Present
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Leaves and branches scratched my arms, face and other parts of my body as I ran along the dark wooded forest. I didn’t know where I was going, but I was pretty965Please respect copyright.PENANACbZJZ1lgKT
sure I was running for my life from whatever was chasing me. The air965Please respect copyright.PENANAF6jwuwyoPO
around me was cold and there was fog everywhere. The full moon had come965Please respect copyright.PENANA1PWyNBiJ6T
up and it was as bright as ever. But its light wasn’t bright enough for965Please respect copyright.PENANAUjCw1L7ERD
it to illuminate around the forest because of the foliage of the tree965Please respect copyright.PENANAlQGRDy02sL
leaves above.
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I ran, trying to dodge every branch and jump over any fallen log blocking my path. I had fallen over a log at some point and must have badly injured my knee, but now965Please respect copyright.PENANA5ZT4mPv6a7
was clearly not the time to check myself. I could feel its presence and I965Please respect copyright.PENANAreFzRxalKe
knew it was coming closer and closer. I could tell it wanted me. I965Please respect copyright.PENANA1r84xzKwB6
could tell it wanted to find me. I could tell it wanted to kill me.
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Whenever I felt it coming closer, I would try to push myself and run a little faster. Sweat ran down my face and I was panting so much. No matter what, I couldn’t965Please respect copyright.PENANAi966WfijBM
stop running and I wasn’t planning on doing so any way.
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This was just like those American horror or Africa Magic movies about witchcraft I had watched. I never thought I would be going though whatever happens in such movies in my life. Everything's so real and my heart pumped so fast that the965Please respect copyright.PENANAkbvsSatRYp
adrenaline that spread throughout my body had kept me going for what965Please respect copyright.PENANAczVEoekSnH
seemed liked hours.
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All of the sudden, I felt something grab my waist and draw me a few steps back. I found myself pinned to the bark of a tree. For a moment, I thought whatever965Please respect copyright.PENANAmlvTVvsXr2
was after me had finally caught me. Before I could scream, a hand965Please respect copyright.PENANAPUYSdP1zlg
quickly covered my mouth and I could tell I was with a person, but it965Please respect copyright.PENANA6XGvru3ZPO
was too dark to even see who it was. I could tell it was a man because I965Please respect copyright.PENANAMtmYdJgDNp
could make out the person’s physique even in the darkness. I could feel965Please respect copyright.PENANA5KucVyDeme
his other strong arm pin my whole body with my back against the tree965Please respect copyright.PENANABd6n4qc7XC
that I couldn’t even move. The hand he used to cover my mouth was965Please respect copyright.PENANAgdPJy0cFsF
quickly withdrawn. He put up his index finger and placed it to his lips965Please respect copyright.PENANAwEr6Md5ZKi
obviously telling me to be quiet. I silently nodded, and for once, my965Please respect copyright.PENANAsiSxN3f8Iq
breathing slowed down and I felt my body relax a little. I could tell965Please respect copyright.PENANAvoFV9w0bZ8
that no matter what, this man in front of me was only trying to protect965Please respect copyright.PENANAY5wrDburyw
me, but that didn’t mean I had forgotten about the danger around us.
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A chilling sensation came over me. The feeling became stronger and I knew it was coming closer. The man still had me pinned to the tree and he just waited in965Please respect copyright.PENANAHkQhtpwDLm
silence. Then a black shadow passed us and it was moving as fast as I965Please respect copyright.PENANAG1hcdbKkUI
could have ever imagined. The shadow was going to catch me, no doubt965Please respect copyright.PENANA1ZzWsBdiVH
about that. Thank goodness the man came before anything happened.
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A few seconds later, the chilling sensation had subsided and I couldn’t help but feel relived. The man’s hand that held me to the tree loosened and he took me by the965Please respect copyright.PENANACrVy9SKFHh
hand and dragged me along with him to wherever we were going. He didn’t965Please respect copyright.PENANAzZM0Gh2Opb
say a single word to me and it was best to keep quiet in these forests,965Please respect copyright.PENANAmnMwa3Vzp2
just in case the shadow ever found us. We soon came upon an open area965Please respect copyright.PENANAw3dWUKr1ii
with a few trees around, the moon shone brightly over us and I could see965Please respect copyright.PENANAryjGnJNjTi
the man’s back but not his face. As I continued to look at him, I965Please respect copyright.PENANAvDQgCOoHYD
couldn’t help but feel that I know him. I wanted to see his face so965Please respect copyright.PENANAXtNiIt2Nd8
badly and curiosity took the better of me: I spoke.
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“Do I know you?” I asked.
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The man stopped walking and I bumped into his back. I felt his body go rigid because of my question. I hoped I hadn’t upset him. He was the only key to getting out965Please respect copyright.PENANA1WBeoMX4qz
of here.
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“Now isn’t the right time for this,” he whispered, “and you better stop talking. We aren’t safe here.”
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“I just wanted to know who are you, that’s all,” I whispered. “I want to thank you for what you did for me back there.”
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“Don’t thank me; we aren’t out of the forest yet.”
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I couldn’t help but say, “You sound very familiar, do I know you?”
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For a moment there was only silence and all I could do was stare at the back of the man who had saved me. He sighed out heavily and he finally spoke:
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“Knowing you, you aren’t going to give up so easily, asking the same question just to annoy me. You’re always so persistent and stubborn, Diana.”
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It was now my turn for my body to go rigid. I stared at him with shock. How did he know my name? How did he know I was persistent and stubborn? I needed answers.965Please respect copyright.PENANAbLFWVEjliU
And I needed them right away.
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I didn’t have to ask the questions that were running around my head as the man immediately turned to face me. My jaw suddenly dropped and I couldn’t help but feel965Please respect copyright.PENANA3NRzhJTUYh
surprised and yet again happy when I saw his face. But some things965Please respect copyright.PENANACX9fdW0p4e
weren’t adding up though. How did he know where to find me in the first965Please respect copyright.PENANAR03aAO90wA
place?
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And why of all people did it have to be him?
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