here. Not alone. Not in the dark.

Clutching the flashlight, she plunged deeper into the forest. The trees grew denser, their branches intertwining overhead to blot out the sky. The air grew colder, and the whispers grew louder. She couldn’t make out the words, but they sent a shiver down her spine.

The whimper came again, closer this time. Evelyn quickened her pace, her flashlight beam bouncing wildly as she ran.

“Liam, I’m coming!” she called.

She burst into a small clearing, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The beam of her flashlight swept across the ground, illuminating a figure huddled at the base of a tree.

“Liam!” she cried, rushing forward.

But as she drew closer, her blood turned to ice.

It wasn’t Liam.

The figure was small, about the size of a child, but it was all wrong. Its limbs were too long, too thin, like twisted branches. Its skin was pale and mottled, stretched tight over its bones. And its face…

Evelyn’s scream caught in her throat.

The thing had no eyes, just hollow sockets that seemed to suck in the light. Its mouth was a jagged gash, filled with rows of needle-like teeth. It tilted its head, as if studying her, and let out a low, guttural growl.

Evelyn stumbled back, her flashlight slipping from her grasp. It hit the ground and rolled away, its beam flickering before going out completely. Darkness swallowed the clearing.

She could hear the thing moving, its bony limbs scraping against the ground. She turned and ran, her heart pounding in her ears. Branches clawed at her face and arms, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop.

The whispers grew louder, more insistent. They seemed to come from all around her, closing in.

“Evelyn…”

Her name. They were saying her name.

She ran faster, her lungs burning. The forest seemed to stretch on forever, the trees closing in around her. She could hear the thing behind her, its footsteps quick and light, like the skittering of insects.

“Evelyn…”

She burst into another clearing, her legs giving out beneath her. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath. The whispers were deafening now, a cacophony of voices that seemed to come from inside her head.

And then, silence.

The forest was still. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

Evelyn looked up, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. The clearing was empty, save for a single tree in the center. Its branches were bare, twisted into grotesque shapes. And hanging from one of those branches was Liam’s jacket.

“No…” she whispered, crawling toward it.

She reached up, her fingers brushing against the fabric. It was damp, as if soaked in water—or something else.

A low growl sounded behind her.

Evelyn turned slowly, her heart pounding in her chest.

The thing was there, its hollow eyes fixed on her. It crouched low, its long limbs splayed out like a spider’s. Its mouth stretched into a grotesque grin, revealing rows of jagged teeth.

“Evelyn…” it hissed, its voice a guttural rasp.

She scrambled back, her hands clawing at the ground. The thing lunged, its claws slashing through the air. She rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding its grasp.

She had to run. She had to get out of here.

But as she turned to flee, she saw them.

Shadows. Dozens of them, emerging from the trees. They were tall and thin, their forms shifting and writhing like smoke. They had no faces, no features, but she could feel their eyes on her.

The whispers returned, louder than before. They filled her mind, drowning out her thoughts.

“Evelyn… Evelyn… Evelyn…”

She screamed, covering her ears. But it was no use. The voices were inside her, tearing at her sanity.

The thing in the clearing lunged again, its claws sinking into her shoulder. Pain exploded through her body, and she fell to the ground. The shadows closed in, their cold fingers brushing against her skin.

She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

And then, nothing.

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The forest was silent once more.

The shadows retreated, melting back into the trees. The thing in the clearing crouched over Evelyn’s lifeless body, its jagged mouth twisting into a grin.

It reached down, its claws sinking into her chest.

And then it was gone, vanishing into the darkness.

All that remained was Liam’s jacket, hanging from the tree.

And the whispers, echoing through the woods.

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*The end.*