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But now, walking slower, she couldn't hear the footsteps at all.
She took the last drag of her cigarette and threw it on the forest floor.
She turned around quickly.
"Hello?" she called.
Nobody was there.
Maybe she had heard something – or maybe she was just paranoid. She was feeling a little squirrely. And she was angry with herself to have chosen a trail that followed such a twisting path. She couldn't see more than a few yards behind her at any time because the trees were in the way. That hadn't been a wise choice.
She hurried on a little faster, trying to get ahead of the footsteps.
But now, they had started up again and they were keeping pace with her.
She didn't like this. Not at all.
Turning again, straining her eyes, she peered back into the murk of trees. Her heart was thumping.
"Is anyone there?" she called into the dimness.
There was no reply. The woods felt cool and hushed.
Something was wrong here. As she stood in the darkened woods, she began to get a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Now, she could hear the distinctive sound of feet crunching through the undergrowth. Someone was treading toward her. Fast.
And Sadie finally saw the figure.
She stared, in utter surprise. She recognized this walker.
"It's you?" she said. Her voice was shaky. She still felt scared, though not as scared as she had been. Not now that she saw who it was.
But then her mind started screaming at her that it was surely one huge coincidence to meet this person out here, in the middle of nowhere, at such a time. And furthermore, he hadn't said a word to her. Highly unusual.
But he was looking at her with a predatory gleam in his eyes that she’d never seen before, and which petrified her. And he was hurrying toward her. Purposeful. Intent. Silent.
That's when Sadie began to run.
She knew, instinctively, that nothing about this encounter was normal and that if he got any closer, she'd be in terrible danger.
"Help me!" she screamed, as she heard running footsteps, hard and fast, pursuing her.
But she knew nobody could hear her.
She turned her head, already knowing that it was a mistake, that she should use all her energy for speed.
He was close behind, gasping, grinning as he ran. His outstretched hands were reaching for her. Terrified, Sadie began to beg.
“No! Please, no!” she cried. But he was deaf to her pleas.
His arms knocked her roughly forward. Losing her balance, she sprawled on the ground.
He was on her now and his hands were at her throat. They wrapped tighter. She couldn't breathe and she started clawing at his wrists. She wanted to fight him, to get another chance and to do things a better way. Choose a safer route.
But he was too strong. The world was going dark around her.
And then there was blackness.
