Pulling myself out of a stupor, I slowly backed off before pushing into a full sprint.
As fast as I could, I dashed through the forest, weaving past trees and mowing over verdant foliage on the way.
Running like my life depended on it.
After putting what I deemed enough distance between myself and it I slowly came to a halt, my muscles ached, mind still reeling from the horror I just witnessed.
Leaning against a tree, my breathing came out ragged.
"W-what?" An involuntary breath spilled out of my lungs. "Was that?"
My vision started shaking, my mind overflowing with panic.
I tried calming myself down, recognising a slippery slope of dread I couldn't afford to go down in this god-forsaken place.
Shutting my eyes, I focused on my breathing.
'Breathe in.'
Nhhhhh…
'Breathe out.'
Hoooo…
I repeated this multiple times until I felt myself calm down and my breathing stabilise.
'It's irrelevant what it was. I'm far away from it now. That's all that matters,' I consoled myself.
SHRKKK
....
SHRKKK
That sound.
Slowly looking up, I saw it again—a rabbit pushing through the underbrush. Its glossy eyes seemed to stare me down before it lifted its paw, its hollow gaze settling on its arm.
CRUNCH
It bit into its arm, ripping off scarlet chunks of flesh. Its ears twitched to the side in what I could only assume was pleasure.
'What the fu—'
SHRKKM
SHRMM
SRKHK
A cacophony of rustles echoed around me.
At that point, I had no time to sit and ponder what the hell was going on. I forced my exhausted body to run as fast as it could, this time heading east.
After a while, I dragged my tired body beside a tree, resting against it before…
SHRKKK
My head snapped up as fast as I could bring it to do, and there it was—a rabbit strolling out of the underbrush, repeating what I had just fled from.
An incredulous look made its way onto my face.
Before I again hauled my shaking legs west.
….
And again.
This harrowing nightmare repeated.
I moved north, past the self-cannibalising hare.
It repeated.
I moved south.
It repeated.
I ignored direction, randomly bumbling my way through the forest.
…
The same scenery greeted my vision once again.
The bemused look had long since been wiped off my face.
At this point, I seemed to realise something.
Something I desperately wanted to remain oblivious to—or, better yet, something I hoped was not the answer.
Kneeling on the floor, I looked up at the shrouded sky, its pathetic light bleeding into the forest, suffocated by ragged cut leaves and branches.
Heh… hehe… haha… HaHAHHA… heh.
A crazed laugh echoed throughout the forest.
A short laugh escaped me.
A pause to catch my breath.
"They've all been the same fucking rabbit from the start."
I haven't moved a step beyond this isolated area.
I've been foolishly running about.
Driving my body to the brink for something I can't even escape.
"Damn it…"
I started choking up.
I dont want to die.
But at this rate, I had no say.
My body was languid. I would die of exhaustion if this kept up. I could stay in one spot, but being eaten alive by those maniac rabbits was not what I wanted.
I had to keep running to have even a small chance of survival.
But at that moment, I felt it.
Like a signal finally managing to break through a veil of static designed to intercept.
The wind blew left.
Yet I felt its hands caress my right cheek?
...….
I'm going crazy.
No, perhaps it was a near-imperceptible draft I only felt because of my pathetic talent.
Thinking about it, I wallowed in pity for a second.
A mystical power meant to give humans unrivalled ability, and in this deadly environment where one misstep could get me killed…
All it can do is make me feel a small draft of wind?
Pathetic.
Lips quivering, I dragged myself out of those depressing thoughts.
Towing myself upwards, I staggered forwards, using the trees towering around me as leverage to move my body.
Reaching forwards, I attempted to grab onto the trusty bark of a tree.
but as my hand drew closer, something felt wrong.
I placed my hand on the tree—
and came crashing down to the floor.
"Ughhh…"
What the—
Turning my body, I looked at the tree I had just tried to grab and—
It was perfectly fine?
Odd.
I couldn't help but think.
Pushing myself off the ground, I went to touch it again, expecting to feel the familiar sturdy bark of a tree, and yet…
My hand just passed through as if it were a mirage.
I-im not tired to the point of hallucinating? Am I, no. No I don't think so. then what the hell is going on?!
I came to a crude conclusion…
A conclusion I should've come to a while go.
Somethings lying to me.
I couldn't help but think back to the wind.
Perhaps it wasn't an imperceptible draft, but the wind I saw blow was…
A fake.